A northern German autumn stew of whole small pears, green beans, and bacon simmered together, where the cooking pears lend a gentle sweetness against the salty smoked pork. Potatoes are often added, and it is a beloved seasonal one-pot dish in Lower Saxony and Schleswig-Holstein.
A classic dish of northern Germany, Birnen, Bohnen und Speck is a stew of pears, green beans, and speck traditionally eaten in the region during late summer and autumn.
Sweet, soft-cooked pears with tender green beans and smoky, salty bacon in a savory-sweet broth. The contrast of fruit and cured pork is rustic and unmistakably northern.
Simmering the bacon first infuses the broth with smoke and salt, which the pears and beans then absorb, while the pears' sugars balance the cured pork's saltiness for a sweet-savory result.
Variations
With or without potatoes, using bacon ribs, with apples instead of pears, dumplings on the side
On the Palate
Where Birnen, Bohnen und Speck sits in the German flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 4
How it's made
8 steps · 20 min
- 120 min
Simmer a piece of smoked bacon in water with savory until partly tender.
Watch outSimmer the bacon on its own first so the water turns smoky and salty — that seasoned broth is what flavors the pears and beans.
- 25 min
Add small firm pears, left whole, into the bacon broth.
Watch outUse small firm pears and leave them whole — ripe soft ones cook to mush before the beans are done.
- 310 min
Layer in trimmed green beans and continue simmering.
- 415 min
Add peeled, quartered potatoes if using and cook until tender.
- 52 min
Season the pot with salt, pepper, and plenty of fresh savory.
- 615 min
Simmer gently until pears are soft and beans are cooked through.
Watch outPull it when the pears yield to a knife but still hold shape and the beans are tender — cook past that and everything collapses.
- 75 min
Lift out and slice the bacon, then return it to the pot.
- 83 min
Serve the pears, beans, potatoes, and bacon together in deep bowls.
