What's that you say? You don't have chicken fat on hand? Too bad. Go render some right now. I'll wait.
Truth be told, this recipe will work equally well with olive oil in place of the chicken fat. I love the flavor schmaltz brings to the corn, making something already spicy and salty ever more savory. Regardless of the fat you use here, you'll have to remind yourself to walk away from the bowl. Otherwise you'll eat it in one sitting.
Ingredients
- 1 cup Popcorn Kernels
- 3 tablespoons Grapeseed Oil (or another neutral oil)
- Zest of two Limes
- 3-4 tablespoons Chili Powder
- ~1 teaspoon Salt
- 1/4-1/3 cup Melted Chicken Fat
Business
- Pour the corn kernels and oil into the bottom of a large stockpot.
- Cover the pot with a lid and put it over high heat.
- When you hear the first few kernels popping grab the pot and gently shake it back and forth over the heat (about 3-4 inches above the burner). This keeps the corn from burning.
- Where you hear about two seconds of silence between popping sounds you know you've popped nearly every kernel in the pot. Turn off the heat and remove the lid carefully, there will be a cloud of steam. Pour the popped corn into a large mixing bowl.
- Toss the lime zest, chili powder, and salt on top of the popcorn and give it a quick stir with your hands to distribute.
- Pour the chicken fat over the corn and continue stirring with your hands (or tongs) until the corn is uniformly dressed.