GOOOOOOOO Dawgs!!!! It's football season, y'all!! Football usually means cooler weather, cute outfits, happy fans, Guthrie's chicken fingers, and boiled peanuts. My man LOVES some boiled Georgia peanuts. There is not much he likes better during a football wing than boiled peanuts. You need GREEN peanuts to make boiled peanuts. If you're not in Georgia, they can be a bit trickier to find in your local grocery store. Sometimes Fresh Market will carry them. Making boiled peanuts is easy, but it takes a lot of time. I'll share my recipe with you, and you can tweak it as you like. But this week's tip is not the recipe, but about efficiency.
A dear friend from our children's school, Caroline, is also a big Georgia bulldawg fan. She grew up in Georgia where her daddy farmed Georgia peanuts! The girl knows her peanuts. She said her Daddy would bring in a large amount of fresh green peanuts and put them in a huge pot in the kitchen. He would cook more than enough peanuts for Saturday's game. Then, he would take ziploc baggies and FREEZE single serving sized bags of boiled peanuts in the salt brine water. Is that not smart? Each Friday night or Saturday morning, he takes a bag of peanuts out of the freezer and lets it thaw. All year long he can have the freshest boiled peanuts whenever he wants! I just love a man that loves his boiled peanuts like that!
If you're married or have a brother or father who loves boiled peanuts, I challenge you to use this special tip this season and make some boiled peanuts and freeze some. You will make some man mighty happy!
***When eating boiled peanuts, it's fun to suck on the shell before throwing it away as the delicious salt is in the shell. MMMMM GOOD!!!!****
Boiled Peanuts:
To make 14 cups, your ingredients are below:
2 pounds dried raw peanuts - also known as GREEN peanuts
1/2 to 2/3 cup salt
1. Soak peanuts in water to cover in a large stock pot at least 8 hours or up to 24 hours. (You may need to weigh down peanuts with a large plate or lid to ensure that they are fully submerged.) Drain and rinse. I put the peanuts in a large pot overnight and let them soak. Sometimes I have to put a brick on top of them to keep them weighted down and submerged in water.
2. Place peanuts and desired amount of salt in stock pot with 4 1/2 qt. water; bring to a boil over high heat. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook 6 hours or until peanuts are tender, adding water as needed to keep peanuts covered; stir occasionally.
3. Remove from heat; let stand 1 hour.
Cajun Boiled Peanuts: Proceed with Step 1, adding 1/2 cup Cajun seasoning to water. Proceed with Step 2, using 1/2 cup salt and 5 to 7 Tbsp. liquid Cajun crab boil before bringing to a boil. Proceed with recipe as directed.
Ham-Flavored Boiled Peanuts: Proceed with Step 1. Omit Step 2, and bring 6 qt. water and 2 smoked ham hocks to a boil in a large stock pot. Reduce heat, and simmer 3 hours. Remove and discard ham hocks. Cool broth; chill 8 hours. Skim fat from broth. Add peanuts and 1/2 cup salt to broth. Bring to a boil over high heat. Cover, reduce heat, and cook 6 hours or until tender, adding water as needed to keep peanuts covered; stir occasionally. Remove from heat; let stand 1 hour.
Store cooked peanuts in the refrigerator up to three days or freeze for later use!
