Enjoy The Secret Sin of Fried Pork Rinds: 50 Million Southerners Can't Be Wrong

One bite is all it takes to enjoy the secret sin of fried pork rinds. You can have your potato, corn, kale, apple, banana, zucchini or chickpea chips. For people below the Mason-Dixon line, pork rinds rule. 50 million southerners can't be wrong
Leo Keahey is the king of pork skins. A few years ago, he discovered the secret of transforming stiff, unchewable pork rinds into puffy, crunchy pleasure. His pork rinds are boiled, dried, and rendered, then deep-fried until they puff. Everything takes place in three cast-iron wash pots in Hampton, Georgia. Like many things it was a happy accident. Leo was outside on a cold January day rendering lard. He was frying pork skins when one pot got too hot. He tossed some skins he had already fried back in to warm them up and they seemed to explode into little porky clouds. The world hasn’t been the same since. In 1976 Leo Keahey had a small operation, hand-bagging pork rinds and delivering them to stores in the area. A few years later the “snack food craze” hit and there seemed to be fried pork rinds everywhere. You might call them chicharrones or cracklings but the taste is unforgettable. It’s an interesting note that many of those producers paid Leo Keahey to show them how it’s done. This story aired on WSB-TV Channel 2 Action News in 1976.
If you want to see more stories like this, check out:
@georgiatraveler
Long before CNN and Fox News the Traveler series with Andy Johnston was an Emmy award winning program that showcased amazing people, unusual things, local legends, food finds, outdoor activities, folk art, and family fun. In 2022 the Walter J. Brown Media Archives at the University of Georgia founded The Original Georgia Traveler -- Andy Johnston Collection to preserve and maintain the stories.
The Traveler Series celebrates life and living in America in the 1970s. Nostalgia, small towns, traditional life and the good old days. The stories give us ways to compare then and now. Folklore, music, handcrafts, vanishing America and unusual people. Funny stories, personal stories and amazing people are in this collection.
This story is presented for educational and preservation purposes and is covered under Fair Use. At the time it was broadcast the television station had a blanket music license with ASCAP, BMI and SESAC. The station maintains that license today. All music used is covered under that agreement.
#porkrinds #junkfood #trending #subscribe #originalgeorgiatraveler #favoriteyoutubers #rufushussey

[@olskool3967]

very good Andy! i have 4 antique wash pots and a whole lot of cast iron cookware i use every day,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

[@georgiatraveler]

I love cast iron. I have two skillets my grandmother gave me. I use them just about every week.

[@dumbasscountryboy]

My wife has a bunt pan that has been handed down to her that is over a hundred years old

[@Oliver66FarmBoy]

Wonder if he ended up having anything to do with any of the store bought pork rinds you can get today.

[@frzstat]

I had cousins in the Hampton/Lovejoy area in the 1970s, and I'm pretty sure I've had Leo's pork rinds. Mom made pork cracklin's in the oven. These were flat and chewy, not a great snack but delicious in cornbread. We preferred to snack on the puffy pork rinds. Thanks for uploading this Andy!

[@georgiatraveler]

Thanks for watching. When I was growing up all we had were cracklin's. They were great in cornbread but you could break a tooth trying to snack on one. All those years on the road we ate pork rinds. We lived on those things.

[@Quiksilversurf311]

Always look forward to your videos Andy. Thanks for another upload!

[@georgiatraveler]

Thank you, good friend