Cook the bacon until it is crispy. While the fat is rendering out of the bacon, snap the ends off the green beans.
4 strips bacon, 8 cups fresh green beans
Once the bacon is nice and crispy either remove it from the pan using a slotted spoon leaving the bacon grease behind in the pan (or just keep the bacon in the pan.)
Sauté peppers and onions in the bacon fat until the onions are translucent.
½ cup yellow onion, 1 red bell pepper
Add the garlic, and cook it just until the garlic is fragrant. It doesn’t need to cook much - it will cook for hours with the green beans.
4 - 6 cloves garlic
Next, in the slow cooker, add the snapped green beans and mix them with diced ham.
1 cup leftover ham
Combine the snapped green beans with the crispy bacon pieces, onions, garlic, red bell peppers, and all of the grease from the pan. That’s where all the flavor is hiding.
Add the salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, minced onion, minced garlic, and cayenne, then mix.
1 teaspoon kosher salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper, ½ teaspoon dried minced onion, ½ teaspoon dried minced garlic, ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper, ⅛ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Cover about 75% of the green beans with broth. Add any optional mixins, red potatoes, smoked turkey necks, or a ham hock, now.
2 cups chicken stock, 1 ham hock
Cover and cook on low for 6 - 7 hours or high for 4 hours.