Southern Boiled Peanuts

Many years ago we were driving through the mountain area of N.C. on our way to Atlanta for a meeting. The area we were in was very scenic when all of a sudden I yelled... Stop...Stop...Stop. With tires screeching we came to a stop and I had my wife back up some distance and pull off the road. Barely visible Across the road was a rundown wood shack with a banner that read... Southern Boiled Peanuts. When I went inside it looked like a tool shed with a huge pot of water sitting in the center of the small room. We exchanged peanuts for money and With my bag of peanuts in hand I went back to the car and tried a few.

My curiosity about boiled peanuts satisfied I tossed the rest into the garbage bin. As we pulled back onto the road to continue our journey my wife said that if I ever yelled at her like that again she was going to toss me in front of the car and never look back. Knowing her I knew I should heed her advice...but...but...what to do...what to do if I smell BBQ.

So, are you familiar with this delicacy ...

As they say in Nu Yawk, FOGETIT!

Tried them twice. Once sober and once under the influence.
Never again. It must be an acquired thing.

[Jenise]

Couldn't wait to try them myself when visiting Atlanta a few years ago as I idolize peanuts in the shell. But believe me, I didn't get it. Thought they were perfectly awful.

I'll make it unanimous BLEH, AWFUL, and TERRIBLE for good measure.

At a guess, what each of you tried started as dried peanuts, dumped into a kettle of salt water and boiled long enough to soften shoe leather. That is NOT the way to experience true boiled peanuts (although it gets all the tourists). The secret to good boiled peanuts is to start with freshly dug, or green, peanuts. Wash thoroughly you get all the sand and dirt off, put in a pot with enough water to cover, and then some, and put a handful or two of salt. Boil for a couple of hours, or maybe three, and what results is a shell full of soft, creamy goodness. I was born and reared in the Deep South, and learned to love boiled peanuts as a toddler. I don't touch the stuff from a roadside stand myself.

Just think of it as the difference between a pot of fresh crowder peas, picked and shelled and immediately cooked, and a pot of dried black-eyed peas, which have to be cooked until falling apart to be soft enough to eat.

I grew up in NC. Boiled peanuts done right were an awesome treat. As Robert says, they absolutely must be made from freshly dug, green goobers. They must be boiled with plenty of salt for a long time. Love them!!!

You learn something everyday. Thanks, Lou

They are awful......I'm obviously no southerner.

They are awful......I'm obviously no southerner.

Were the ones you tried like what Bob Sisak described? I know that the ones I tried were not as he described, so I'll hold judgement until I do have the opportunity.

They are awful......I'm obviously no southerner.

Were the ones you tried like what Bob Sisak described? I know that the ones I tried were not as he described, so I'll hold judgement until I do have the opportunity.

Probably. They were from the quintessential roadside stand. They were soft and mushy and kind of mealy. Sort of like a canned garbanzo bean. I much prefer peanuts the way they are served at Fenway Park.

They are awful......I'm obviously no southerner.

Were the ones you tried like what Bob Sisak described? I know that the ones I tried were not as he described, so I'll hold judgement until I do have the opportunity.

Probably. They were from the quintessential roadside stand. They were soft and mushy and kind of mealy. Sort of like a canned garbanzo bean. I much prefer peanuts the way they are served at Fenway Park.

Did anyone show up in Fenway to eat the peanuts after the first half of the season? The world contains many masochists so I'm sure there had to be some self loathing fans who attended.