Green Beans and Bacon
Washington Cooks
- Course: Side Dish
- Features: Holiday (Thanksgiving)
Summary:
At Thanksgiving, Smithsburg, Md., farmer Sally Waltz cooks these beans in a deep redware pot placed close to the fireplace. The beans can be done in a slow cooker as well; use the cabbage leaves, either way.
You'll need 2 or 3 large, tough outer cabbage leaves, which will serve as a pot lid and help keep moisture in.
6 to 8 servings
Ingredients:
- 8 ounces thick-cut bacon
- 1 or 2 medium onions, chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
- 2 pounds green beans, trimmed, cleaned and cut in half crosswise
- Water
Directions:
Line a plate with a few layers of paper towels.
Lay the bacon in a large skillet. Cook over medium heat until crisped and quite browned; transfer to the lined plate. Keep the skillet, with its bacon fat, over medium heat.
Add the onion(s) to the skillet; cook for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened. Remove from the heat.
When ready to cook, create a layer of beans on the bottom of a 2- or 3-quart stew pot made of redware or in a 6-quart slow cooker, then layer with the bacon and the onion(s). Repeat in alternating layers to use all of the beans, bacon and onion(s), then top with 2 or 3 tablespoons of the reserved bacon fat, spreading it evenly.
Add enough water just to cover. Set the redware pot on a brick or trivet in the fireplace and pile coals around it. Use the cabbage leaves to cover the contents of the pot. Cook for several hours, adding water as needed at the edges of the cabbage leaves, until the beans are quite tender. If using a slow cooker, add water to cover, top with the cabbage leaves and place the lid on the slow cooker. Cook on MEDIUM-LOW for about 2 hours or until the beans are tender.
Discard the cabbage leaves before serving.
Serve the beans warm.
Recipe Source:
Adapted by Waltz from a recipe taught at a hearth-cooking class at the Landis Valley Museum in Lancaster, Pa.
E-mail the Food Section with recipe questions.
(Dayna Smith for The Washington Post)
