Kernal Bob's Kettle Korn Products. Kettle Korn is an age-old tradition brought to life in the mid 1800's by Missouri farmers. These German immigrants used to pop corn in their large cast iron kettles after a day of rendering lard from hogs. They would then add honey, molasses, or sugar to sweeten their freshly popped treat. The korn was then cooked over a wood fire, stirred with a wooden paddle, dumped into a large kettle, and scooped out by hand. While the recipe we use is similar to the original, we've replaced the lard with soybean oil, using a little sugar and salt, and fire our popper with propane instead of wood.