Green Beans Southern Style (Printable Version)

Soft green beans and potatoes slow-simmered in a rich broth with smoky turkey necks. A true Southern comfort dish full of homestyle goodness.

# Ingredients:

01 - 1 tbsp ground black pepper
02 - 2 lbs string beans, halved crosswise and stemless
03 - 1 lb red potatoes, medium or small, cut into quarters
04 - Seasoning salt, adjust to your liking
05 - 2 tbsp chicken bouillon powder
06 - 1 tbsp garlic, minced finely
07 - 1/2 cup white onion, chopped very fine
08 - 6 smoked turkey necks or ham hocks, meaty preferred
09 - 8-10 cups water, or whatever amount is needed

# Steps:

01 - Fill a big pot with water and toss in the turkey necks. Crank the heat to high until it boils hard, then lower the heat to simmer gently, cover it up, and let it go for two hours.
02 - Once the turkey's been simmering for 2 hours, check if you need to top off the water to cover them. Stir in onion, garlic, and bouillon powder. Taste and adjust with seasoning salt to make a slightly salty, tasty broth.
03 - Toss the string beans and potatoes into the pot. Put the lid back on and keep it gently bubbling until the beans are all soft and the potatoes fall apart easily when poked. This'll take around 45 minutes.
04 - Mix in the black pepper. Taste and tweak the flavors as needed. Once you're happy, take it off the heat but keep it under the lid.
05 - When cool enough to touch, grab the turkey necks and strip away the meat, tossing the bones and skin. Dump the meat back into the pot. If you went the ham hock route, either spoon the meat apart right in the pot or pull it out, break it up, and toss it back in.
06 - Scoop up some beans, potatoes, broth, and chunks of meat into bowls and serve it up.

# Notes:

01 - The broth you'll make here is rich and perfect for soaking with some cornbread.
02 - To make it vegetarian, skip the turkey or ham and swap in veggie bouillon for chicken.
03 - These beans are intended to be soft and tender, sticking to classic Southern-style cooking.