If bacon makes everything better, then pancetta makes everything better still! It's similar to bacon, in that they are both made with pork belly, but that's where the similarities end. Pancetta is normally unsmoked and dry cured and can be made flat or rolled into a pinwheel, whereas bacon is smoked and not left to dry and always sold flat.
Pancetta is really very similar to guanciale, and the spices and herbs used could be used on either one. This particular pork product is probably the easiest and most accessible cured meat that can be made at home. So, why didn't I show this one first on this blog? Because I already had some in my fridge at the time! I still don't really need any, but I had a defrosted piece of Tamworth pork belly that had to be used, so I figured I'd make pancetta. After all, is it really possible to have too much cured pork belly? I think not!
The reason I say that it is the most accessible cured meat is that it can be made without a curing chamber. I've done it. It works. I even did a side by side comparison of 2 pieces of pork belly one cured in my chamber, and one in the fridge, and they were almost identical. So...if you're looking to get into cured meats, dive in with pancetta!Ingredient Quantity(g) % of Meat+Fat Pork belly 420 100 Salt 10 2.4% Black Pepper 7.8 1.9% Brown Sugar 4.8 1.1% Cure #2 1.1 0.26% Juniper 1.8 0.43% Bay Leaves 0.3 0.07% Nutmeg 0.8 0.19% Dry Thyme 0.5 0.12% Garlic 1 clove 
I had a pretty small piece of pork belly, so that's what i used. It's preferable to have it skin on, but if you can only find it without skin...so be it.
All the spices, salts, sugar and herbs are mixed together. The small piece of pork didn't require much cure.
The cure is rubbed all over the pork belly and massaged into the meat. The meat is then put into a zip bag and into the fridge to cure. Allowing the salts and herbs to penetrate the meat.
In about 7-10 days the meat will be rinsed, and hung in the curing chamber for as long as one might choose to wait. 2 weeks minimum though.
Saturday, August 2, 2008
Pancetta - The easiest cured meat of all!
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19 comments:
I've been enjoying the blog, and have to agree, pancetta is probably my favorite cured pork product, and also the easiest. I go through a lot of it.
I'm going to give this a try. I'll need to age it in the fridge. Would you recommend wrapping the meat in cheesecloth or something while it's aging?
When i made it in a regular fridge i just put it on a rack on top of a plate, to allow air to get to all sides, and left it uncovered on the bottom shelf for about 30 days.
Cheesecloth wouldn't hurt though.
I was going to detail this in the next post.
Thanks Andrew. I'm glad i can help people make their own cured meats.!
Thanks Jason, I appreciate the advice.
jason u doing r good job but dont put to much spices otherways u can not taste the pork flavour and it doesn't really need to be put in a bag regards giovanni
I agree Giovanni. Normally i don't cover the pancetta with spices and pepper, so i can taste the pork. This one i wanted to try something difference since it's a small piece.
Thanks for the great blog! After receiving Ruhlman's Charcuterie from a friend, I've been experimenting with this new-found hobby. Yesterday I made Spanish Chorizo, Poblano Sausage, and Mexican Chorizo Sausage as well as my first Pancetta. I converted an old refrigerator into a curing box and will be working on a fermenting box this week.
Thanks Rob, it's always good to hear new people getting into the hobby!
Just gave this a shot. Curious as to how much liquid I should expect at the bottom of the container.... the pork slab was about 2#.
Thanks -- Roger
Roger, i'm not sure why but sometimes the meat exudes water while salting, other times it doesn't. Seems to me that it depends on whether the meat has been previously frozen..
Should I drain the liquid and add some additional salt, or is the liquid no issue (there is probably only a tablespoon or two).
Thanks -- Roger
No, dont worry about the liquid..just leave it until you remove the meat from the cure.
Maybe turn the bag every few days.
Hey jason,
I've been trying to find a soundproof recipe for pancheta for a while. i tried yours out one a few pieces of porkbelly the other day, ill let you know how it turns out.
Check out my blog at charcuteriesundays.blogspot.com
This is exciting! I'm buying some pork belly tomorrow. I've got a question though, what is 'Cure#2' listed in the ingredients?
Radka, cure #2 is a mixture of salt, sodium nitrate and sodium nitrite. You can find it at butcher-packer:
http://www.butcher-packer.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=237_12&products_id=677&zenid=ccef59c6cc188691fe9d1e03e3708847
It's used to keep the color of the meat, and to safeguard against botulism.
Hi Jason, I havent used the cure*2, because didn't know what that's mean, shouold I start everything again??? thanks
Martin
Martin, it's up to you. Cure #2 is used to keep the nice red color of the meat, and safeguard against botulism.
Theoretically it should be fine, but it's up to you if you wish to take the risk.
sorry i cna't be more specific. I'm risk averse, so personally i would start over...but maybe i'm too cautious.
It is looking fab! I like pork - we have it almost as much as we have chicken, which is a lot. It should keep me busy in the kitchen.
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