Crock Pot Southern Green Beans And Ham Hock

For a delicious side dish, turn to your Crock Pot to help you make a comforting meal out of a handful of ingredients.

This southern green beans and ham hock side dish complement any hearty meal with fresh green beans cooked to tender perfection and delightful pieces of ham to infuse them with full-on flavor.

The Best Southern Style Green Beans

What I love most about this side dish is that it’s so simple to make in your slow cooker, plus it tastes amazing.

You can set it and forget it while you prepare the rest of your meal for any occasion, even if it’s just a weeknight dinner.

A Family Favorite for Weeknight Dinners and Holiday Meals

One of my favorite ways to cook fresh beans to that perfectly tender texture is by making southern-style green beans. The smoky ham hocks really impart the best flavors to this simple side.

While it is most certainly a green bean dish I make during the holiday season, particularly for Thanksgiving dinner and other special occasions, it’s easy enough to make at any time.

My whole family is always excited to see this set out on the table for any dinner. It’s always a hit with everyone!

Ingredients For Southern Green Beans And Ham Hocks

To make the best green beans, you need whole uncooked ham hocks. These provide that intense flavor, a great way to get everyone to eat their veggies.

You’ll also need fresh green beans, a diced onion, chicken broth, and some salt and pepper to make this simple dish. 

Your local grocery store should have everything you need if you don’t have it in your kitchen.

• Whole pork hocks
• Diced onion
• Salt and black pepper
• Fresh green beans
• Chicken broth
• Water

Full printable recipe with measurements and instructions listed at the bottom of the post in the recipe card.

How to Make Southern-Style Green Beans

1. Spray the Crock Pot With nonstick cooking spray and place the ham hocks in the bottom of the cooker. Sprinkle the salt and black pepper on top.
2. Rinse off the green beans and add them to the Crock Pot.
3. Add the diced onions to the Crock Pot.
4. Pour in the chicken broth and water, if needed to cover the beans.
5. Place the lid on the Crock Pot and cook on low heat for eight hours.

A great way to serve it is with any potato recipe you see here on my site and pork chops.

This tasty side dish really goes quickly, but if you have leftovers, you can put them in your fridge or freeze them for meal prep.

If you don’t want to tie up your slow cooker, you can also make this in a large stock pot on the stovetop.

I prefer using my Crock Pot, though, since I can simply let it do its thing while I get busy with other parts of the meal or take care of a few things around the house. 

Step-By-Step Instructions

Spray your cooker with nonstick cooking spray and place the ham hocks in the bottom. Sprinkle the salt and black pepper on top.

Next, rinse off the green beans and add them to the Crock Pot.

Add the diced onions to the Crock Pot.

For this recipe, I used white onion, but you can use yellow onion, red onion, or your favorite onion.

Pour the chicken broth into the Crock Pot. If it’s not enough liquid to cover the green beans, add some water to make sure they are mostly submerged and will cook well.

You want to end up with tender green beans.

Place the lid on top and cook on low heat for eight hours.

Once the food cooks, remove the ham hocks and shred the meat.

There was quite a bit of fat on mine, so I removed most of that and added the shredded ham back to the post before serving.

Remove the bones and place the shredded ham back into the Crock Pot.

And, it’s ready to serve!

Optional Ingredients

If you want to add a few things to change up the flavors, here are a few ideas.

• Garlic cloves add some more flavor to the side dish for a small amount of money.
• Diced Russet potatoes turn into tender potatoes after cooking for eight hours.
• Red pepper flakes for some added heat.
• Country ham is always a welcome addition to the dish.

How To Store The Southern Green Beans And Ham Hocks

Store the green beans and ham hocks in an airtight container and refrigerate.

More Delicious Side Dishes

• Red potatoes are a great side that can be made in many different ways.
• Homemade dinner rolls only require a few simple ingredients and turn out fluffy and pillowy every time.
• Air fryer Jiffy cornbread is so easy to make and turns out delicious.
• Southern style collard greens from Julia’s Simply Southern are always a hit.

Crock Pot Southern Green Beans And Ham Hock Side Dish

The country style of old-fashioned southern green beans is the best way to bring a touch of the South to your dinner table.

With ham as one of the key ingredients, you get the best flavor, a smoky and intense taste that always reminds me of the simpler times when I was growing up. I know your family will love every last bite of it!