Boiled Peanuts


 

Gerry D.

TVWBB Pro
I know this isn't a bbq request but does anyone have a good recipe for boiled peanuts? I only get them once a year when on vacation in the outerbanks. Once a year is not enough.
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Hi Gerry,

Boiled peanuts a favorite snack in Hawaii. Here is how I been doing it for over 30 years.


Boiled Peanuts as done in Hawaii

2 pounds raw peanuts
2 tablespoons Hawaiian rock salt (Sea salt)
1 whole star anise

Soak peanuts in water overnight, weighing down the peanuts with a dish and a weight, like a large can of pork and beans.

The next day, wash and rub peanuts until the water is clear. Put peanuts in a pot with water about 1 1/2 inches above the peanuts. (Hold peanuts down with your hand.) Add salt and star anise. Cover and bring to a boil. Simmer for 30 minutes.

Taste for doneness. Peanut should be medium to soft, depending on the taster. Cook 30 minutes longer for a softer peanut. Let peanuts stand in water for 1 hour.

Pour off excess water. Package and refrigerate. Boiled peanuts may be frozen until ready to use or eaten right away.

Good luck...

joe
 
Originally posted by Gerry D.:
I know this isn't a bbq request but does anyone have a good recipe for boiled peanuts? I only get them once a year when on vacation in the outerbanks. Once a year is not enough.
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I feel your pain. I only get them every few years or so. not nearly enough. I tried to find raw one around me to no avail. I would love to know if you find them around here.
 
Hey, this is great. I had boiled peanuts in the Smokies of NC and loved them (I loved them, not my wife or kids). I've seen raw peanuts in Asian markets, but already shelled. I'll keep an eye out for raw, shelled.
 
I don't know if you mean peanuts like we have down here in the south, but this is a good place to start:

http://whatscookingamerica.net...edPeanutsHistory.htm

You just have to play with it and see how it comes out, but this will give you a solid framework to start experimenting with. I really try to emulate the boiled peanuts my parents would buy from roadside shops in Georgia.
 
Boiled Peanuts
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Recipe By: Steve Cutchen
Yield: 3 pounds

Summary:

Boiled peanuts are a staple of the South, and they evoke deep emotional memories for me. We would have them every time we travelled to visit my grandparents in Dothan, Alabama. I remember sitting on the front porch with my Granddaddy, on their metal slider, rocking back and forth, eating boiled peanuts as we watched folks go by.

I asked my Grandmother once how much salt I should add when boiling peanuts. She looked at me like I was dumb, and said, "Well, Steve, you put enough salt in there so that your water tastes like you want your peanuts." For someone as analytical as I am, this concept of cooking empirically was like a curtain pulled back. Cooking didn't have to be just about recipes. It was not a chemistry lab. Cooking was also about direct feedback. Taste, feel, sight and smell. When I smell peanuts on the boil, I remember my Grandmother.

In the South, folks use raw, green peanuts, and you can buy them in the produce section of the grocery store. However, I can't get them green, so I have to settle for raw, dried peanuts. These boil up just as nicely, they just take a lot longer to cook because, like a dried bean, they have to hydrate. Green peanuts will take much less time to cook.

Ingredients:

3 1 pound bags raw peanuts, in-shell (Max is 3 pounds. Two fits better)
3/8 cup kosher salt, to 1/2 cup
1 1/2 gallon water, plus more as space allows

Directions:

Wash the peanuts in cool water until the water runs clear.

In a 2 gallon soup pot, heat water and dissolve the salt. Taste the water. You want your water to be the same saltiness that you want your peanuts. Add the raw peanuts. Dry peanuts will float. Try to push them down into the water a bit. Bring to boil, reduce to simmer.

Simmer for about 4 hours. The time is an estimate. Total cooking time may be 4 hours, taste is the test. While boiling, cover the pot to retain heat and minimize water loss. Add water as needed as the level drops. Stir occasionally to mix the peanuts and give them all a turn at the bottom. As the peanuts absorb water, they will eventually sink. (if there is room. A full 3 pounds in a 2 gallon pot is pretty crowded.) This hydration takes a while. A good clue that they are getting close to being done is when most of them are sinkers.

When you have a significant number of sinkers, taste for doneness. The peanuts should have the consistency of a slightly underdone pinto bean.

When they are done, kill the heat and let the peanuts soak for about 10 minutes. Drain the peanuts and store in a zip-lock bag in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.



Notes:

This is health food! Peanuts may be high in fat, but it’s primarily the healthy poly- and monounsaturated fatty acids, that can actually help lower cholesterol. Peanuts are also high in fiber, potassium, and the B-vitamins riboflavin and folate. And protein, of course. Peanuts are high in the amino acids lysine and isoleucine. But they lack in tryptophan, cystine, and methionine, so you really need to pair them with something like wheat, to make a complete protein. Which explains the peanut butter sandwich.
 
Originally posted by K Kruger:
Do you have access to green peanuts?

I don't think so. I called a local place called "Nuts To You" that roasts their own peanuts and they told me they sell "raw" peanuts. I found a number of different recipes, some with ham hocks or smoked pork neck bones in the water. I would only do that for a party, where they would be eaten right away. I plan on taking them camping so I was thinking about using the crock pot and I figured 1/4 cup of salt and about 2 tablespoons of old bay per pound of raw peanuts. Sound about right?
 
I use 3/4 c of Morton kosher/gallon water. I don't go by weight. I use a bit less if using ham hocks (a favorite; I also like them cooked with chilies and other aromatics). If you wsh, use less salt up front. When close to done, taste; add more salt if needed and cook 30 min more at least.

I don't soak them because I don't often plan for them till ready to cook. They can take 2, 4, 6 hours, depending on variety and maturity.
 
If using a ham hock do they need to be refrigerated? I know they would be best eaten warm. I was planning on taking a bunch on a camping trip to accompany some cold beer. What would be the best course of action?
 
Boiled peanuts have a short shelf life unless cooled then chilled after cooking. They get pretty slimy.

If you can chill them they will keep for a while and can be re-warmed for eating.
 
Could I freeze, vac seal, and then drop the bag in hot water to reheat? I will be bringing my turkey fryer to reheat vac sealed pulled pork and beef. I imagine that will work just the same then no worries about using the ham hocks.
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You can do that.

Yes, since you need to chill the peanuts the hock won't be an issue. (I use hocks for flavoring, the meat I use for other stuff later.)

If you can vac and chill rather than freeze that would be better.
 
I need to clarify the recipe:
The raw peanuts are unshelled.
For me, half the fun is shelling the peanuts. I'll just have to tell the inlaws to bring some up next trip to NJ from NC Smokies (along with pickled okra).
 
Here's a good recipe:

5 lbs. fresh GREEN peanuts (in hulls)
2/3 cup salt
1 gal. water

Boil on medium heat for 1.5 hours.
Let peanuts cool in brine to soak in salt.
For consistency between batches, ALWAYS USE THE SAME SALT TO WATER RATIO, even if boiling less than five pounds of peanuts. If need be, increase or reduce the amount of salt in the next batch to suit your taste.

What you can't eat, put in quart freezer bags and freeze. When you are ready to eat those, prepare a pot of water and add salt to your taste. Pour the frozen peanuts out of the bag and into the salty water. Heat to a boil. They'll be just like they were when you first cooked them!!
 
Originally posted by Gerry D.:
I know this isn't a bbq request but does anyone have a good recipe for boiled peanuts? I only get them once a year when on vacation in the outerbanks. Once a year is not enough.
icon_biggrin.gif

If youcan get some Zataran's crab boil that makes great boiled peanuts.
 

 

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