Ingredients
- 2 pounds of fresh green beans
- 4-1/2 cups of water
- 5 ounces of fatback or salt pork, rinsed and cubed, sliced or quartered
- 1 teaspoon of freshly cracked black pepper, or to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper, or to taste, optional
- Salt, at the end, only as needed, to taste
- 1 tablespoon of butter or bacon fat, to finish, optional
Preparation
Step 1
Rinse, trim and snap green beans in half or thirds. Place into a large saucepan with fatback and pepper; bring to a boil. Reduce to a very low simmer, cover and let barely simmer for 1 hour to 1-1/2 hours. Taste and adjust seasonings, adding salt only as needed. Finish by stirring in the butter or bacon fat.
Cook's Notes: Remember, these beans are slow stewed, not boiled. They need to remain on a very bare simmer the entire cooking time - do not let them boil. Use fresh, raw green beans only, not frozen or canned. Do not substitute. Ham hocks or bacon are a suitable stand-in if you must, but the taste is not at all the same. Add whole scrubbed, tiny new potatoes about halfway through if desired and continue cooking until they are tender.
For the Slow Cooker: Prepare as above placing in slow cooker. Cover and cook on low 4-6 hours.