DALLAS — Rudolph Foods’ Southern Recipe Small Batch brand, a maker of small batch pork rinds, has added two products to its lineup. Buttery Garlic and Italian Herb Krutones (pronounced Crew-Tone-Ez) and pop-at-home pork rinds will debut in early 2023. 

Krutones are marketed as an innovative alternative to traditional croutons and other salad toppers. Gluten-free, the Italian herb variety has no carbs while the butter and garlic variety has only 1 gram, capitalizing on the growing keto trend. Krutones also expand Southern Recipe’s in-store reach. 

“We’re constantly looking at where we can use a pork rind,” explained Mark Singleton, vice president of sales and marketing at Rudolph Foods. “With the opportunity to bring Southern Recipe Small Batch to shoppers in a different part of the grocery store, we’re confident we’ll be able to broaden our audience and adopt new, loyal pork rinds lovers.”  

Southern Recipe’s new pop-at-home pork rinds meet growing consumer demand, with a recent study finding that 86% of shoppers were intrigued with an at-home pork rind popping experience, the company said. Shoppers are encouraged to prepare the pork rinds in a fryer, air fryer or on a stove top and dress them with their own seasonings.

Singleton added that Southern Recipe’s unique pork rind flavors, including Kimchi BBQ, pineapple ancho chili and blackberry habanero, are key to attracting new demographics and interest in the category. The brand has two holiday offerings as well: apple cinnamon and cranberry jalapeño.

“When I got here 20 years ago, one out of 16 Americans ate (pork rinds),” he said. “Now it’s one out of 5. If we can get to one out of 3, I’m pretty sure there’s not enough pigs … We’ve worked hard to educate today’s consumer about pork rinds and demystify the category, overall.”