Guanciale

• • • Makes 21 to 25 ounces (600 to 700 g) after curing • • •

Guanciale is generally a smaller and fattier cut than pancetta (page 226), and the meat is said to taste sweeter. Cured guanciale definitely has a discernible, appealing porkiness about it, and it is the central ingredient in several iconic pasta dishes, including Spaghetti alla Carbonara (page 234) and Pasta alla Gricia (page 233). Until a few years ago, pork jowl was not that well known in the United States, and it can still be hard to find. You may need to ask a butcher to special-order it for you. While you are at it, be sure to ask the butcher to remove the yellowish glands from the jowl. Use guanciale as you would pancetta, in pasta dishes and sautéed as a flavor base for sauces, soups, and stews.

1 hog jowl, glands removed, trimmed of excess fat and meat (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 jowl; 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 jowl; the weight of the pink salt should be 0.25 percent the weight of the trimmed meat

3 cloves garlic, minced

4 tablespoons (28 g) coarsely ground black pepper

1 teaspoon dried crushed rosemary

1 teaspoon dried crushed sage

1½ cups dry white wine, such as Orvieto

Equipment

Digital kitchen scale with metric measurements

Disposable kitchen gloves (such as Playtex)

Kitchen twine

1 • Place the trimmed jowl on a cutting board. Put on kitchen gloves to make the dry brine. In a bowl, combine the sea salt, pink salt, garlic, pepper, rosemary, and sage 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 each time 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 jowl 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 jowl, 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 guanciale in a secure curing space 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 guanciale 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. Turn the guanciale over every few days to ensure that all sides are exposed to air.

5 • To store the guanciale, 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 guanciale in plastic wrap in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.