Peanuts, get your peanuts....

Unless you have southern roots, you probably won’t appreciate this delicacy.  I am lucky enough to have those roots, and I love boiled peanuts!  I thank my wonderful mother and father for introducing them to me when I was a child.  Boiled peanuts and sweet tea, it doesn’t get any better than that to me.

Every year, just before Easter, I buy raw peanuts in the shell to boil and give them to my godson as a birthday gift.  He does not have southern roots, but he LOVES them!  And if I don’t get them done in time for his birthday, he lets me know about it!  Tonight is when the process will begin.  I’ve got to deliver his gift on Monday, March 31st. 

It’s not at all hard, but it is time consuming.  If you don’t schedule your time just right, they will be undercooked.  Boiled peanuts need to be DONE.  If I had to compare them to anything, they would come close to black eyed peas.  They don’t taste like dry roasted or salted peanuts.  They are more like an oversized-soft-salty black eyed pea.  The only way to know for sure is to make them or try them yourself.  Here is the recipe I’ve used for years…

BOILED PEANUTS (using dried raw in the shell peanuts) This picture is 2 one pound bags.

Put 1 pound raw peanuts in a 3 quart crock pot.  Fill pot with water.  Allow peanuts to soak 8 hours or overnight.  Peanuts will absorb a lot of the water making it necessary to add water until the pot is filled.  Add salt to taste*

Cook peanuts on low for 8 hours then on high for 1 1/2 hours or on medium for 4 1/2 hours.  Drain.
Serve hot with sweet iced tea.

*Try 4-5 tablespoons of salt and taste toward the end of cooking time.  Add more salt if taste dictates and allow to cook for about 1 hour more.

Now, I took notes from years past....and here's what I said:

2010   I cooked them on low for 8 hours in crock pot, then on high 2 hours, then on low 4 hours (could go another hour or more)  Just ok.

2011   On low for 28 hours.  Good.

Now, don't be shocked at the cooking time in 2011, because they came out perfect.

My peanuts are in their water soak tonight and will be ready for their 28 hours in the crock pot beginning tomorrow morning at 7am.  I will take photos for you!  Oh, and one more note...I put the crock on the porch so the house doesn't smell days afterwards!

UPDATE on the peanuts...I tried a few and they were fine.  But, I wanted more so I did another smaller batch that had soaked the same amount of time as the first batch.  I cooked in crock on high for 5 hours, then on low for 5 hours.  I think they came out better!  Pictures to follow, I promise.

Wow, did I miss this one.....I promised pictures and did not produce them.  While writing my latest post, I came across the pictures that I failed to post here so, here they are...with my apology.

 Soaking...

 Slow cooking...

 Mmmmm....done!