Guanciale

Guanciale

When I started to learn how to cure meat, “American-style” bacon seemed approachable and when I wanted to take the next step, I learned to make pancetta (Italian-style bacon).

From there, I then moved to the beloved cured pig jowl, or guanciale.

The history goes something like this. Much of Italy was able to raise pigs for hundreds of years, especially in the lower portion of the country (the boot – think Rome). People who lived in the hills had olives, thus olive oil, and rarely went “down the mountains” to get pork. The further North you go, near the Alps, that was where beef was more popular.  Life in the southern area was centered around the pig because they were fairly easy to care for and because of their high amounts of quality fat, could be cured, via salt (in large supply near the surrounding mines and of course the Mediterranean Sea), and kept from spoiling in the days prior to refrigeration.

Many of our favorite things to eat have come from this commitment to use the whole animal, proceed to cure, dry, hang, and turn raw porcine into the sublime.

The pig jowl, that section that includes cheeks and goes down just below the neck line, is one of the greatest sections of the entire animal. The cheek, when cured, has the “porkiest/baconiest” flavor you can imagine. It is pure piggy gold and worth the time and effort to learn to make or tell your farmer or butcher to save for you versus turning it into more grind.

Here is how it works.

Guanciale

1-2 pig jowls, approximately 4-5 lbs
2 oz kosher salt
2 oz coarse cracked pepper
Optional – dry white wine for rinse

Remove all glands from the jowls (you can’t miss them, they look like little organs).  If using the salt box method, place salt and pepper in your container (cookie sheet seems to work fine) and rub the jowl(s) with ALL of the salt and pepper. Coat it until all is used and then place in a ziplock bag and squeeze as much air out as possible. Place a brick on top of the jowls to flatten down. This will also help the salt push out the moisture.  Let it sit in fridge for about 2 days. Take out, redistribute the cure as it should be fairly moist by this point and then place back in the fridge for another couple of days.  After 4-5 days total, remove from bag and rinse well with water removing all salt and pepper. You can now rinse with some dry white wine if you wish.  Poke a hole through one of the corners and run some butcher twine through and tie a knot. Weigh the jowl and record the result. Hang the jowl in a well ventilated area and check periodically to see that the weight has lost at least 35% of its original weight. When you have achieved that, the muscle is fully cured and ready to eat.

Slice thin and use in carbonara and it will keep for a long time if you place in vacuum sealer and freeze it.


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