Boiled Peanuts

Boiled Peanuts
Boiled Peanuts
Boiled peanuts, perhaps more than any other Southern snack, inspire a kind of intense cultural loyalty, one that crosses all lines of class and race. That may be why we missed them so when we moved away from Charleston to colleges in Massachusetts, and it's why, when we began to sell Southern foods by mail order after college (our liberal arts degrees be damned), we used the boiled peanut as the keystone in our little mail-order foods catalogue, which we named "The Lee Bros. Boiled Peanuts Catalogue" (boiledpeanuts.com). Boiled peanuts are associated with the outdoors, and can be purchased in the Charleston area by the side of the road from vendors set up in vacant lots and sandy strips on the way to the beach, adjacent to the ballpark, or at fairgrounds. They are prepared in homes as well, but rarely seen in a restaurant setting (with a few exceptions these days: Hubee-D's, Hominy Grill, The Bar at Husk, and The Wreck). Like the ungainly name, the damp boiled peanut itself presents a few obstacles to universal enjoyment. Not everyone likes their distinctive grassy flavor or the clammy wetness on the fingers as one picks them apart—and they achieve some exclusivity by being challenging in that respect. Judged on flavor alone, with an open mind, they are divine. And the smell of peanuts boiling is, to us, part of the pleasure of the process. Our grandmother's landlady, the late Elizabeth Jenkins Young, once remarked to us (in her sonorous variant of the Charleston accent, with a sea island cadence from an upbringing on Edisto Island) that the smell of our peanuts boiling on Gran's stove reminded her of a "sweet potato gone sour." Not that she didn't like them; she proudly displayed her I BRAKE FOR BOILED PEANUTS bumper sticker in the back window of the blue VW Rabbit she won at the 1983 Spoleto Festival auction. But the earthy quality of the peanut, which grows underground and is full of minerals, and the sweetness of it, does in fact suggest the basic character of a sweet potato. When peanuts are freshly dug, and refrigerated like a fresh vegetable rather than dried, they are called "green" peanuts; and these, when available (usually in the summer months and into the fall), are worth seeking out for their extra tenderness—cut about 4 hours off the boiling time below—and subtlety of flavor. Some green peanuts will be slightly immature, and like a soft-shell crab, may be eaten whole, shell and all.
  • Preparing Time: -
  • Total Time: -
  • Served Person: Makes: 4 pounds, enough for 8 for snacking
Southern Peanut Boil
  • 1 1/2 cups salt, plus more to taste
  • 2 pounds raw peanuts in the shell, or 3 pounds green peanuts
  • Carbohydrate 9 g(3%)
  • Fat 28 g(43%)
  • Fiber 5 g(19%)
  • Protein 15 g(29%)
  • Saturated Fat 4 g(18%)
  • Sodium 132 mg(5%)
  • Calories 321

Preparation 1 In a 10- to 12-quart stockpot, stir 1/2 cup salt into 2 gallons of water until the salt dissolves, and add the raw peanuts. Use a large dinner plate or two to help submerge the floating peanuts. Allow to soak for 8 hours or overnight. (This step saves a little time boiling, and thus fuel, but if you don't have the luxury of time, skip this step. Skip it also if you're using green peanuts.) 2 Drain the soaking water and fill the pot of peanuts with 2 gallons of fresh water and the remaining cup of salt. Note the level of the water on the side of the pot. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, and simmer, covered, for 6 to 8 hours (or 2 to 3 hours for green peanuts), keeping the water in the pot within an inch or so of its original level with regular additions of water, until the peanuts are soft as a roasted chestnut or softer. 3 When the peanuts have boiled for 3 hours (or 1 hour for green peanuts), sample them to check their texture and salinity. Remove a peanut, and when it is cool enough to handle, crack open the shell and give the kernel a chew, slurping some brine with it. If the peanut crunches, it should be cooked further. If the brine lacks enough salt, add by 1/4-cup amounts; if it is too salty, remove a portion of the water and replace with the same volume of fresh water. Allow an hour for the salinity to equalize before testing again. Sample every hour until the peanuts are pleasantly yielding and as salty and appetizing as a good pickle. 4 When the peanuts are cooked to your satisfaction, turn off the heat and allow them to cool in the pot for an hour (or 30 minutes for green peanuts). When cool enough to handle, drain and eat immediately or store in the shell, in a sealed container, in the refrigerator or freezer. (Boiled peanuts will keep for 7 to 10 days in the refrigerator and for several months in the freezer.) Reprinted with permission from The Lee Bros. Charleston Kitchen by Matt Lee & Ted Lee, © 2013 Clarkson Potter Matt Lee and Ted Lee, founders of The Lee Bros. Boiled Peanuts Catalogue, a mail-order source for Southern pantry staples, grew up in Charleston, South Carolina. They are the authors of The Lee Bros. Southern Cookbook, which won the James Beard Award for Cookbook of the Year in 2007, and The Lee Bros. Simple Fresh Southern, which won the IACP Award for Best American Cookbook in 2011. They are contributing editors for Travel + Leisure and contributors on Cooking Channel's Unique Eats.

Preparation 1 In a 10- to 12-quart stockpot, stir 1/2 cup salt into 2 gallons of water until the salt dissolves, and add the raw peanuts. Use a large dinner plate or two to help submerge the floating peanuts. Allow to soak for 8 hours or overnight. (This step saves a little time boiling, and thus fuel, but if you don't have the luxury of time, skip this step. Skip it also if you're using green peanuts.) 2 Drain the soaking water and fill the pot of peanuts with 2 gallons of fresh water and the remaining cup of salt. Note the level of the water on the side of the pot. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, and simmer, covered, for 6 to 8 hours (or 2 to 3 hours for green peanuts), keeping the water in the pot within an inch or so of its original level with regular additions of water, until the peanuts are soft as a roasted chestnut or softer. 3 When the peanuts have boiled for 3 hours (or 1 hour for green peanuts), sample them to check their texture and salinity. Remove a peanut, and when it is cool enough to handle, crack open the shell and give the kernel a chew, slurping some brine with it. If the peanut crunches, it should be cooked further. If the brine lacks enough salt, add by 1/4-cup amounts; if it is too salty, remove a portion of the water and replace with the same volume of fresh water. Allow an hour for the salinity to equalize before testing again. Sample every hour until the peanuts are pleasantly yielding and as salty and appetizing as a good pickle. 4 When the peanuts are cooked to your satisfaction, turn off the heat and allow them to cool in the pot for an hour (or 30 minutes for green peanuts). When cool enough to handle, drain and eat immediately or store in the shell, in a sealed container, in the refrigerator or freezer. (Boiled peanuts will keep for 7 to 10 days in the refrigerator and for several months in the freezer.) Reprinted with permission from The Lee Bros. Charleston Kitchen by Matt Lee & Ted Lee, © 2013 Clarkson Potter Matt Lee and Ted Lee, founders of The Lee Bros. Boiled Peanuts Catalogue, a mail-order source for Southern pantry staples, grew up in Charleston, South Carolina. They are the authors of The Lee Bros. Southern Cookbook, which won the James Beard Award for Cookbook of the Year in 2007, and The Lee Bros. Simple Fresh Southern, which won the IACP Award for Best American Cookbook in 2011. They are contributing editors for Travel + Leisure and contributors on Cooking Channel's Unique Eats.

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