Slab Pancetta
• • • Makes about 24 ounces (680 g) after curing • • •
Think of pancetta as bacon with an Italian accent: same cut, different treatment. Pancetta is cured with salt and lots of spices, but it is not smoked. It is an essential ingredient in countless Italian dishes, especially as a flavoring agent for soups, sauces, and stews. The spicy dry brine in this recipe is one I’ve tweaked to my liking over the years. I’ve also included a variation for a really peppery brine that I love. Most recipes don’t call for it, but I like to “wash” my pancetta with wine before hanging it, not so much for preservation reasons but because I find it adds to the complex tangy flavor of the finished pancetta. Feel free to experiment with your own spice mix, but be sure not to change the ratios of salt and pink salt.
1 slab trimmed pork belly, rind removed, belly trimmed of excess flaps of meat and fat, and squared off at the edges (have the butcher do this for you); about 2.2 pounds (1 kg) after trimming
30 g (1 tablespoon plus 1¼ teaspoons) fine sea salt, depending on the exact weight of the pancetta; the weight of the sea salt should be 3 percent the weight of the trimmed meat (see page 224)
2.5 g (1 scant teaspoon) pink curing salt, depending on the exact weight of the pancetta; the weight of the pink salt should be 0.25 percent the weight of the trimmed meat
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 bay leaves, crumbled
3 to 4 tablespoons coarsely ground black pepper
2 teaspoons lightly crushed juniper berries
½ teaspoon lightly crushed fennel seeds
½ teaspoon dried rosemary leaves, lightly crushed
1 teaspoon ground sweet red pepper (optional)
¼ teaspoon crushed red chile pepper
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
1½ cups (355 g) dry white wine, such as Orvieto, Soave, or Pecorino
Equipment
Digital kitchen scale with metric weight measurements
Disposable kitchen gloves (such as Playtex)
Kitchen twine
1 • Place the trimmed belly on a cutting board. Put on kitchen gloves to make the dry brine. In a bowl, combine the sea salt, pink salt, garlic, bay leaves, black pepper, juniper berries, fennel seeds, rosemary, ground sweet pepper (if using), crushed red pepper, and nutmeg and mix well. Sprinkle the cure all over the meat and, wearing the gloves, rub it in well. Place the meat in a zipper-lock freezer bag. Scoop up any stray rub and add it to the bag. Squeeze out the air and seal. Place the bag in a baking dish and refrigerate for 1 week. Turn the bag over once a day and give the meat a little massage as you turn it.
2 • After 1 week, remove the sealed bag from the baking dish. Pour the wine into the baking dish. Wearing gloves, remove the pork belly from the bag and use your (gloved) fingers to brush off as much brine as you can. Immerse the pork in the wine to dislodge more brine; then transfer it to a clean cutting board. Use a sharp paring knife to cut a hole in one corner of the belly, about 1 inch from the edge. Thread a length of kitchen twine through the hole and knot it where it meets the pork. Tie the ends together tightly to create a long loop for hanging.
3 • Weigh the meat and note the weight.
4 • Hang the pancetta in a secure curing space (see page 225) for 3 to 5 weeks, until it has lost 20 to 30 percent of its weight. If you don’t have a separate curing space, place the pancetta on a rack set inside a shallow pan. Place in the refrigerator and let it cure, uncovered, for at least 1 week and up to 1 month or longer, until it has lost 20 to 30 percent of its weight. When it is done, it will feel firm but still a little supple and pliable.
5 • To store the pancetta, cut it into 4- or 8-ounce (113- or 227-g) pieces and vacuum-seal or wrap tightly in plastic wrap and seal in a zipper-lock bag. Store in the freezer for up to 1 year. Once opened, store the pancetta in plastic wrap in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Variation • To make Three-Pepper Pancetta, substitute the dry brine with a mixture of 30 g sea salt, 2.5 g pink curing salt, ¼ cup (28 g) coarsely ground black pepper, 1 to 2 teaspoons crushed red chile pepper, and 2 teaspoons crushed dried sweet peppers (page 148) or ground sweet paprika.