Our Simple Recipe for the Perfect Southern Snack
Nothing says summer in the South like enjoying a bowl of fresh, boiled peanuts and an ice-cold drink on a hot day. There are tons of roadside stands that pop up this time of year selling peanuts and Liberty County is no exception. Head out for a drive and be sure to slow down when you see the wooden signed with the word “p-nuts” spray painted on it!
If you’ve never had a boiled peanut, you are in for a treat, but we’ll give you some background knowledge on ‘em. Peanuts are actually part of the legume family and are grown underground on roots. You’ve likely had them as roasted, crunchy treats but when boiled peanuts have a potato-like texture.
We’ve been hearing local people talk for weeks about “waiting for peanuts to come in” so that they could start making these little bits of salty yumminess to keep in the fridge all summer long. Peanuts are typically harvested in July/August depending on the weather, when temperatures stay 95 degrees or higher during the day and do not get lower than 70 degrees at night.
The best boiled peanuts are made from raw or what is called “green” peanuts. If you choose to make them at other times of year you will have to use dry or roasted peanuts which just aren’t the same. And the dried ones take a lot longer to cook.
Here’s our recipe:
2lb of green peanuts
Kosher salt
Water
Directions: In a large stock pot with a lid mix a gallon of water for every cup of Kosher salt. You want the peanuts to be covered by at least 2 inches of water. Wash the peanuts well in cold water. Place the peanuts in the pot & bring to a boil on the stove. Keep the pot at a boil (but not boiled over) for 1.5 hours, stir every once in a while, just to move the peanuts floating on the top down into the brine. At that point check the doneness of the peanuts. If they have reached your desired tenderness remove from heat (don’t rinse) and enjoy! If you want them to be more tender then just wait and boil them longer.
You can store the uncooked green peanuts in the fridge up to 4 days. Boiled peanuts can be good up to 10 days in the fridge, if they last that long! Or you can always stop by and see us at the Bacon Fraser house and see if we have any sittin’ in the fridge!
The Right Blend Blog is written by multiple different authors employed by the Liberty County Chamber/CVB. All content provided on The Right Blend blog is for informational purposes only. The owner of this blog makes no representations as to the accuracy or completeness of any information on this site or found by following any link on this site.
