If anyone ever gifts you a 50 lb. bag of green peanuts hauled back from the great state of Alabama (thanks mom!), do not deny this gift and do not fear it. Brazenly accept these raw legumes. Set some aside to boil immediately, then embark on the slightly tedious task of dividing the rest up into gallon-sized, freezer-friendly zippy bags.

This is to your benefit because it grants you access to fresh boiled peanuts WHENEVER YOU WANT! Sure you have to wait for them to actually boil, and yes you can always buy them from the store or the gas station (and you will), but sometimes filling your home with the smell of hot peanuts is the most welcoming thing to come home to.

Now envision the last zippy bag of frozen green peanuts that have been posted up in the freezer for… time. Forgotten. Occasionally a flash of the plastic will emerge and those earthy tan lumps will peer through as other more prominent frozen items – rhubarb, shrimp, peas, etc. – are chosen.

Until the day when you see the words “Beer Boiled Peanuts” boldly displayed on Pinterest, and you know what you have to do…

Rinse the peanuts generously with warm water to remove any potential freezer burn
Place in the largest pot you have
Pour in 2 bottles of beer – I used Dos Equis Azul leftover from a Beers of Mexico variety pack

Fill the pot the rest of the way with water
Crush 5 cloves of garlic and place in the pot, skin on is fine
Liberally sprinkle with salt, pepper, chili powder, garlic powder w/ parsley, paprika, red pepper flakes – I started with a couple tbs. of salt with the intention of adding more later
Place on stove and bring to a boil on high heat with a vented lid
Once it starts to boil, lower the heat a little and pay attention to avoid the pot boiling over (hence vented lid)

Stir on occasion and keep an eye on the liquid level, adding more water as the liquid dissipates
After a couple of hours I added more salt
After about 4 hours I took a scoop out to sample (which was my main motivation for starting these in a pot on the stove)

The rest I moved to a crockpot, adjusted the liquid level, added another half a cup of salt, and left on low to boil all night

The sample peanuts had not reached their full potential yet, BUT they still had a really solid flavor and were just achieving that creamy soft texture boiled peanuts should have. They will be ready tonight as the perfect after dinner snack!