Smoked Green Bean Casserole

Arguably one of the most popular Thanksgiving side dishes, the humble Green Bean Casserole is a fantastic addition to any Thanksgiving table.

With just a few simple ingredients, it’s packed full of flavor and pairs perfectly with Thanksgiving mains like turkey and ham.

Level up your green bean casserole by cooking it on the smoker. This will add a nice, even layer of smoky flavor to the dish, really bringing it to the next level.

How to make Smoked Green Bean Casserole

Let’s be honest: most of us have memorized the recipe for green bean casserole. The recipe is popular and can even be found on a can of green beans or cream of mushroom soup around this time of year.

I like to make my fried onions from scratch. Homemade fried onions add an extra layer of texture and flavor to the dish and will keep your guests coming back for seconds (and thirds!).

The famous casserole combines canned green beans, cream of mushroom soup, milk, soy sauce, seasoning, and a fried onion topping. If you want to get fancy, I also have a version of this recipe that uses homemade mushroom soup.

1. Fried onions

As I mentioned before, I like to make my fried onions from scratch in lieu of grabbing a pack of store-bought onions. They take about 15 minutes to whip up and you can add so much more flavor and texture to the dish by making them from scratch.

Start by slicing your onions into very thin rounds.

If you have a mandolin, it would be a great tool to get nice, thin slices. I personally do not own one (partially because I am terrified of slicing my finger off) so I just use a sharp chef’s knife. My go-to knife for slicing is my Messermeister Oliva Stealth Chef’s Knife. It’s extremely sharp and has a great weight to it that allows me to fully control the thickness of my sliced onions.

Once your onions are sliced, you want to let them soak in some buttermilk for about 10 minutes, but no longer than 30 minutes. The buttermilk will soften the onions and also act as the wet component of your light batter.

While your onions are soaking, grab a small bowl and combine the flour, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper. You can increase the amount of salt and pepper per your personal preference, but the key is to ensure that your flour is well-seasoned.

After your onions have soaked for 10 minutes, just pull them out of the buttermilk and dredge them in the flour mixture until they are well-coated. Then drop them directly into 350°F oil to fry. I like to use vegetable oil for this recipe, but you can alternatively use canola oil or peanut oil, depending on what you have on hand.

They are going to take about 5 minutes to fry, but you don’t need to time it. Just watch them and when they turn a nice, golden-brown color they are ready to go.

Remove them from the oil with a slotted spoon and place them on a paper towel-lined plate. Set them off to the side and leave them on the counter while you prepare your green bean casserole.

2. Make the casserole

Green bean casserole is extremely easy to make and difficult to mess up, which is probably why it’s such a popular Thanksgiving side dish.

All you need to do is to combine the green beans, cream of mushroom soup, milk, soy sauce, and seasonings in a large casserole dish or aluminum tray. I like to use an aluminum tray because I already have enough dishes to wash on Thanksgiving and it saves me a little bit of time.

Start by pouring the green beans into the dish, then add the cream of mushroom soup, milk, soy sauce, and seasonings. Mix it with a spoon until all of the ingredients are well combined and the green beans are fully coated in the sauce mixture.

Do not add the fried onions yet – you are going to wait until after it is almost fully cooked to top it with your fried onions.

3. Fire up the smoker

You can cook this recipe on any smoker or grill you prefer, as long as it can maintain a steady temperature of 350°F. I smoked this recipe on my Masterbuilt Gravity Series 1050 smoker. I love this grill for recipes like this because it has an internal fan that will maintain temperature with little-to-no effort on my part.

Fill the grill with your favorite lump charcoal – I used the B&B Charcoal Oak Lump for this recipe. I like Oak lump charcoal because it burns really evenly and provides a subtle smoky flavor that won’t overpower the dish.

Once your grill is up to temperature, you can place the green bean casserole directly on the grates.

Since most of the ingredients in this dish are pre-cooked, the cooking process does not take long. Let the casserole smoke for about 25 minutes, then add your fried onions on top and let it smoke for another 10 minutes and it’s ready to enjoy!

Once the green bean casserole is cooked, you can transfer it to your favorite serving dish and dig in!

What to serve with Smoked Green Bean Casserole?

Obviously, this casserole is the perfect side for your Thanksgiving dinner – here are some great Thanksgiving recipes to serve with your Smoked Green Bean Casserole:

• The Best Deep Fried Turkey
• Dry Brined Spatchcock Turkey
• Smoked Turkey Wings
• Smoked Texas-style Turkey Breast
• Smoked Sweet Potato Casserole
• Twice Smoked Spiral Ham with Pineapple Maple Glaze
• Double Smoked Ham with Maple-Mustard Glaze