Boiled Peanuts

By Noah Walker

There is one thing I look forward to every year when the days are long, the air is hot and the cicadas are singing from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.—a good bag of boiled peanuts!

If you know me, you know that I am a connoisseur of the little root-bound legumes after they’ve soaked in a salty concoction of spices and avors, especially if they come with a big cold bottle of Coke or Pepsi. I cringe when I hear someone say, “ I tried those once and I didn’t like them...” after which I usually nd out they pulled them out of a steaming hot vat at a gas station where the half-used, four-year-old gallon tin can of “jumbo” peanuts are still split open, sitting on the counter (NO WONDER YOU DIDN’T LIKE THEM).

Around the week of Memorial Day , I begin to boil, eat and pack my freezer full of boiled peanuts. My recipe is secret, but I will give you pointers, tips and suggestions that have been shared with me, so that you can make your own style of boiled peanut.

HERE IS MY METHOD:

Step 1- Find green peanuts at your local produce store. (Early in the season I prefer valencias for size and avor.)

Step 2- Get your boiling set-up ready. Some people use a stove top or pressure cook their peanuts, but I use a propane cooker and a 40-quart steel pot.

Step 3- Wash your peanuts and gather ingredients. Ingredients: two cups of salt and however you want to avor the peanuts—this is where secret recipes come into play, depending on your level and comfort of taste adventure, I have seen the following used for avoring a pot of peanuts: ham hock, jalapeño peppers (whole or chopped), cracked pepper, various spice blends, bacon, onions, garlic and much more.

Step 4- Put your peanuts in the pot and ll the pot with water 3/4 full.

Step 5- After turning on your heat source, add your ingredients and stir them in.

Step 6- Boil for approximately one hour and forty- ve minutes to two hours, stirring and testing the peanuts occasionally for tenderness.

Step 7- Arguably the most important step for avoring: cut the heat and let the peanuts soak.

Depending on your preference of avor, let soak for up to two hours. The longer the batch soaks, the more avor they will retain. Test your peanuts every 20 minutes or so.

Step 8- Enjoy!