You are so right about the stirring. This recipe for butter beans is an old-fashioned Southern favorite. I have too throw them out !!!!!!! Lots of folks like that, others, not so much. My mom passed away in October, and while cleaning out her home I found a bag of dry large lima beans. Southern Butter Beans Recipe They were great!! butter beans fresh or frozen 2 slices thick cut bacon 2-4 tablespoons granulated sugar tablespoon garlic powder 3 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 teaspoon salt Stacey, soaked my beans overnight and there were tons of bean skins. We didnt have a lot of meat growing up but we did get butter from commodity. After we had eaten them for awhile, my mother would put them into a baking dish (with some, but not all of the liquid) and add some home canned tomato chunks to the beans. Loved reading through your recipe with the back story of your Mom cooking them. It makes these so much more tasty . Dried limas are a hearty one-dish meal. I will use slightly less water next time, maybe 8 cups and am going to try half chicken broth next time. 1 pound dried large lima beans 1 tablespoon bacon grease or butter 1/2 cup diced onion 1/3 cup diced celery 1/4 cup diced carrot 1 1/2 cups chopped smoked ham 2 ham hocks 1 (32-ounce) carton chicken broth 4 cups water 2 bay leaves 1 teaspoon garlic powder 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme 1/4 teaspoon black pepper 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes Ingredients: 1 (1-pound) package Camellia Brand Large Lima Beans 5 slices bacon, roughly chopped 1 large onion, chopped 1 ham hock or pound seasoning meat, optional 8-10 cups water or chicken broth Salt and pepper to taste Total time: 3 hours, 10 minutes Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 3 hours Yield: 6-8 Directions: Heres what I know for sure Call them whatever you will. Now I would also like to make these little gems in the Instant Pot versus Slow Cooker. If desired, remove the hock, shred the meat, and return it to the slow cooker. Maybe someone else will chime in and help us out! And that does help. Yep, more time consuming but so much meat I was blown away. And I so much appreciate the rating as well. Stir in butterbeans and butter until butter is melted and beans are thoroughly coated. Do you have any idea how to cook them in pressure cooker /air fryer? I have pintos in my pantry and keep putting off cooking them because I forget to soak them. They were absolutely delicious. A lot of Southerners also add a bay leaf while their beans are simmering. Outside of the beans themselves, most of the flavor comes from the salt and the smoked meat. For the people who are getting to much liquid what I do when this is starting to happen is I put a very clean towel on top of the slow cooker and then put the lid back on. But dried limas are a perfect meal anyway you prepare them as long as you dont omit the fatty, pork seasoning. Some hot water cornbread and Tomato slices on side and its a meal! Everyone I have tried has been fantastic! I do like 2 to 3 waters this way, especially if the water smells really chlorinated. Butter Beans Recipe, Southern-Style - Southern Plate Add more water if needed. Classic Southern Pinto Beans - Deep South Dish Second, its affordable, as it uses basic ingredients and a leftover ham bone. Thanks for sharing! If so do you know what the time adjustments would be? Southern Creamy Butter Beans (Large Lima Beans) - Deep South Dish Drain the cans of beans. Cook on high for 5 hours (or low for 7 to 8 hours) or until the beans are tender to your liking. Add ham hocks to the pot when the beans start to simmer. I put country ham pieces in them. My favorite things are chicken soup, desserts, and sharing recipes. My mother use to serve these beans with a jelly. Cooked these dried lima beans for 9 hours trying to get them soft, they are still hard as a rock. Cream in lima beans. Hers are always delicious! Add leftover ham about 60 minutes after the beans start simmering. They produce complex sugars were not all able to digest, which accounts for beans reputations for flatulence. Fry up some bacon and add the crumbly pieces to the pot, If youd like to add more vegetables to this. I am a widow and do not want to cook up a whole pot of beans ! This recipe covers the basics, but I do an enriched version. absolutely beans can be frozen. I have them with corn muffins and fruit for lunch . Then she added condensed milk to make more broth. Lentil, Bacon and Bean Soup. Its what I have always done. Instructions. One tip Ive learned over the years is a stick of unsalted butter and some onion salteed in the butter. (Maybe Ill stir up some cornbread or biscuits, too. But its easy to see why as it ticks a lot of boxes. I keep ham hocks frozen for this because I think they add the most flavor to dishes like this, but a ham bone, smoked turkey wings, smoked pork neck bones, or even smoked sausage can be used to get that smoky flavor. We always ate them over a bed of white rice with chopped onions and cornbread. Grab