Slow Cooker Southern Green Beans

Some traditions just stick—and honestly, this is one I have zero interest in breaking. Every year, we celebrate Sherrie’s birthday with BBQ ribs. And I’m fully on board with that plan… mostly because I love a good rack of ribs, but also because it gives me the perfect excuse to switch up the sides and try something new.

Over the years, we’ve paired those ribs with everything from au gratin potatoes to pasta salads and classic BBQ baked beans. This year, though, I found myself wanting to do something a little more meaningful.

My dad has been on my mind a lot lately—it’s his birthday month, so that’s not surprising. Food memories have a way of sneaking in during times like that, and one dish kept coming back to me: his slow-cooked green beans.

Photo from Butter
Your Biscuit

Dad loved those beans. He’d grab pounds of fresh green beans, a ham hock, and red potatoes, then let everything simmer away for hours. They were soft but not falling apart, rich with flavor, and unmistakably his. I loved them then, and I think I appreciate them even more now that he's gone and can't make them.

So, in honor of him, I decided to try a slow cooker version I found on Butter Your Biscuit. And… they were fine. Not bad, not amazing—just fine. I may have gotten a little heavy-handed with the pepper (whoops), but even beyond that, something was missing.

Honestly, I don’t think it was the recipe’s fault. I think it came down to time.

I missed my window to cook them low and slow for six hours, so I cranked the slow cooker to high for four instead. And if you’ve used a slow cooker much, you probably already know—high heat just doesn’t work the same magic as low. I’m a firm believer that “low and slow” isn’t just a saying, it’s a requirement for certain dishes.

Would I make these again? Absolutely. But next time, I’m giving them the full day they deserve—just like Dad did.

Slow Cooker Southern Green Beans

Recipe from Butter Your Biscuit

Serves 8

• 1 1/2 pounds fresh green beans (rinsed and trimmed)
• 8 slices bacon
• 1 medium onion diced
• 5 cloves garlic minced
• 1 russet potato peeled and diced
• 1 c chicken broth
• 1 T Worcestershire
• pinch of red pepper flakes optional
• Salt and pepper to taste

Add the trimmed green beans to the slow cooker. (I like to cut mine in half)

Cut bacon into small pieces and cook over medium heat until crispy. Remove and set aside.

Add the onions into the bacon grease and sauté until soft about 3 minutes. Add in the garlic and cook until fragrant about 30 seconds.

Add sauteed onions and garlic and bacon grease to the green beans. Followed by the diced potatoes.

Pour in the chicken broth, Worcestershire sauce and red pepper flakes if desired. Give the green beans a toss. Cover.

Cook on high 3-4 hours or low 5-6 hours or until desired tenderness.

Add salt and pepper to taste, sprinkle cooked bacon on top and serve.