Boiled peanuts are another uniquely Southern treat. Every time I road trip in the South, and especially if I’m traveling off the freeway and on the back roads, I keep my eyes out for the hand-lettered signs that say “Boiled P-NUTS!” The more rural the location, the better the boiled peanuts. The best are the ones that have been cooked in a huge pot over a propane flame for hours on end … and maybe with a ham hock thrown in for flavoring.

Except there are a lot of people who don’t think that they’re treats and view them with a large amount of suspicion. In fact, the day I bought these peanuts at the farmers market, I texted a friend to tell him of my excitement about making my own boiled peanuts. He then informed me in no uncertain terms that the poor peanut had done nothing to deserve being boiled and to do so was a clear case of peanut torture.

I say, bring on the torture. Boiled peanuts are delicious, filling, and make a great healthy snack.

Here’s how you make them. I started with 1 lb of raw peanuts in the shell:

Rinse them well, checking each shell to make sure there’s no embedded dirt:

Then put the peanuts in a large pot with a quantity of stock and water. I started out with 8 cups – 1/2 ham stock and 1/2 water. You can see here that I just threw in the ham stock straight from the freezer.

Bring to a low boil and cook for a really long time. Really. Seriously. A long time. I think I boiled these for nearly 8 hours. About the 1/2 way mark I added another 8 cups of water and about 1/4 cup of salt. And boiled some more.

I tested periodically and after about 8 hours I thought the peanuts were done enough to be eaten, although the best peanuts I’ve had have probably been cooked in a slow cooker overnight. They need to be completely soft.

Notes: This is the first time I’ve boiled peanuts and when I make them again, I think I’ll throw in a whole ham bone, rather than using the ham stock. The peanuts have to cook for too long and you have to refresh the liquid too many times for the ham stock to impart enough flavor. I think using the bone itself and boiling it the whole time would make a difference.

Also, the peanuts need a LOT of salt for flavor, otherwise they’re just bland and soft. I think I added nearly 1/3 of a cup of salt for this 1 lb batch.

Finally, I still think the best way to eat these is from a styrofoam cup, nestled in a paper bag, while on a road trip through winding back-country highways. That, for me, will always be The South.

Nutritional info (1/2 cup with shells): Calories: 220, Total Fat: 14g, Carbs: 14g, Protein: 10g