Name: Hickory Smoked Green Beans Recipe
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 180 min
Total time: 195 min
Ingredients: 6 cups green beans, (fresh); 2 cups chicken broth; 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar; 1/4 cup onion, (diced); 1 teaspoon ground pepper; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 6-8 slices bacon, (bite size pieces); sliced almonds, (optional)

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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! Cooked low and slow in the smoker with hickory wood and bacon, these beans have become a family favorite!

Can you smoke green beans in a smoker? Absolutely!

Why would I want to smoke green beans in a smoker? Because it’s convenient and super flavorful! Green beans are great on their own, but green beans with bacon is delicious. When you smoke them instead of cook them, the flavor is over the top!

Green beans have a wonderful taste when smoked. And I love smoked green beans. The taste is full of hickory smoke and 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. You can prepare the smoker for just a side dish or two, but it’s a lot of effort.

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 things you’ll need to know about prepping your electric smoker.

Wrap the water pan – I wrap the smoker 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. For this green bean recipe, I also add 1 Tablespoon of Liquid Smoke to the water. This helps contribute to the smoky flavor. This step is optional.
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 recipe using pecan and apple wood chunks.
Preheat the Smoker – I always preheat my smoker to 225°F before placing in the food.

For a pellet smoker, like a traeger or pit boss, it’s easier to prep. Preheat the smoker until it reaches 225°F. Add 8-10 cups of water to an aluminum pan and then add in 1 Tablespoon of liquid smoked. Place the pan beside the meat directly on the smoker racks.

Ingredients You’ll Need

The ingredients you need to make smoked green beans are SIMPLE. You’ll need the following:

Step-by-Step Instructions

It’s so easy to prepare this side dish for the smoker. Let’s walk through each step so you see what’s entailed. First, cut the ends off the fresh green beans. Cut the green beans in half and add to a colander. Rinse well and set aside. NOTE: You can use french style green bean in this recipe instead of string beans.

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 the green beans. 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 green beans into the smoker. Smoke uncovered for 3 hours.

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

Expert Tips

For these bacon green beans, you can use pork or turkey bacon. Both taste great!
When preparing the green beans, make sure to string them before cutting them in half. Noone wants to eat stringy green beans.
Adding a bit of apple cider vinegar to these green beans helps bring out the flavor. Apple Cider Vinegar is acidic and has a sweet and tangy taste that pairs so well with the chicken broth and the salt that is cooked with the green beans.
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!

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