some coffee or tea and stay awhile. You want to have just enough water to keep about 1 inch above the ham and butter beans as they cook. Nutritional values provided are an estimate and will vary depending on the brands used. Recipe worked great as written, only changes I made: I soaked the beans overnight, added a diced onion for flavor, used about 6 oz country ham pieces as I had on hand (next time may add more for more flavor), and used 8 cups water to start, after 1 hr cooking added additional 2 cups water, and I also added pepper and garlic powder at the start, but no salt personal preference. Sounds great! Beans need to be soaked and the soaking water dumped so that we do not ingest these substances and thereby inhibit our ability to absorb their nutrients, especially iron. Why, Because they are big and we would know exactly what kind of butter bean we would be eating for supper. Learned to cook the bones the day before, cool overnight and cook beans in the water from the meat and pick the bones the next day. This is how I make them as well I use smoked turkey necks so delish. Anyway, my mom said she thought they were in a molasses sauce? Directions. Now, since I know shes reading this (Hi, Mom! Willie Mae's butter beans recipe | Eat Your Books Directions Place lima beans in a large pot. We ate them with bread and butter and it was my favorite lunch . Hi Stacey, My Mom used to cook butter beans until they were well done. Here are a few resources from some well-respected institutions: https://www.bonappetit.com/story/soaking-dried-beans-overnight-necessary Drop file here. Taste wonderful! My brother-in-law always called the large limas choke beans! Its also important not to stir unless necessary. If you live in south-east Texas, as I do, there is absolutely no reason in the world to soak a bean. I was going to ask what tge secret ingredient is to avoid gas from beans and you said yiur mom said ginger. Thanks, Barry! Cook until it starts to brown and the fat starts to melt. This is my favorite bean. Oh forgot the rice! Now, you can choose to soak the beans overnight if you want, but you really don't have to. But she added a tomato sauce near the end of cooking. No doubt there are many others that would love getting those yummy beans into the Instant Pot. I like them with ham hocks but nothing beats my mommys butter beans. NOT VERY GOOD TASTING. I tried to keep the water level over the beans at the right level while cooking. 1 pound dried large lima beans 1/2 large onion diced 1 teaspoon garlic powder 1/2 teaspoon Creole seasoning 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper 2 bay leaves 1/2 cup salted butter 1 cup diced ham optional Instructions Sort and rinse the beans. This is a great and tasty lama bean recipe Ive made it more than once and Im making it now as we speak. I love the gravy this turns into. Simmer. I have ham and a ham bone from Honey Baked Ham in freezer. It means checking them about every 20 minutes and adding a little water if needed. I call them white limas and green limas I grew up all over the south Thanks for all the post I enjoyed reading all I did soak mine for a few hours today but probably never will again LOL- Usually add a ham hock but do not have one today so adding leftover frozen ham and jalapeo sausage link-should be ok!! You mean like at 5280 ft where I live? My granny from Alabama made butter bean dumplings. Place a large pot over medium high heat. In fact, you should probably just look for large dried lima beans at your local grocer. The baby butter beans are my favorites. Replace some of the butter in the recipe with the bacon grease. Bean Recipes and Tips | Southern Living I like the broth to be where you can actually drink it. Saut an onion with salt and pepper. Pour the beans on top. Stir and brown for 3-5 minutes. This is going to sound crazy but I promise it is very good! Place the balls on a baking sheet in raw design. I cook mine in chicken stock with a tablespoon of Crisco, tablespoon of bacon grease, garlic powder & onion powder. Ive seen them made without meat, with bacon, salt pork, ham hocks, or leftover ham. Enjoy! Butterbeans and Bacon Recipe | MyRecipes Put salt pork slices in the bottom of a large 7 to 8 quart pot. Thank you for the recipe! Stir well and adjust seasoning to your taste. I moved the batter up to the sides of the rock once it starts to get done. I always soak the night before with a little baking soda, then rinse well the next morning. So glad to hear youre getting some good use out of the recipes, Jeanette! Now I have another reason to do more. I added about 1/4 cup of evaporated milk and 4Tof butter near the end! This might be helpful: https://bakemesomesugar.com/instant-pot-butter-beans/. Should I saut those first or how would I add those in? Add the pineapple and reserved juice and stir together. Im not a food scientist, but I play one on tv Of course, Im just kidding. Creaminess comes from the cooking process. Make the ham stock ahead to produce a rich, highly seasoned broth for the dried (unsoaked) beans.