Check out this delightful BBQ Green Beans recipe, designed to be simple and delicious. It is an easy side dish, suitable for cookouts, potlucks, holiday meals, or whenever you have freshly-picked beans to spare. These tender beans, infused with smoky ham, sweet onions, and a tangy sauce, are guaranteed to be loved by everyone who tries them.
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Have you ever wondered what to add to green beans for more flavor? The answer is to cook the beans in a sweet and tangy barbeque sauce, smokey ham, onions, and garlic. Give these beans a little time in the oven to caramelize the barbeque sauce for a tasty dish that pairs with steak, chicken, pork, and fish.
You can easily make substitutions to the recipe; instead of ham, add bacon or smoked sausage. I have used both, and they are equally delicious. But I am a ham lover, so ham it is for today’s recipe.
I'm not from the South, but when I served these beans and ham to my Alabama friend, she called them smothered green beans. No matter what you call these beans, this is a simple recipe for a great side dish.
- And if you have lots of green beans, try this easy-to-make Tater Tot Casserole with Green Beans. Trust me; the kids will love this!
- This Copy Cat Green Bean Casserole is a classic side dish with fresh green beans.
- If you like your green beans on the cold side, try this Green Bean Salad that's full of Mediterranean flavors.
- Another favorite veggie that makes a great side dish is this Baked Sweet Potato Slices with Apples and Cranberries. It's sweet and savory!
- And if you want different sweet potato recipes, here are twelve tasty recipes.
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What kind of green beans to use for this recipe
- I used fresh Blue Lake Green Beans from the garden for this recipe. Look for fresh beans at the farmer's market or local grocery store.
- Canned green beans can also be used and will be just as delicious; you will not need to steam these.
- Can you use frozen green beans? Honestly, I have never eaten a frozen green bean, so I don't know if they would work.
- The wide flat green beans, which are called Italian Green Beans, can also be used in this dish.
Try these recipes to serve with green beans.
- Try serving these homemade Bread and Butter Pickles next to a dish of these beans; they are crunchy, sweet, and easy to make.
- Serve a big wedge of this Cheesy Homemade Cornbread with the green beans; they go together. Honestly, this could be a meal itself.
- Pair this green bean recipe with Turkey and Stuffing Rolls are delicious for a Thanksgiving meal.
- This homestyle Mississippi Pot Roast Recipe is deliciously savory and tender.
- Serve these green beans with the Tater Tot Casserole for a hearty meal.
BBQ Green Bean Ingredients & Substitutions
Green Beans - Fresh is ideal, but I have also used can green beans.
Ham - This is a great way to use leftover ham, and you can also use bacon or sausage. Otherwise, I just buy a slice of ham.
Onion and garlic - If you don't have fresh, you can use onion powder and garlic powder for flavor.
Barbeque sauce - Use your favorite.
How To Cook BBQ'ed Green Beans: Step-By-Step
Step. 1. Wash the green beans and remove the stems. I like to cut or snap the beans in half if they are long.
Step 2. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat, and when hot, add the olive oil, the ham, onions, and garlic, then cook for about 5 minutes stirring frequently until the ham has browned and the onions have softened. Remove to a bowl.
Step 3. Add the green beans, water, butter, kosher salt, and black pepper to the skillet, cover, and steam for about 7 – 10 minutes. You want the beans to stay nice and green and just at the crisp-tender stage, not overly tender to the point they turn drab olive green and are mush. (However, this is how my grandma cooked her beans, and she liked them that way.) Just saying, cook them your way!
Step 4. Once the green beans are tender, drain any water left in the skillet, then add the cooked ham and stir in the bbq sauce. Add additional salt and pepper to taste.
Step 5. Here you have two options you can continue cooking the beans over medium heat until the sauce has thickened and coats the beans, or my preferred way is to put the beans in a 350-degree F. oven for about 15 minutes to finish cooking the beans and carmelizing the barbeque sauce. Either way works.
You can serve these beans straight from the skillet or make individual servings. Either way, you will love this tangy green bean casserole.
My favorite equipment
I love, love cast-iron, and my favorite skillet is this white enameled cast-iron skillet. It can go from the stovetop to the oven, and the clean-up is quick.
These white Staub mini casserole dishes are perfect for making single servings.
Try These Skillet Cakes For Dessert
Maple Apple Skillet Cake has a moist vanilla cake topped with maple-flavored apples.
This Vanilla Bean Skillet Cake is so easy and so delicious. Moist and tender and full of flavorful vanilla bean seeds.
Green Bean FAQs
I prefer to steam the green beans with just a tiny amount of water with some butter. Cover the beans with a lid and cook on medium-low heat. This technique helps the green beans retain their vibrant green color and not get mushy.
Fresh unwashed green beans should be stored in the refrigerator in a plastic bag or a sealed container for up to seven days.
If you store the green beans properly in the refrigerator, they should stay fresh for up to seven days. If you keep the green beans on the counter, they will stay good for two days.
Make These Recipes Next
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Recipe
Barbequed Green Bean with Ham
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Ingredients
- 1 pound Green beans fresh or canned
- ⅓ cup barbecue sauce
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 ounces ham, diced
- ½ cup onion, diced
- 1 clove garlic, diced
- 1 tablespoons butter
- ¼ cup water
- salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Clean and stem the green beans. Slice or snap in half if they are too long
- Heat a large skillet over medium high heat then add the oil and saute the diced ham, onion, and garlic until the ham is cooked and lightly browned and the onions are soft. Remove the mixture to a medium sized bowl.
- In the same skillet, add the green beans and water. Stir and cover with a lid to steam until tender-crisp, about 7-10 minutes. Stir the green beans around a few times during steaming.
- Stir in the barbecue sauce and add the ham, onions, and garlic to the green beans. Cook over medium-low heat until the barbecue sauce has thickened and coated the green beans for about 10 minutes.I prefer to put the beans in a 350° F. oven and bake for about 15 minutes to caramelize the barbeque sauce.
- Serve hot.
- Store all leftovers in the refrigerator for up to three days.
Notes
Nutrition
First Published: Aug 9, 2012... Last Updated: Aug 7, 2023.
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About Jere’
From learning to cook on a farm in Indiana to culinary school in California, my passion for food is never-ending. Turning on my oven to bake something for friends and family is my happy place, and I am glad to be here at One Hot Oven sharing both sweet and savory recipes with all my baking friends.
Jane
I love this recipe. It's so simple and tasty, my whole family goes crazy for it. Plus, I feel good about serving a healthy meal to my family.
Jere Cassidy
Glad you like these beans. I grew up eating these all of the time and I still love them.
claud
These delicious green beans and ham will now have a permanent place when I do bbq's. It was the perfect crunch with tangy flavours when I made them on the weekend.
Gina
These were a hit! Served with with some corn on the cob and ribs and there were no leftovers. Love the smoky flavor and tangy BBQ sauce with the beans. Definitely will be making this again while summer lasts!
Rini
These green beans were incredibly easy to make and took no effort. My neighbor made them using bacon and can beans. Served it as a side to pork chops and the whole meal was superb. She will make it frequently.
Jere Cassidy
I like the bacon with them too! Glad you enjoyed the beans.
Sarah
These beans were so good! I never would have thought to add the bbq sauce, but that, combined with the ham made this a great dish. We made it as a side for dinner but I had the leftovers as my main meal for lunch!
Rachna
This is a perfect low carb recipe. I like the idea of green beans with BBQ sauce. Will surely try it.
MacKenzie
I made this with my leftover Christmas ham. It turned out great.
Jere Cassidy
Great idea. There always seems to be ham leftover.