Shrimp boil , always hard to peel

Your shrimp are overcooking. I fix this by overspicing the water, plus I drop ice to stop the cooking after a couple of minutes of cooking.

I’ve learned a way you really can’t mess them up. Put your lemon juice and a little cooking oil in your water, put your shrimp in, bring them to a roll while stirring periodically to keep the same shrimp off the bottom, when it gets to a roll shut it off and add your seasoning, Check them every 90 seconds or so and wait for the shells on the backs to start to separate, when that happens, drop a bag or 2 of ice in there, and pull them.

They’ll be very easy to peel

45 minutes soaking is the problem. Take your normal mount of spice/seasoning and add to pot until boiling then turn it off and set to the side. Add ice to bring temp down to near room temp. Start a new pot of plain water, add shrimp when boiling. After about 10 or so minutes check for doneness. If cooked remove and put them in the room temp pot. They’ll soak up the flavor but won’t continue to cook. I do this in 15-20lb increments so the shrimp are steadily flowing and I can appease different palates.

Bring to a boil with 1/2 stick butter. Put in shrimp. Turn off burner. Let them soak. Simple.

45 minutes is too long

Plus butter is your friend

Bring to a boil, turn off heat and maybe 2-3 minutes.

I have a huge bowl with holes in the bottom, I fill it with ice and scoop shrimp out.

They need to be iced quick

Depending on how many you do, there’s no reason to keep the water boiling after you drop them in. Shrimp are cooked at 120 degrees. Water is boiling at 212 or more. I say depending on how many, because if you drop like 20 lbs of cold shrimp in a big pot you can boil a minute or two. But if I’m cooking just a lb or two for like cocktail shrimp or a just for myself, then I’ll drop the shrimp in a 4 qt sauce Pan before it’s even a hard boil and cut the heat immediately.

The water doesn’t need to boil, at all. All you want to do is get the shrimp to 120 degrees and the longer the takes the more seasoning they will soak up.

Add all your seasonings/butter. Bring the water to a boil. Boil for 3, soak for 12. They will always peel perfectly

As others mentioned, you're overcooking.

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plus I drop ice to stop the cooking after a couple of minutes of cooking

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This is close, but use frozen jug(s) of water instead, so you don't dilute your spice with extra water. Shrimp don't take long at all to "cook". Cut the heat quick, stir, stir, stir and drop frozen jug(s), keep stirring to cool that water a bit. Then check one occasionally for flavor. If you're using fresh shrimp, I promise you won't have an over cooking/hard peeling issue.

Please don't add butter to your shrimp boil. This does absolutely nothing to help your shrimp peel easier, cook better, etc, etc. All it does is make for a messier pot to clean up.

The key is to look at the shell. When they start separating from the meat, they're perfectly done.

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45 minutes.

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That is about 41 minutes to long. Shrimp take no time. Don't even return to a boil....and use fresh that have the shell split down the back.