Boiling Peanuts - on a Large Scale
By Guntis Thursday, August 17, 2006This year I was asked to be the official photographer for the South Carolina Peanut Party in beautiful Pelion, SC. The Pelion Ruritans do the boiling of the peanuts. Here's the story in pictures. For detailed instructions on how to do it yourself, see the article on how I do it at home. This gives you an idea of how it works on a large scale.
In the picture below you see the pots filled and waiting for boiling. The boxes behind the pots are bushels of peanuts.
The large tubs are to hold the boiled peanuts while another batch gets ready for boiling. The tubs also serve to let the peanuts soak if needed. Note the paddles.
Here's the view from the other side. Since the Ruritans do this seriously, they use natural gas from a large supply. The burners are fed directly from the gas line. There is a bit of heat put out - which is one reason why the sides of the pots facing the people are totally shielded. Other reasons are for more efficient use of gas and protection from wind.
Another view showing the gas piping.
In this picture you can see even more peanut boxes stacked up under the shed. Did I mention these guys are serious about the boiling?
This is speculation on my part, but I imagine that as the Peanut Party grew, burners and pots were added. A view of three different styles of burner heads. All of them do have sleeves to adjust the amount of air.
And here's a closeup of the actual burner section
The fire has been put to the pots and they're boiling away. Note the drain pipes for the pots.
A view from the back with the burners going.
Another view of the boiling pots. Note the level of the water.
A close-up of one of the pots. They get stirred about every 15 to 30 minutes. The large wooden paddles are used for this - one of the earlier pictures showed them resting on top of the soaking tubs.
In this picture you can see that some of the burners are better adjusted than others. All the pots, however, were boiling nicely despite the possibly not optimally adjusted burners.
The boiling is done and the peanuts are soaking. And it's night time. Note the water level.
Once the desired level of saltiness is reached, the peanuts will be moved to the holding tubs. From there they go to a large plastic 'tray' that covers a table. The tray helps keep the mess down. The peanuts are put into cups for sale. Some folks buy them in bulk.
That's about it. Any questions, ask and I'll try to answer. And I know that if there are any mistakes those that know will let me know so I can make needed corrections.