Popcorn is a real culinary chameleon: it will take on all the flavors you give it! Making stovetop popcorn is easy, and with this sweet popcorn recipe, you’ll also learn how to keep your popcorn crispy. Add smoky flavor with ham jus and mega-crisp with caramelized brown sugar seasoned with hot spices. The flavors of holiday ham come together in an easy snack to enjoy all year round.
Preparation:
Cook:
Level: Easy
Serves: 8
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons Vegetable oil
- ⅓ cups Plain Yellow Popcorn Kernels
- 1 tbsp Ham Juice Or Pork Fat
- 1 tbsp Salted butter
- 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon Hot spice powder, finely ground (or a packet of hot cider)
- ¼ teaspoons Salt
Preparation
Add vegetable oil and three-grain popcorn to a large saucepan or kettle with a tight-fitting (preferably clear) lid and turn the heat to medium-high.
While the oil is heating, combine the ham juices and butter in a microwave-safe mug. Melt for 45 seconds, stopping halfway to mix the ingredients. Put aside. Use a fork to thoroughly combine the brown sugar, hot spices and salt in a separate ramekin, taking care to break up any sugar cubes. Put aside.
When the first grain in the pot pops, it means your oil is at the right temperature to add the remaining grains. (Doing it this way will almost eliminate the problem of having unpopped or burnt kernels on the bottom of your pan.) Cover the popcorn – with a clear lid, if you have one, so you can see what’s going on in there! When the kernels start to pop, they do so fairly quickly, so watch them closely, shaking the pan occasionally to evenly distribute the heat. When you only hear a pop every 5 seconds or so and hear a lot of sizzling, immediately remove the pan from the heat.
Drizzle the ham juice and butter mixture over the hot popcorn as soon as you remove it from the heat. Replace the lid and while holding it in place, shake the pan with the popcorn and fat until well coated. Immediately (and I mean immediately – bringing the seasoning to the hottest heat after the kernels have popped is the only way for the sugars to caramelize) add the seasoning to the sugar, replace the lid and while holding it in place, shake vigorously for about 1 minute. The idea here is to evenly distribute the sugar and spices while caramelizing them into mini chunks that coat the popcorn. Maximum crunch mission accomplished!
Serve hot. Croque-croque-miam!
