A Southern Delicacy – Boiled Peanuts
I want to share something with you that I’ve enjoyed since I was a wee, little young’un, boiled (pronounced bawled) peanuts. Before you go running off in horror, just bear with me. Please? Purty please? I know it sounds kinda yucky to those who’ve never had them before, but you’ve gotta try them, at least once – unless you have a peanut allergy of course.
It never occurred to me that boiled peanuts were not feasted upon from coast to coast, since they were always part of my upbringing – that and iced tea. You can imagine how surprised I was to find that my husband, who’s from North Carolina, had never had them before when we met in college. He’d also never seen Grease or The Wizard of Oz, but that’s another story for another day. But really, North Carolina? No boiled peanuts. How sad.
They’re super easy. They do take a while to cook but don’t let that keep you from giving it a go sometime. Boiled peanuts are the perfect snack for a ball game or a cookout.
You’ll need raw peanuts (or green*), water and salt. That’s all. Oh, and a big stock pot.
Before getting started I should mention that some people recommend soaking the peanuts for several hours (6-8) in salted water to reduce cooking time. I’ve never soaked them myself but if you have time, and think ahead, try it.
To begin the cooking process, fill a large stock pot with water, add salt and bring to a boil then add the peanuts.
They’ll want to float a bit (if you haven’t soaked them) so stir them around and they’ll eventually settle down.
Cover the pot and cook on a slow boil/simmer for several hours. Some recipes call for boiling the peanuts for only 2-3 hours, but depending on the amount you’re cooking it may be more like 6-8 hours.
Be sure to keep checking the progress every hour or so. What you’re looking for is a totally soft peanut. Some like it a little less “done” or al dente if you will. I like ‘em soft though. You may need to add water throughout the cook time to make sure that there’s always enough water in the pot to cover the peanuts and then some wiggle room.
When prepared correctly, they really are a treat. I wouldn’t tell you a fib.
Boiled Peanuts
Ingredients:
- 4 quarts of water
- 1/2 cup salt
- 2 pounds of raw peanuts (or green* peanuts)
Directions:
- In a large stock pot bring the water and salt to boil.
- Add the peanuts and stir to “settle” peanuts. Cover and reduce to a slow boil/simmer.
- Check water level every hour and taste for doneness. Add more salt if desired.
- Total cook time may be up to 6-8 hours.
*If you use green peanuts (peanuts fresh from the field that haven’t been dried) the cook time may be shorter.
Enjoy!
Read MoreNerf Guns, Boiled Peanuts & Jake
This week my life was filled with many things but here are some highlights.
Modifying Nerf guns.
And a plethera of parts and trips for parts for multiple modifications. I’m over the Nerf gun modification phase for now.
Boiled peanuts.
And burning peanuts. Yeah, I’ll get back to you later on that.
And this creature, our dog, Jake.
He’s very demanding.
Pretty uneventful around here. I can’t complain.
What about you? What have you been up to?
I’d love to hear.
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