In a heavy saucepan (4 quarts or larger), heat sugar, corn syrup, salt and water to a rolling boil.
Add peanuts. Reduce heat to medium and stir constantly. (This will take about 35-40 minutes and should not be hurried by heating at a higher temperature. It takes the full time to cook the peanuts and even marginally uncooked peanuts are not as tasty as fully cooked ones.)
Using the candy thermometer, cook to a hard crack stage (293 degrees.)
Add butter and stir until completely melted and mixed. Add baking soda and stir rapidly until frothy looking.
Pour onto a buttered surface and spread until about 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Break into pieces when cool.
1) when you add the baking soda, the candy will "grow" rapidly. Be near your pouring surface so you don't end up with a partial batch on the kitchen floor
2) the best surface on which to pour this is a cooled slab of marble. Next best is some other cooled surface such as a cookie sheet
3) the surface should be liberally buttered but not so much as to make the bottom of the candy excessively oily
4) have a friend close by when you are ready to pour the candy onto the cooling surface. The pot is usually unwieldy and the candy is very hot!!
5) you need to check the candy at about 3-5 minute intervals immediately after pouring it out and lift it gently with a spatula from the cooling surface so that it does not stick. This needs to be done about three times and then you can let it cool thoroughly before breaking it into serving size pieces. Cooling time is about 60 minutes.
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