Beef Rinds: The Ultimate Keto Snack
It's a term that evokes imagery of steak & eggs, heaps of butter, and those lovely fruits we call avocado. The perfect diet for those who like to indulge in endless amounts of fat and protein. What's not to like?
Well, it's not all sunshine and roses. For those who've attempted a low-carb diet will know that the carb cravings are the biggest obstacle to conquer on this weight-loss journey. The texture of carbs are so unique, it's hard to replicate. So keto dieters are on an endless search for carb replacements. Whether it be chips, fried chicken, or everyone's favorite- pizza!
For chip replacements, many keto-goers have found solace in pork rinds. But pork rinds come with their own set of troubles. Good news for you, we might have found the perfect solution.
Step aside pork rinds! Make way for beef rinds.
The appeal of beef rinds not only stem from its perfect macro & micro-nutrient profile, but it's unlimited possibilities of uses. It's perfect for an on-the-go travel snack, as well as an ingredient in your favorites recipe.
Today, we're going to deep dive into:
- What are beef rinds?
- Beef rinds nutrition facts
- Are beef rinds keto-friendly?
- The multiple uses for beef rinds
- What makes beef rinds better than pork rinds?
What Are Beef Rinds?
Beef Rinds are virtually unheard of in the western world. The case is very different in the East; beef Rinds, otherwise known as "Krupuk Kulit" is a staple and delicacy in Indonesia. Translating to "skin crackers", Krupuk Kulit can essentially be thought of as beef rinds if you live in the west.
Traditionally they are made from the soft inner skin of cow or buffalo which is boiled, diced and sun-dried until it dehydrates and hardens. These dehydrated pieces of skin are later fried in hot cooking oil until they expand and puff up similar to pork rinds, yielding a crispy texture.
The taste of beef rinds are very similar to pork rinds but tend to be more on the flakier, full-bodied side. If you've ever had pork rinds you're no stranger to hardness. Some pork rinds can be so hard that it ruins the snacking experience. Thankfully, beef rinds tend to not have the same hardness associated with them.
At Holy Cow! we're delivering America's first commercially available beef rind to market. We generally follow the same cooking process as they do in Indonesia but with a few twists. We can't go too deep into our proprietary cooking process, but we will give you a broad overview: the beef skins are boiled and cut into small pieces referred to as "pellets". Then, the pellets are cooled down in the fridge before removing the fat layer. The removal of the fat is key, if any fat is left on the skin, when fried the rinds would come out really hard and not fluffy.
After the fat is removed, the pieces are dehydrated in the oven for about 8 hours. Now for my favorite part, frying! The dried pieces are placed into a fryer with 100% grass-fed tallow that has a high smoke point and fried just under 400F.
Fun Fact: Holy Cow Beef Rinds are only fried using beef fat, since it is the healthier alternative to store bought pork rinds where many companies use vegetable oil during their frying process, which are known to cause inflammation.
The beef rinds are then seasoned immediately after frying so that the spices stick to the surface. Once cooled, they're ready to be eaten! YUMMMM!
Beef Rinds Nutrition Facts
The nutrient breakdown of beef rinds is similar to pork rinds, only better.
A single serving (14g) of our No Salt! Beef Rinds gets you:
- Calories: 80
- Total Fat: 4.5g
- Total Carbohydrate: 0g
- Protein: 8g
- Sodium: 10mg
Our unsalted beef rinds contain only 1 ingredient:
- Beef Skin & Fat
One of the key (and simple) strategies to ensure optimal health is buying food that contains as little ingredients as possible, avoid the laundry list of 10+ ingredient products!
Protein and Collagen
Who knew beef skins would contain protein and collagen? Well, skin itself is made primarily of collagen so it'd make sense that beef skin has oodles of collagen in it.
Collagen is such a buzzword these days, but animal skins have been loaded with collagen since the dawn of time. We're so pleased to announce that our beef rinds contain a whopping 7000mg of Bovine Collagen per serving. Bovine Collagen is collagen sourced from cattle and coincidentally is made of Type 1 and Type III collagen, the same collagen human skin is made of. WOW!!
