Southern-Style Green Beans

Running a catering business in Lexington, Kentucky, Southern-Style Green Beans are a permanent fixture on our catering menu.  First, it’s the South, and green beans are a completely safe vegetable choice.  And second, simply from a food quality standpoint, they hold and travel well.  We cater at some fabulous venues where we access to a full kitchen.  We cater at some fabulous venues where our only equipment is a sink in the “caterer’s kitchen”.  The key to successfully catering in these situations is to pick menu items that make sense for the kitchen we are working in.  Now, you are probably not worrying about making green beans for 300, but the beauty of this recipe is that you can throw it together in a crockpot on low and just let them hangout while you prepare the rest of your Thanksgiving feast.​

Southern-Style Green Beans
Difficulty – Easy
Feeds – 6-8
INGREDIENTS 
4 slices thick-Cut bacon (I tend to like the peppered bacon here)
2 – 28 oz cans Italian-cut green beans
4 tbsps butter, cut into large chunks
1 tsp ham base  
1 tsp kosher salt
½ tsp black pepper

Prepare the Bacon
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Place bacon on a foil-lined baking tray.  Bake for 15-18 minutes, until golden brown.  Remove the cooked bacon from the pan and drain on paper towels, then chop into bite-sized pieces. 
Rinse and drain your green beans.  Add the bacon, butter, ham base, salt, and pepper along with 1 cup of water.  Cover and place on the stove on medium low heat or in a medium slow cooker on low.  Allow to simmer at least a half an hour.