The healthy popcorn recipe my family begs for

Looking for an easy all-natural snack your family will love? Popcorn checks all the boxes. My recipe includes a secret ingredient that has made it our go-to treat multiple times each week.

We loved popcorn as kids. My parents owned an air-popper and they had a habit of putting my brother and I to bed, and then popping a big bowl of popcorn. We would smell the delicious aroma and sneak down the stairs to beg for a bowl.

In college, I switched to microwave popcorn. In the last few years, we’ve learned more and more about the harmful effects of the chemicals in the microwave bags, not to mention the scary hard-to-pronounce ingredients themselves.

So we went back to basics, popping our treat on the stove top. We’ve been through all the different oils and learned that some options can be very inflammatory. But in the last couple of years we tried popping in lard (rendered pork fat) or tallow (rendered beef fat), and we’ve never looked back.

Your local butcher or health food store may carry lard, or even Walmart has a grass-fed lard option available. I render my own lard every few months, using pastured pork fat I buy from a local farm.

Tools for popping stove-top popcorn

• 5 quart or larger stock pot, with lid
  
• measuring cups and spoons

Ingredients

• 1 cup unpopped popcorn kernels (I buy organic popcorn from Azure Standard, or grow my own)
  
• 2 tsp salt – I prefer Redmond Real Salt, or another salt with no added ingredients
  
• 1/2 cup lard
  
• 1 tsp Pluck seasoning (optional) – we enjoy the flavor of the spicy or the garlic Pluck seasoning, and it is an easy way to incorporate organ meats into our diet

Steps for stove-top popcorn

In your stock pot, melt the lard on a medium heat. Then add 2 or 3 kernels of popcorn. Wait for them to pop, indicating your lard has reached a high enough temperature.

We have a stock pot we use just for popcorn. Since we make popcorn so often, we only wash the pot about once a week. Our lard is stable at room temperatures, but check the label if you purchase yours from the store.

Once the initial kernels have popped, add in the remaining popcorn kernels. Cover the pot, and gently move the pot to ensure the kernels are spread out evenly.

Now wait and listen. The popcorn will pop and eventually the sound of popping kernels will slow. When you only hear a kernel pop every few seconds, move the pot off the heat source, and turn your stove off.

Now is the time to add your salt and seasoning. Both will stick to the popcorn best if added while the popcorn is still hot. Using a teaspoon, add both the salt and the Pluck seasoning. Cover the pot. Holding the lid onto the top of the pot with towels or potholders, shake the pot gently to spread the salt and seasoning throughout.

Remove the lid and let the popcorn cool at least 15 minutes. Then enjoy!

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Yield: 5 quarts (20 cups)

Popcorn

Print

Popped in lard and well-seasoned, this stove-top popcorn will easily become a family favorite.

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 15 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 cup popcorn kernels
• 1/2 cup high quality lard or tallow
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp Pluck seasoning

Instructions

1. In your stock pot, melt the lard on a medium heat. Then add 2 or 3 kernels of popcorn. Wait for them to pop, indicating your lard has reached a high enough temperature.
2. Add the remaining popcorn, and cover the pot with the lid.
3. Listen as the popcorn pops. When there is at least 1 second between the sound of each kernel popping, carefully move the pot off the heat source using potholders. Turn the stove off.
4. Using potholders, remove the lid. Using a spoon, shake on the salt and the Pluck seasoning.
5. Using potholders, replace the lid on the pot. Using the potholders to hold the lid in place, gently shake the pot to spread the salt and seasoning.
6. Carefully remove the lid, using a potholder. Allow the popcorn to cool, at least 15 minutes. Then enjoy!

Notes

If kept in an airtight container, the popcorn will retain its freshness for several days or a week.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

• 
  Redmond Real Salt
• 
  Pluck Organ Meat Blend Seasoning

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

20

Serving Size:

1 cup
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 54Total Fat: 5.7gCarbohydrates: 0.5gProtein: 0.1g