Butter Beans Recipe

spoon and bowl filled with butter beans, topped with shredded smoked turkey

Southern Butter Beans recipe is a pure comfort food in a bowl. This smoky butter beans recipe is made by adding a smoked turkey drumstick to the pot, which adds great depth of flavorand a touch of hot sauce, just enough to add flavor but not too much chili heat.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword best butter beans recipe, butter beans recipe, easy butter beans recipe, smoky butter beans recipe

Prep Time 1

Cook Time 1 30

Total Time 2 30

Servings

Calories 401kcal

Author Tanya

Equipment

1 Dutch Oven or large pot

Ingredients

1 lb dried butter beans picked over and rinsed
4 cups water
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 medium yellow onion chopped
2 cloves garlic chopped
2 cups chicken broth
1 lb smoked turkey drumstick
2 Tablespoons hot sauce eg Texas Pete
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Quick soak the beans by placing the beans and water in a large stockpot and bringing to a boil. Boil for 5 minutes uncovered. Remove from heat and cover. Set the beans aside to sit for 1 hour.
Heat the olive oil in a large pot over a medium heat. Add the onions and sauté until softened, about 3-5 minutes. Add garlic and sauté for an additional minute.
Add the chicken broth, smoked turkey, and hot sauce to the pot. Bring to a simmer, then cover the pot and reduce the heat to low. Allow the beans to cook on a low heat, stirring occasionally, until the beans are tender. This will take somewhere from 1.5-2 hours.
Once the beans are tender, remove the drumstick from the pot, and remove the turkey meat from the bone. Return the meat to the pot and stir through the beans.
Season the beans with salt and pepper to taste. Serve and enjoy.

Notes

I prefer to quickly soak my beans for this recipe in 4 cups of water. You can also soak the beans overnight in 6-8 cups of water if you prefer. You can also skip soaking of the beans, they will just take a little longer to cook.
I prefer to use a milder flavored hot sauce, like Texas Pete or Frank’s Hot sauce in this recipe. They give the beans flavor and they don’t make them spicy. Avoid using very spicy hot sauces.

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