Tallow Is The Ingredient You Need To Beef Up Your Popcorn

Meat-flavored popcorn? Yes. Cooking with beef or mutton tallow can bring a satisfying yet subtle meaty element to dishes, and the savory ingredient can replace your usual cooking oils and slabs of butter used in recipes. Why not pop your next batch of popcorn in it? The rich, savory inclusion of tallow will flavor your next snack with a rich decadent taste and silky mouthfeel that may well have you coming back for more. 

Similar to using butter or ghee to pop popcorn kernels, the melty properties of tallow can be used to cook kernels in a smooth drizzle of animal fat. As it's solid when at room temperature, tallow is easy to use in cooking. Simply melt a spoonful in a hot pan before adding your corn to pop in the usual way. 

Once cooked, choose to double down on earthy, buttery flavors with extra smoked butter or herb-infused oils to crown your tallow-cooked popcorn. Alternatively, add to your popcorn's flavor by dusting your snack with seasonings you might reach for while setting up a backyard barbecue. When flavored with your choice of dried herbs and go-to BBQ dry rubs, you may find yourself popping these jazzed-up kernels with more regularity, even if you don't have a new series to binge-watch.

Tallow offers an ideal platform for DIY popcorn bowls. Set out a variety of seasonings for family members and friends to dress up their meat-fat-enhanced popcorn as they choose. Herbs like dried rosemary and thyme, truffle salt, and 3-ingredient dry rub can be presented in shallow dishes alongside the popcorn for a memorable snacktime. Cajun seasoning, red pepper flakes, nutritional yeast, or sprinkles of parmesan cheese can all enhance the subtle flavor of the meaty tallow. Plus, with a recipe this easy to prepare and delicious to taste, you may find yourself wondering what other dishes you can sneak tallow into. Start with our suggestion of tallow-fried eggs, perhaps.

Keep in mind that different kinds of tallow will infuse different flavors into your popcorn batches. Pig tallow lends a different taste to recipes than beef or mutton. Regardless of the tallow you choose, the method is the same as cooking popcorn with any other type of fat. Whether served warm and freshly popped as a stand-alone snack or presented alongside a plate of crispy baked chicken wings, this rich addition is sure to please the omnivores at your party.