Hickory Smoked Green Beans with Bacon

BBQ side dishes are essential and these green beans pair perfectly with so many smoker recipes like my smoked whole chicken, smoked brisket, and this smoked meatloaf!  Smoked low and slow with hickory wood and bacon, these green beans and bacon have become a family favorite!

Jump to:

• Why This Recipe Works
• Preparing The Smoker
• Ingredients You'll Need
• Step-by-Step Recipe Instructions
• Expert Tips
• Other Smoked Side Dishes
• Hickory Smoked Green Beans Recipe

There are a plethora of green beans recipes, like these grilled green beans out there but did you know that you can smoke them in a smoker? It's a convenient and super flavorful way to enjoy this healthy side dish. This vegetable is great on its own, but green beans with bacon is delicious. When you smoke instead of cooking green beans, the flavor is over the top!

Green beans have a wonderful taste when smoked and you can really taste the hickory and the bacon. I smoke a lot of different foods in my smoker and I love making side dishes in the smoker because of the convenience. I mean, you've already got the smoker going so why not make some side dishes to go with the smoked meat?

And the flavor. Smoked anything just tastes delicious. I don't know about you, but I like to avoid heating up my kitchen in the summer as much as possible so anytime I can cook an entire meal in the smoker, I do it.

Preparing The Smoker

Depending on what type of smoker you have depends on how you prepare it. Below are steps to take when preparing an electric smoker and a pellet smoker. I typically only smoke side dishes when I'm smoking a piece of meat. But you can also prepare the smoker for just a side dish or two.

If I crave the taste of smoked side dishes, I also include smoking meat with it so I can make a meal out of it! For an electric smoker, prepping the wood chunks, water pan, and cleaning the smoker takes effort so if you're going to smoke food, smoke as much as you. Plus, smoked leftovers are wonderful.

Before we jump into this recipe, there's a couple of generic things you need to know about preparing a smoker.

• Wrap the water pan - I always use a water pan when smoking food and I wrap the water pan with heavy-duty aluminum foil before I add the water. By doing this you’re saving yourself a lot of mess. Less cleanup is always better. If your smoker doesn't come with a water pan, place a disposable aluminum pan beside the meat directly on the smoker racks. Expert Tip: For this green bean recipe, I also add 1 Tablespoon of Liquid Smoke to the water. This helps contribute to the smokey flavor.
• Wood Chunks or Wood Chips? - I personally prefer using wood chunks when I smoke food because it’s been my experience that they produce more smoke for a longer period of time.
• Wood Type - For this recipe, I use hickory wood, but I've also made this fresh green bean recipe using pecan and apple wood chunks.
• Preheat the Smoker - I always preheat my smoker to 225°F before placing in the food.

Ingredients You'll Need

The ingredients you need to make these green beans with bacon are SIMPLE. You can use french cut green beans if you want but any fresh beans will work.

Step-by-Step Recipe Instructions

First, cut the ends off the beans. Cut them in half and add to a colander. Rinse well and set aside.

Blanching the green beans is the next step. In a large skillet, add in the chicken broth, apple cider, salt, and pepper. Add the fresh green beans and turn up the heat. Blanch for about 3-4 minutes and then turn off the heat.

Transfer the green bean mixture to a disposable aluminum pan. Make sure you do not drain. You want all the liquid and mixture going into the pan.

From there, chop the bacon into bite size pieces. Place the bacon on top of the green beans and then once the smoker is pre-heated to 250°F, place the pan of directly onto the smoker rack. Smoke uncovered for 3 hours.

After 3 hours, pull the pan of smoked green beans with bacon out of the smoker. Stir and add in some almond slices. Serve with your favorite smoked meat and enjoy!

This green bean side dish is amazingly delicious and a huge crowd pleaser!

Expert Tips

• For these bacon green beans, you can use pork or turkey bacon. Both taste great!
• When preparing, make sure to string them before cutting them in half.
• Adding a bit of apple cider vinegar helps bring out the flavor. Apple Cider Vinegar is acidic and has a sweet and tangy taste that pairs really well with the chicken broth and the salt.
• If there are leftovers, store in an airtight container and place in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.

Other Smoked Side Dishes

You can smoke just about anything.  I love Smoked Macaroni and Cheese. Creamy and delicious, this smoked mac and cheese is smoked over hickory wood and full of flavor that will both satisfy and impress. These Smoked Baked Beans with Bacon is a southern classic and is a must for any BBQ! These Smoked Potatoes are also a huge hit!

Update Notes: This post was originally published in May 2019, but was re-published with updated step-by-step instructions, pictures, and tips in June 2021.