Smoked Green Bean Casserole
On October 28, 2020 (Updated May 11, 2024)
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Nothing quite beats a homemade green bean casserole on Thanksgiving. And my recipe for Smoked Green Bean Casserole is the most amazing, smoky twist on a holiday classic. Cooked in a cast iron skillet and topped with homemade onion strings, you’ll see why it’s worth it to make this casserole from scratch.
Green Bean Casserole on the Smoker
Thanksgiving Day just wouldn’t be the same without a classic green bean casserole. This casserole is often made simply with a can of soup, canned or fresh green beans, and some pre-made fried onions. While this routine is all fine and dandy, I bet you’ll agree with me that making green bean casserole from scratch is about a gazillion times better.
This recipe is inspired and adapted from Alton Brown’s Green Bean Casserole recipe. I added my own Hey Grill Hey twist to the goodness by adding a BBQ flair and cooking it in the smoker. So step away from the canned soup and turn on that smoker! You’re about to be in for the most delicious Thanksgiving dinner ever.
How to Make Green Bean Casserole
This green bean casserole comes together in 3 parts. First, make the fried onions, then the casserole, and finish by cooking the whole thing in your smoker. Scroll to the bottom of this post for a printable recipe card with ingredients, instructions, and more!
- Make the crunchy onion strings. Start off by making some crunchy onion strings from scratch. These guys are truly magical and make this casserole better than any other you’ll have.
- Make the green bean casserole. Blanch the green beans, sauté the mushrooms, and combine all ingredients for the casserole in a 12-inch cast iron skillet. Top with those crunchy onion strings you just made, and this casserole is ready for its final bake!
- Cook the casserole in the smoker. With your smoker preheated to 400 degrees F, smoke the green bean casserole for 30 minutes. It’s best to serve this dish right away to ensure the beans are nice and crisp (as well as hot!).
One final note: If you have a full day of baking ahead of you, this casserole can be prepped in advance. You can make the green bean mixture and the fried onions a day or two in advance, refrigerate, and then smoke just before serving.
Can You Cook This in the Oven?
If you don’t have access to a smoker, this casserole tastes just as good baked in the oven. This casserole can be cooked in an oven just like you’d cook it in the smoker. Simply preheat your oven to the same temperature as specified in the recipe card (400 degrees F), follow the instructions as written to make your fried onions, and cook the entire casserole in the oven at 400 degrees F for approximately 15 minutes.
More Green Bean Recipes
Looking for more green bean recipes from the site? Try out these popular grilled green bean recipes for a tasty take on getting your greens.
Other Classic Thanksgiving Sides
Finish building the perfect Thanksgiving dinner with these other classic Thanksgiving sides from Hey Grill Hey:
Green Bean Casserole Recipe
Smoked Green Bean Casserole
Ingredients
Crunchy Onion Strings
- 1 medium onion thinly sliced
- 2 eggs lightly beaten
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 Tablespoons panko bread crumbs
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- nonstick cooking spray
Green Bean Casserole
- 2 Tablespoons plus 1 teaspoons kosher salt divided use
- 1 pound fresh green beans ends trimmed
- 2 Tablespoons salted butter
- 12 ounces cremini mushrooms stems trimmed and caps thinly sliced
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 cup half and half
Instructions
- Preheat the oven and smoker. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Also preheat your smoker to 275 degrees F with your favorite hard wood. I recommend pecan, apple, hickory, or alder for this recipe.
- Bring a pot of water to a boil. Fill a large pot with water and stir in 1 tablespoon of salt. Bring to a boil.
- Prepare your crunchy onion strings. Place your sliced onions in a gallon-sized zip top bag and pour in the gently beaten eggs. Toss to coat onions in the eggs. In a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup of the flour, the panko, and 1 teaspoon salt. Pour into a shallow pan. Transfer the egg coated onions to the panko mixture and toss gently to coat.
- Bake the onions. Cover a baking sheet with a piece of aluminum foil and coat liberally with nonstick spray. Evenly distribute the onions on the foil, making sure they don't overlap too much. Bake in the high temperature oven, stirring gently every 5 minutes for a total of 20 minutes. Remove when the onions are golden brown. Set aside to cool until needed.
- Blanch the green beans. Blanch the trimmed green beans by gently placing them in the salted boiling water for 5 minutes. Drain and rinse them in icy cold water.
- Sautee the mushrooms. Melt the butter in a 12-inch cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sliced mushrooms, a teaspoon of salt, and black pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until the mushrooms start to brown and soften, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and stir for 1 minute.
- Make the green bean casserole. Sprinkle the remaining 2 teaspoons flour into the pan and stir to break up any flour clumps. Cook for about 2 minutes and then stir in your chicken broth. As the broth steams and bubbles, stir vigorously and scrape the bottom of your pan to get up all of that browned goodness. After 1 more minute, stir in the half-and-half and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low and cook until thick and creamy, about 5 more minutes. Turn off the heat and gently stir the blanched green beans into the creamy mushroom sauce.
- Smoke the green bean casserole. Top the green bean mixture with the crunchy onions and transfer, carefully, to your smoker. Place the skillet on the grill grates and close the lid. Smoke for 30 minutes.
- Serve immediately. Remove the smoked green bean casserole from the smoker and serve while hot. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Can you use heavy whipping cream instead of half & half to make it more creamy??
I haven’t but you totally can.
Amazing!!! I could drink the sauce!! 🙂
I’m happy to know it turned out so great for you!
Looking to cook this. Confused on why preheat smoker to 275 but it calls to put it in at 400 for 30 minutes. Can you clarify.
Part of the recipe is made in the oven at 400 degrees F for 20 minutes, part of the recipe is boiled, and then everything is put together in the smoker at 275 degrees F for 30 minutes.
Haven’t made this yet but I have 2 questions: Can this be made with canned
Made this yesterday and it is a good dish.Why 400 degrees for 30 minutes on the smoker? Seemed to be too hot for too long.
When do you add the green beans? After step 7? just mix them in and move to step 8?
Correct! Sorry, I’ll edit the recipe and clarify that better.
Maybe I’m missing something but when are the green beans added to the mixture? Thank you.