What's so great about collagen? Many proponents of collagen state that consumption of collagen contributes to increased muscle mass, skin elasticity, stronger bones, thicker hair, and healthy nails. Nice!
As for protein in general; one serving of beef rinds contain more protein that one serving of eggs. At this rate, who'd rather eat a hardboiled egg over delicious, melt-in-your-mouth beef rinds?? Not me!
Are Beef Rinds Keto-Friendly?
Absolutely! It's the perfect keto snack.
The macronutrient profile goes a little something like protein > fat > carbs. Put plainly, beef rinds are high in protein, moderate in fat and contain zero carbs. It doesn't get any better than this!
The amazing thing is, beef rinds have the full-bodied texture of carbohydrates without the actual carbs. The crunchiness of beef rinds is yet to be rivaled in the keto space, we encourage you to give them a try for yourself!
Not to mention the endless possibilities of incorporating crushed beef rinds in your normal homemade recipes as a breading replacement. Miss breaded chicken nuggets? Beef rinds got you covered! Miss pizza? Don't we all.. well people can definitely make pizza crust from beef rinds.
Lucky for you, our beef rinds come in many different flavors to satisfy any palette. Plus, all of our flavors are keto-friendly. Flavor is soooo important and we're glad to report that ever since customers have been trying our beef rinds we've converted life-long pork rind lovers into beef rinds lovers! As one customer put it, "They’re SOOOOOOOOOOOO TASTY!!! How am I just learning about these now?!". I know, right?!
Good news for you, we've created our flavors with you in mind. Currently, we're offering Hot Pepper, Himalayan Spice, Lime Zest and for those who would rather taste the beef rind in its natural state- No Salt!
So snack away!
The Multiple Uses For Beef Rinds
The amazing thing about beef rinds is that they can be used for so many use cases. The most common are:
- Breadcrumbs. You heard right. You can crush up beef rinds and use them as a breadcrumb substitute for your chicken tenders or even fried fish, all-the-while remaining in ketosis!
An ideal replacement for carb-heavy snacks
Are you transitioning from a traditional carb-heavy diet to the keto diet? It can be difficult due to the limited food selection. This is where beef rinds really shine!
Thankfully, the keto community has already done a bunch of the foot work for us by creating alternative uses for pork rinds. For the following recipes all you need to do is substitute the pork rinds with beef rinds:
- Crispy Buffalo Chicken Fingers - An awesome chicken finger recipe by Stupid Easy Paleo.
- Keto Pancakes - An amazing Keto Pancake recipe by HealthfulPursuit.com.
- Low Carb Asparagus Fries - One-of-a-kind asparagus fries!
- Pork Rind Nachos - It's like nachos but without the carbs!
- Low Carb Mozzarella Sticks - Cheesy, tasty mozzarella sticks without the carbs.
What Makes Beef Rinds Better Than Pork Rinds?
I'm glad you asked. Where do I start? Well since a picture is worth 1000 words, I'll just leave this here:
Additionally, with beef rinds we are able to maintain the highest industry standards when it comes to sourcing. We only source from humanely raised, 100% grass-fed, hormone/antibiotic free beef skins. Today pigs are often fed an evolutionarily inconsistent diet of corn and soy, which affects the end product negatively. For a better comparison of beef vs pork we have an awesome write up here.
But... if you still insist on consuming pork rinds we urge you to always check the label to ensure that you're consuming antibiotic/hormone-free, and humanely raised pork.
Wishing You Success in Your Keto Journey
Adhering to a strict ketogenic diet is no easy feat and we understand this. Especially when it comes to finding low-carb snack alternatives to satisfy your cravings.
Beef rinds are one of the only truly guilt-free snack options due to its ideal macro and micronutrient profiles.
Whether you’re needing a substitute for breadcrumbs, a snack for your travels, or as a garnish in your favorite recipe, Holy Cow! beef rinds will satisfy your taste buds no matter where you're at in you ketogenic journey.