Confession: this is a bit of a nostalgic post for me, and therefore very near and dear.  As a child, boiled peanuts (or “bawled” as it’s usually pronounced} were never really my thing.  But what I did love about them was being sandwiched between my dad and my grandpa on an old swinging chair, out under an oak tree in Chapin, listening to them talk about nothing in particular for hours as they ate handfuls of the stuff, and chasing them with a good ol’ Mountain Dew.  I would always get to have my own can of Mountain Dew, which was a big deal for me and a treat unto itself.  I’d fall asleep between the two as we rocked on that swing, just enjoying life.  It’s one of my favorite and most vivid memories.  To this day, now loving a good handful of the legumes, I can’t think of boiled peanuts without wishing I could rock on that swing just one more time, Mountain Dew in hand, with my dad and my grandpa.  My sister-in-law made our family boiled peanuts, knowing our familial love for them, and with great success.  She really knocked it out of the park and I knew I had to try to replicate it myself.  There are two different approaches to making boiled peanuts depending on how much time you have, and your access to a pressure cooker.  Either way is going to give you great results.  I chose to use the slow and steady method so that I would have time to correct any mistakes, and added some old bay seasonings for a little extra umph.

Boiled Peanuts

Ingredients:
2-3 lbs large green peanuts, washed & uncooked
2 cups of salt
3 Tbsp Old Bay Seasonings, cajun spices, etc (optional)

Directions:
Slow and Steady
1.  Soak peanuts in water for about 30 minutes to soften them up; drain
2.  Get a large stock pot and fill about 3/4 full with peanuts (you can actually fill the pot higher, but it can boil over)
3.  Add water; you need to fill the pot with enough water so that there is about an inch or two of water above the peanuts
4.  Add 2 cups of salt (you can easily add more if you like them saltier).  I know this seems like a lot, but not all of it will soak in.  You can also mix it up with other seasonings, i.e., Cajun spices, old bay seasonings, etc.  (make sure you mix everything up really well before adding to the pot)
5.  Bring to a hard boil and then let simmer with a lid for about 4-5 hours
6.  After finished cooking, the longer you let them soak in the water, the more flavor (salt, et al.) will soak in through the shell

Fast and Ready
1.  Soak peanuts in water for about 30 minutes to soften them up; drain
2.  Put peanuts in a pressure cooker, add enough water to cover
3.  Add 1.5 to 2 cups of salt, and mix well.  You can add other seasonings if you’d like, but just do a few tablespoons
4.  Cook for 45 minutes at 10 pounds of pressure (consult your owner’s manual)
5.  After finished cooking, the longer you let them soak in the water, the more flavor will soak in through the shell

Helpful Hints: The most important part is picking out and buying the peanuts.  Grocery stores normally put their peanuts in huge bins.  It’s time consuming, but you need to sort through what you’re getting otherwise you’ll end up with rotten or broken peanuts (trash, as we call it).  Look for ones that specifically say large, green peanuts.  The regular green peanuts are good, but usually kind of tiny.  Size matters with these nuts (heyo!).  Once home, make sure you wash the peanuts really well (until water runs clear), and sort through once more just to make sure all trash has been discarded.  Throughout, continually taste the peanuts to test flavor and how far along they are.  It’s by far the best part of the cooking process.