Snackers sing praises of Leann’s Rinds

With the first batch of pork rinds done, Leann Branum adds another batch of pellets in the fryer. On this day, Branum was planning to cook enough pork rinds for 20 bags. (Jill Bock/Standard Democrat)

NEW MADRID, Mo. — It’s the snack crunch heard around the world.

In Canada they are oreilles de crisse while the British enjoy pork scratchings. In Mexico they are known as chicharrones and the Chinese munch on zhizha. In the USA, they are pork rinds.

Now the treat of fried pork skin is finding new fans in Southeast Missouri, thanks to Leann Hunter Branum and her business, Leann’s Rinds.

Leann Branum adds the flavorings while the pork rinds are still hot. Currently Branum offers nine different flavors of pork rinds. (Jill Bock/Standard Democrat)

According to Branum, she first became aware of homemade pork rinds while occasionally helping a family member at a local restaurant. It was always a popular treat among the diners.

When she retired, Branum was looking for something to do. With the restaurant now closed, she decided to make her own homemade pork rinds. A friend suggested the name for her business and she made her first batch to sell at New Madrid’s Fall Festival.

“It caught on from there,” Branum said. “It has grown almost more than what I wanted, but that is all right. I like it.”

The pork rinds are bagged and ready. Leann Branum has regular customers at the weekly market in Charleston and the market every other Saturday in New Madrid, in addition to customers who contact via Facebook. (Jill Bock/Standard Democrat)

While some people are hesitant to give pork rinds a try, Branum assures prospective customers the homemade rinds are nothing like the ones sold in stores.

“The homemade ones are just lighter, fluffier,” she explains. “When they try them, they just keep coming back.”

She described them as healthier than many snack foods. Branum points out pork rinds have no carbohydrates and are high in proteins, making them popular with people on low-carbohydrate diets. Also she cooks her rinds in peanut oil, which has no trans-fats or carbs, she explained.

It takes practice to know the right moment to pull the cooked rinds from the fryer. (Jill Bock/Standard Democrat)

As her business has grown, so have the choices for customers. Currently Branum’s flavor offerings include plain, barbecue, honey barbecue, cajun, hot and spicy, pickle, cinnamon sugar, sugar-free cinnamon and her newest flavor, bacon.

“Barbecue is my top seller but bacon is becoming pretty popular,” she said. “As somebody said, ‘How can you go wrong with bacon pork skins?’”

But it is not a hobby for the faint-hearted.

Leann Branum tallies up orders as her fryer heats up. Since starting her business, Leann's Rinds, last fall the number of orders continue to grow. (Jill Bock/Standard Democrat)

Branum fires up her fryer to 400 degrees, typically early to avoid Southeast Missouri’s hot and humid days.

Working from her list, which includes pre-orders and bags needed for area farmer’s markets, Branum grabs handfuls of the dehydrated pork skins, or pellets, and tosses them in the grease. She keeps a close eye on the grease temperature, explaining if it is too low, the rinds won’t cook; too high and the rinds get too brown and hard.

As the rinds pop to the surface, Branum moves a metal basket into the grease pushing down the rinds, which have doubled and even tripled in size.

The pork rinds quickly expand in the 400-degree grease. Leann Branum cooks the rinds in peanut oil, which has no trans-fats and because the rinds are high in protein they are often the preferred snack for those on low carbohydrate diets. (Jill Bock/Standard Democrat)

She stirs the rinds, waits and watches until they reach a light brown. Then Branum runs a small basket through the grease gathering the cooked rinds.

After filling a container, Branum moves to another counter where she quickly adds the flavoring while they are hot. The cooled rinds are then bagged for sale.

Currently Leeann’s Rinds are available at the weekly Charleston Farmer’s Market and at New Madrid’s Market every other Saturday. Her Facebook page for Leeanns Rinds also keeps customers informed of when she is cooking and they will leave their requests for bags of their favorite pork rinds in the comments, send her message or call the phone number posted on the page.

The expanding pellets rise to the top as they cook. Leann Branum uses a large wire basket to push them down in the grease to continue the cooking process. (Jill Bock/Standard Democrat)

Leeann’s Rinds come in two sizes. A small bag sells for $3 while the large gallon-size bags are $7.

“I have a lot of regular customers. Every time I cook they want their favorites,” she said. “A lot of families will buy one for the mom, one for the dad and one for the kids.”

There is still one customer, she is waiting for – singer LeAnn Rimes.

Labels for the barbecue flavored pork rinds wait to be stuck on the bags. While barbecue is currently the top-seller, Leann Branum said her newest flavor, bacon, is growing in popularity.(Jill Bock/Standard Democrat)

Laughing, Branum said, “I’m waiting to see what she says about all this.”