Ingredients
The following ingredients have 5 Servings
- 2 pounds fresh green snap or pole beans, Kentucky runners or half runners, if possible
- 4-1/2 cups of water
- 5 ounces of fatback, salt pork or bacon, rinsed and cubed, sliced or quartered
- 1 teaspoon of freshly cracked black pepper, or to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper, or to taste, optional
- 6 to 8 tiny new potatoes or very small red potatoes, cut into chunks, optional
- Salt, at the end, only as needed, to taste
- 1 tablespoon of butter or bacon fat, to finish, optional
Instruction
- Rinse, trim and snap green beans in half or thirds. 
- Place into a large saucepan with water, fatback and pepper; bring to a boil. Reduce to a very low simmer, cover and let barely simmer for 1 hour to 1-1/2 hours. 
- If adding potatoes, scrub the potatoes and peel a strip away from the middle of each potato and add to the pot about 20 to 25 minutes before they are finished; cover and continue cooking until tender. 
- Taste and adjust beans for seasonings, adding salt only as needed. 
- Finish by stirring in the butter or bacon fat.
