Green Beans

These are proper Southern-style green beans, cooked the way grandmothers from Atlanta to Memphis have been making them for generations. A smoked turkey wing stands in for the traditional fatback or ham hock, delivering the same deep, smoky, almost bacon-y flavor without the pork. For households that keep kosher, avoid pork, or just want a slightly lighter pot, the turkey wing is the soul-food workaround that loses nothing.

The technique is pure soul-food tradition. Start the turkey wing in a hot heavy pot with no oil, letting the fat render out naturally. This fond sticks to the bottom and flavors the onions and garlic as they brown in it. Then the green beans, small red potatoes, and enough water to cover go in together for a long, slow simmer until everything is tender.

These are not crisp-tender French-style beans. This is the fully-cooked, collapsed, flavor-saturated version where the beans have soaked up every bit of smoke from the turkey. Thirty-five to forty-five minutes is not too long; it is the whole point. The potatoes tell you when it is done, softening fully while the beans take on their full flavor.

Kitchen Tips

• Use a smoked turkey wing, not a plain roasted one. The smoke is the flavor driver, and a roasted wing gives you a noticeably blander pot.
• Taste before adding salt. Smoked turkey is cured with salt already, and adding more early can make the dish too salty to recover from.
• Small red potatoes hold their shape through the long simmer. Russets break down into a starchy mess and thicken the pot liquor.
• Serve with the pot liquor spooned over the beans. That briny, smoky broth is half the dish and pairs beautifully with cornbread for sopping.

Variations

• Swap the turkey wing for a smoked ham hock, a smoked neck bone, or two strips of thick-cut smoked bacon for a traditional pork version.
• Add a pinch of red pepper flakes or a whole dried chile during the simmer for a Louisiana-style hot pepper note.
• Stir in a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar at the end to brighten the smoky flavors, an old Piedmont trick.