My Unhealthy Obsession - Boiled Peanuts
Being a North Georgia Native, I see boild peanuts for sale along the roadside all over the place. I never really have experienced the pleasure of "The Nut". Mostly due to the fact that if you have ever looked inside one of the cooking pots, it looks like they are stewing the Black Plague. The water that the peanuts are cooked in is a bubbling heap of dark back soup. Also, being a regular peanut lover, I never was keen on the idea of soft mushy peanuts. But as you become older you try and like things that you never liked as a kid. About 1 year I plunged in and experienced "The Nut". Once I got over the mushy texture I was pleased to enjoy the taste of the peanut.
After buying many quarts of "The Nut" from road side vendors, I decided on trying my own hand at boiling. I have been cooking 1 pound of peanuts at a time with about 1/4 cup of salt. Which seems to be the right taste. But, I have not been able to get that flavorful, soft taste of the roadside nut.
The first time I used a crock pot and it did not cook hot enough. I let it sit for 24 hours on the high setting and the outcome was terrible. Straight to the circular file.
The second time, I used a pot and boiled the peanuts on the stove. Two things were wrong with this pot. 1. I only had roasted nuts not raw peanuts 2. I was impatient and only let them cook for 3 hours.
Last night I tried for a third time and the results are pictured above. I used a pot on the stove and raw peanut and about 4 hours in to the cook I took a nap on what was a lazy Sunday afternoon. When in the middle of my nap. I was awaken by my wife to the smell of burning peanuts. I raced down the stairs and found all the water had boiled out of the pot and bottom layer of peanuts burned. I picked out the burnt ones and refilled the pot. I let it cook 2 more hours. The result of this batch was acceptible. The Nuts were semisoft, but I could have cooked then with a little higher tempreture and for a little long.
Overall, I was happy with my expermenting. I have another 1 pound bag of raw peanuts to try again. I am thinking about soaking the nuts over night in a salt watr bath before I cook them.
Unil then . . . .Have a great day.
