Boiled Peanuts

Ingredients

• 3 lb raw green peanuts in the shell
• 1 1/4 cups kosher salt
• 5 quarts water
• 1 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 3 cloves garlic, smashed
• 1 bay leaf

Before you cook

• Rinse the green peanuts in a colander and rub off any clinging dirt.
• Discard any peanuts with cracked or moldy shells.
• Fill a large stockpot with the 5 quarts of water.
• Stir the salt into the water until it dissolves.

Steps

1. Add the peanuts to the salted water in the stockpot.
2. Set a heatproof plate on top of the peanuts to keep them submerged.
3. Add the red pepper flakes, smashed garlic, and bay leaf.
4. Bring the pot to a boil over high heat.
5. Lower the heat to a steady low simmer and cover the pot partway.
6. Cook for 3 hours, checking the water level every hour and topping it up with hot water.
7. Fish out a peanut after 3 hours, crack it open, and bite the kernel.
8. Keep simmering in 30-minute stretches until the kernel is soft with no raw crunch, up to 4 hours total.
9. Taste the brine and stir in more salt if the peanuts taste flat.
10. Turn off the heat and let the peanuts soak in the hot brine for 1 hour to take on more salt.
11. Drain the peanuts and serve them warm in bowls with an empty bowl for the shells.
12. Refrigerate any leftovers in some of their brine for up to a week.