Good Boiled Peanuts

i know boiled peanuts hate to see me coming

Welcome back to Eat Good Things Thursday my beloved swamp puppies. How are ya’ll? Where are you reading from? I, myself, and perched at my youngest siblings desk letting a POV walking video stream in the background. Now that I think on it — my writing practice always involves a POV walking video like…. why is that?? If I were to dig deeper, I’d say it there’s a comfort in the pseudo, social proximity I experience while watching strangers from opposite side of the globe, go about their mundane tasks as the hold their own ecosystems. And because these aren’t live videos, rather recorded snapshots of a certain place at a certain time, I have an omnipresent view of a moment that may be forgotten by people who no longer exist the way they did when I saw them.

If I were to keep my analysis a bit more surface level, the videos scratch an itch in my neurospicy brain.

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So you want to make boiled peanuts, hm? Well you opened the right newsletter because I, and I can’t stress this enough, LOVE boiled peanuts. I can’t tell you when I had my first taste of a goober pea seeing as I can’t recall a time when they weren’t in my life. To folks outside of the South, boiled peanuts look so crazy haha. How do I explain a crock pot of hot, soft peanut shells floating in a brine that taste like spicy andouille sausage? It don’t make a lick of sense, I’m sure. When the role of a peanut is a bar snack, an accompaniment to jelly or a nasty little cookie (I hate peanut butter cookies), this Southern preparation can come as sacraligeous act.

On the other hand, some people just don’t know a thing about boiled peanuts. Take my editor for example:

Michael Szczerban is confused, but intrigued.

WHAT DO YOU NEED ON HAND TO MAKE BOILED PEANUTS?

• Large stock pot

• Strainer

That’s it. In terms of equipment, this is as simple as it gets.

WHAT KIND OF PEANUTS SHOULD I BUY?

There are two different kinds of un -roasted peanuts. One being “raw” and the other being “green”. Technically they’re both suitable to boiling, but raw peanuts have been air dried in order to reduce the moisture content and increase the shelf life; meaning they take longer to cook. Green peanuts are the most ideal.

HOW DO YOU SEASON A BOILED PEANUT??

You can go in a few different directions for seasoning and flavoring. The peanuts are cooked in heavily salted water and the water is replenished over time. Smoked meat is, in my opinion, the easiest most hands off way to produce a flavorful pot of Southern caviar. Once you master this recipe, you can spread your wings for all kinds of other variations like salt & vin, crab boil and teriyaki.

Alright, those are the basics. Go make peanuts!

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Boiled Peanuts

serves 6 - 10

4 - 6 hours

2 pounds green peanuts

1 pound smoked turkey

4 bay leaves

¼ cup kosher salt

1 tablespoon cajun blend seasoning

Clean the peanuts under cool water to remove any dirt or grit. I like to grab two handfuls and scrub them against each other. Do this for about 5 minutes.

Remove the peanuts and put them in a large stock pot along with the smoked meat, bay leaves, kosher salt and seasoning salt. Fill the pot with 1 gallon of water. Give the pot a mix and use a large plate to keep the peanuts submerged.

Bring to a rolling boil before reducing to a simmer. Cook for 3 - 4 hours or until the peanuts are tender. You may need extra time and that’s okay! Be sure to add water as needed to refill the pot. Peanuts are best the next day but you can eat ‘em same day if you simply cannot wait.