Jason and I are always looking to add more vegetables to our diet. They also must be fun to cook and eat. Ok, so maybe “technically” Jason is not looking for fun vegetables to eat but I am! Creativity with vegetables helps us all eat more of them and isn’t that the goal? Green bean bundles have been around for a long time and they are so easy to make. They are beautiful to serve and a nice presentation allows you to use this recipe on a weeknight dinner, entertaining at a party, or just grilling out with friends! This is a very versatile meal!
How to Prepare Green Bean Bundles
At the store, you generally find two types of green beans. There is french string beans (which are thinner and will cook faster) or the rounder version called string beans. If your store is well stocked, you might find several others, but these are the two most common.
We went with the string beans this time. They were readily available at our grocery store in a large bag that is already cleaned with the ends are snipped off. This is a great time saver! If you buy them in bulk, rinse well and clip off the ends before preparing the actual bundles.
Gather 6 – 8 green beans together and lay them out on the counter. Take one piece of bacon and hold the green beans with one hand and use the other hand to wrap a long piece of bacon around the center several times. Depending upon your size of the bundle, the bacon will wrap 4 – 6 times. Brush the bundles with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and they are ready to pop on the grill.
Type of Bacon to Use for Green Bean Bundles
We tried both types of bacon and the thinner cut won us over for a couple of reasons.
- Thinly sliced bacon stuck to itself like a self-adhesive glue as it is wrapped around. Thicker bacon wouldn’t stick to itself like that when we tried.
- The thin bacon cooked faster which allowed the green beans to cook thoroughly without running the risk of overcooking. I am not a fan when they are cooked so much that they become too soft. The thick bacon took longer to cook and we felt the beans overcooked.
How to Make the Asian Soy Sauce Mixture
We love an Asian flavor on our grilled recipes. This sauce is so easy to make and just takes seconds to prepare.
Simply combine mirin, soy sauce, honey, garlic and brown sugar in a bowl. Whisk briskly to evenly combine. Set this aside until the grilling is almost completed.
Let’s Grill the Asian Green Bean Bundles
Preheat the Big Green Egg to 325 degrees. Place the Grill Grate on the grill if you have one. I add it to better control the even temperature across the grill.
Add the prepared Green Bean Bundles to the grill for three minutes. Flip them over and grill three more minutes. Brush on Asian Sauce and flip them over one last time. Brush on Asian Sauce once again and grill the last three minutes.
As always, watch the temperature of your grill so your bacon doesn’t burn. Serve them after grilling, and I guarantee your family will ask for more!
Ingredients
- 1 lb fresh green beans
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 8 slices bacon
Asian Sauce
- 2 tbs mirin
- 2 tbs honey
- 1/4 c soy sauce
- 1/3 c brown sugar
- 2 tbs garlic minced
Instructions
Asian Sauce
- Combine all the ingredients of the sauce and whisk together.
Green Bean Bundles
- Heat grill to 325 degrees.
- Take 6-8 pieces of green beans and wrap into a bunch with a piece of bacon wrapped around it. Brush on olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Place on grill and cook for 3 minutes, rotate. Grill another 3 minutes and rotate and brush on sauce. Grill an additional 3 minutes to help caramelize.
Notes
