BBQ Pork, Southern Green Beans with Bacon and Au Gratin Potatoes

My mom, who hosts dinner for our family (most) every Sunday night, has become frustrated lately by the prospect of coming up with new and delicious recipes to prepare each and every week.  She tries to stick to slow cook or one pot type meals so that she does not spend the entire day in the kitchen (though, regardless she still does and no one understand why) but that tends to limit the number of dishes on the weekly meal rotation.  However, she recently recalled this recipe which we all used to enjoy way, way back, so she scoured the archives and was able to locate this recipe of unknown origin.  My brother contributed the perfectly cooked southern green beans with bacon and the heart stopping potatoes au gratin, which are based on a classic casserole recipe of frozen hash brown potatoes combined with cream of mushroom soup, mayonnaise and cheddar cheese topped with french fried onions, dots of butter and garnished with paprika, are a rotation standard.  

BBQ Pork
3 1/2 lb. boneless Boston butt 
salt
1 teaspoon Asian chili sauce
1 teaspoon celery seed
1 cup ketchup
1/4 Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup cider vinegar
2 teaspoons brown sugar
1 cup water

Place pork roast in a large pot and cover with cold salted water.  Bring to a boil and reduce heat to an easy simmer.  Cover and let cook for 2 hours.  Remove pork and reserve 1 cup of the cooking liquid.  Cut pork into thin slices and place in a shallow roasting pan.  In a mixing bowl combine the reserved cooking liquid, 1 teaspoon salt and the remaining ingredients.  Stir well to combine.  Pour the sauce over the pork and cover the roasting pan with aluminum foil.  Bake, covered, for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.  Remove foil and back an additional 10 minutes uncovered.   

Southern Green Beans with Bacon
green beans
2 slices smoky bacon, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
1 garlic clove
pinch chili flakes
chicken stock
butter
salt and pepper
cider vinegar

In a large pot render bacon until crispy.  Add onion and chili flakes and cook for several minutes or until onions are translucent.  Add garlic and green beans and toss together to combine ingredients.  Cover beans with chicken stock, cover pot and cook for approximately 20-30 or even 40 minutes, depending on how soft you like your green beans cooked.  Drain green beans and top with butter, salt and pepper and a dash of cider vinegar.