Southern Sweet And Sour Green Beans

This dish goes great with our Extra Crispy Bourbon Fried Chicken, Southern Potato Salad, and Brown Sugar And Bourbon Baked Beans. It’s a Southern meal that your family will love!

Southern food is all about simple flavors coming together to make something extraordinary. It’s comfort food at its best. I love it and have spent significant time reading about, experimenting with, and eating any Southern dish I could get my hands on. These beans are among my favorites.

This recipe is time-consuming, but most of that time is spent simmering on your stove. And, you could take shortcuts, like using a ham base rather than making a ham stock from ham hocks and allowing them to simmer for hours to leach all that porky flavor from the bones.

Occasionally, I’ve added mini potatoes to make this a one-pot meal. It’s amazing. Whenever I take these beans to a gathering, I’m always asked for the recipe!

What Ingredients Are Needed?

• Smoked ham hocks – You could also use a ham bone or ham steak. This adds a ton of flavor, saltiness, and a smokey hint.
• Onion – yellow, white, or sweet onions all work well.
• Garlic
• Fresh thyme – adds an herbaceous note. You could use 1 teaspoon of dried thyme leaves. Crush the leaves in the palm of your hand to release the essential oils before adding them to the pot.
• Broth – chicken or vegetable broth works best. Don’t use a ham stock or base, as it might make your dish too salty.
• White wine – this is optional but adds a nice background flavor.
• Apple cider vinegar – adds the ‘sour’ to the recipe. It also provides a very subtle sweetness as well.
• Brown sugar – you could also use agave syrup or granulated sugar. The brown sugar enhances the flavor of the ham.
• Cajun seasoning – adds spice. You could also use dried chili flakes or nothing at all.
• Fresh green beans
• Salt and pepper

What Are Ham Hocks?

A ham hock (also called pork knuckles) is the cured and smoked shank (bottom) portion of the pig’s hind leg. They are about 4 inches long, with very little meat, and encased in a thick layer of fat, ligaments, and connective tissue.

Because they’re rich in collagen and fat, the hocks often flavor Southern favorites like collard greens, Hoppin’ John, or black bean soup. The hocks must be simmered low and slow for a long time to break down and soften the ligaments and tendons. They can be purchased fresh or frozen, smoked or unsmoked.

The collagen and fat melt into the cooking liquid, adding a rich flavor and thickening the broth slightly. Ham hocks are often confused with ham shanks, which come from a larger and meatier leg portion closer to the hip.

How Do I Trim Green Beans?

Green beans used to have a fibrous string running down the length of the bean. Today, much of the fibrous band has been carefully cultivated out of the green bean. Heirloom or homegrown beans may still have it, so trimming is always a good idea. Trimming also eliminates the stem end of the bean, which is inedible. The tapered end can be left intact or trimmed as well.

Trimming green beans is easy. It should be done shortly before using the beans so the ends don’t oxidize (turn brown).

1. Wash the green beans under cold water.
2. Sort the beans so that they are all facing the same way.
3. Work in batches, taking a handful of beans
4. Line up the beans so the ends are level with each other.
5. Use a sharp knife to cut about ¼-inch off of the stem ends.

Steps To Make This Recipe

1. Add the ham hocks, onions, chicken stock, and garlic cloves to a large pot and add enough water to cover the ham hocks fully.
2. Simmer the mixture, uncovered, for three hours.
3. Remove the ham hocks. Allow to cool. Pick out any meat and return to the pot.
4. Add the wine, vinegar, sugar, Cajun seasoning, and green beans. Cook, covered, for 1 ½ hours.
5. Taste broth and adjust seasonings.