Friday, November 28, 2014

Slow Cooked Butterbeans (Large Limas) with Bacon


Some people call these beans "butter beans."  Some people call them "large limas." Sweet Harold and my son-in-law call them delicious. They are their favorites. My dear mother-in-law always cooked these for them on Thanksgiving. Now that she is no longer with us, I'm trying to tack up the slack and cook them to her standards. It's a labor of love that's for sure.

1 pound dried butter beans, rinsed and picked through to remove any debris or soft beans
Water to cover
5 slices bacon, chopped small
Salt to taste

You can either soak the beans overnight or do a "quick soak" of a few hours. The rule is the longer you soak the beans, the faster they will cook.  

I covered mine with water and let them soak overnight. Drain the beans and then put them in a 3 quart Dutch oven and covered them with water again. 

Bring the water to a boil and then lower the heat so that the beans are gently simmering. Add the chopped bacon and cover. Stir the beans occasionally and cook until the beans are soft and the the liquid has thickened. Mine took about 2 1/2 hours to cook through. Season with salt to your taste.




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