Bacon-Braised Green Beans

In the South, green beans are often simmered for hours in a deep pot with water, ham hock, sugar, and vinegar. But we wanted these sweet, smoky green beans in minutes, not hours. What’s the fastest way to infuse green beans with rich pork flavor?

Test Kitchen Discoveries

• Swap ham hock, which wouldn’t give up its flavor in the shorter cooking time, with smoky, thick-cut bacon.
• After crisping the bacon, sauté onion in the drippings before adding the beans and chicken broth. Leaving a few slices of bacon in the skillet while the beans cook infuses them with meaty flavor. Crumble the bacon over the beans before serving to ensure there is bacon in every bite.
• Adding cider vinegar twice—once to season the broth, and again at the end of cooking for brightness—lends a nice tart element.
• A little brown sugar, minced thyme, salt, and plenty of pepper rounds out the flavors.