Need help with green bean recipe...

[Constance]

A friend brought these to a dinner here, and they were delish! Here's the recipe he gave me off the top of his head when he was slightly inebriated:

Brandon’s Sweet & Sour Green Beans

10 oz bacon, cooked, drained and crumbled
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup sugar
1 cup vinegar
4 cans green beans
½ cup chopped onion

Mix sugars, vinegar and cut up onions. Bring to a boil. Drain green beans and add to vinegar mixture. Reduce heat and continue cooking until beans are well saturated. Remove from heat and let marinate in the refrigerator for 12+ hours. May be eaten any time, but the longer the beans marinate, the better they are. Reheat and add bacon before serving.

When I followed this recipe, my beans tasted way to vinegary. The recipe doesn't say what kind of vinegar to use. I used cidar vinegar, because it's good in most things, but perhaps I should have used plain white vinegar.

When I pickle things, I use equal amounts water, sugar, and vinegar. One probably should drain the green beans, saving one cup of the liquid and adding it to the cooking liquid. I suspect he may have left that step out of the recipe.

[Constance]

Brandon’s Sweet & Sour Green Beans

10 oz bacon, cooked, drained and crumbled
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup sugar
1 cup vinegar
4 cans green bean, drained, 1 cup liquid reserved
½ cup chopped onion

Mix sugars, vinegar and cut up onions. Bring to a boil. Drain green beans and add one cup of liquid to the vinegar mixture. If there isn’t enough liquid from the green beans, add water to make 1 cup. Add green beans. Reduce heat and continue cooking until beans are well saturated. Remove from heat and let marinate in the refrigerator for 12+ hours. May be eaten any time, but the longer the they marinate, the better they are. Reheat and add bacon before serving.



How does this recipe look? Any suggestions or ideas?

[Maverick2272]

I would have to try it to see what it is like, but taking a stab at it I would think I would keep it in the liquid in the fridge until use. When ready to eat I would take the green beans out with tongs and throw it in a frying pan with the bacon.
Since I wouldn't use any of the liquid except what was clinging to the green beans I would hope that would 'mild' out the flavor some.

[Constance]

I think you may be a genius!

[Maverick2272]

Thanks, not often I get accused of that! DW and I love fresh green beans so we have added this to our list and plan on trying it. Won't know for sure until I do, but I just had this vision of taking out an airtight bowl from the fridge and using tongs to take the green beans out and throw them into a hot frying pan with the bacon.
Sounds likes a plan anyway...

Edit: I just noticed he used canned instead of fresh, I wonder if he dumped them right in water and all, hence the missing water?

[Constance]

Could be. When I asked him if he drained the beans before adding, he said yes, but as I said, we were partying a bit, and he may have misunderstood me.