BRAISED STRING
BEANS
WITH BACON
My good friend and fellow food writer Meredith Smith is
from Kentucky, where braised greasy beans (yes, that’s
what the bean variety is called) are a way of life. True
greasy bean pods have thick strings and big beans inside
that take about an hour to soften properly. They’re also
impossible to find round my parts. Fortunately, braised
string beans capture plenty of that slow-cooked beany
flavor, and they’re available pretty much anywhere.
(Please don’t tell Meredith I’m using regular string beans.
She’ll kill me.)
If anyone ever tries to tell you that green beans
absolutely must be perfectly al dente and snappy to be
worth eating, just shove a handful of these in their mouth
and they’ll clam right up.
NOTE: For best results, use slab bacon, but sliced bacon
can be used in its place: Cut the bacon crosswise into ½-
inch-wide strips.