The crunch of Pork rinds is a favorite Southern snack and road trip staple. Also known as cracklins or chicharrones, these fried pork skin snacks are a deliciously porky and salty treat that can be sprinkled with savory spices such as black pepper, paprika, ground cumin, and garlic powder to add extra flavor. These puffy, fried treats have a crunchy and airy texture that feels a bit like eating salty, pork-flavored packing peanuts.

They are a popular snack that can be found in gas station convenience stores and grocery stores across the country and are sometimes sold freshly fried from roadside stands. They are low in carbs and high in fat, making them a popular snack choice for followers of low-carb diets and the ketogenic diet. The puffy texture of pork rinds is the result of steam that forms when they meet hot oil. The steam expands as it cools and turns into air pockets. This process is called “puffing.”

Pork Rinds: A Crispy, Savory Snack You’ll Love

The basic pork rind is simply the skin of a pig that has been cooked until it has lost all its moisture and puffed up in the heat of a fryer. It may then be drained and tossed in a variety of seasonings or left plain for those who prefer the basic, classic taste. A more savory variation is called cracklin, which includes the subdermal fat layer and comes out of the fryer as a dense fried cube that has some meat inside.