Barbecued Green Beans with Ham

Check out this extra tasty BBQ Green Beans recipe, made to be simple and delicious. It’s an easy side dish for cookouts, potlucks, holiday meals, or whenever you have fresh beans on hand. These tender beans, cooked with smoky ham, sweet onions, and a tangy sauce, always disappear fast at the table.

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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 barbecue sauce, smokey ham, onions, and garlic.  Give these beans a little time in the oven to caramelize the barbecue sauce for a tasty dish that pairs with steak, roast chicken, pork chops, 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.

For a complete summer cookout, serve these barbecue green beans alongside grilled corn on the cob and your favorite grilled meats.

• 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 these Baked Sweet Potato Slices with Apples and Cranberries. It’s sweet and savory!
• And if you want more sweet potato recipes, here are 12 tasty ones.

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 your local farmer’s market or local grocery store.   
• Canned green beans are also delicious and do not require steaming.
• Can you use frozen green beans?  Honestly, I have never eaten a frozen green bean, so I’m not sure 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 in itself. 
• Pair this green bean recipe with Turkey and Stuffing Rolls, which 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 canned green beans.
• Ham – This is a great way to use leftover ham; you can also substitute 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 1.  Wash the green beans and remove the stems. If they are long, I like to cut or snap them in half.

Step 2. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add the olive oil, the ham, onions, and garlic. 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 coated them, or my preferred way is to put them in a 350-degree F. oven for about 15 minutes to finish cooking them 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.

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Recipe

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.