Pork Belly===>Pancetta

[Willy]

I have a nice hunk of pork belly (sold today in a Tucson Costco for $2.65/lb (gas was $1.75!). I'm thinking of making pancetta using the recipe found here (http://ruhlman.com/2009/06/home-cured-pancetta/). It's a refrigerated cure, plus it's cured with nitrite, plus I'll cook it before use--any health concerns with this?

[Huskee]

Willy I've forwarded this to Meathead. He is the man to ask with curing, if he doesn't know he can at least give some sound advice....

[Danjohnston949]

Huskee, Erin are you up before you are awake? Dan

[Huskee]

Danjohnston949 I'm always up before I'm awake, that's a given! Oh, and it's Aaron not Erin

[Meathead]

Ruhlmann rules. He is the final word on curing. I prefer wet cures as described here but I trust Ruhlmann

http://amazingribs.com/tips_and_technique/curing_meats.html

[Willy]

​Huskee , Meathead Thanks for the help and the input! One batch of pancetta coming up!

[HorseDoctor]

Every time I get a 50# case of pork belly to make bacon, at least 1 slab gets cured & made into pancetta using Rhulman's recipe. Works great & tastes great. Been doing that at least couple times a year for the last 3 or 4 years. No health concerns here... well other than (as with the bacon) it's really easy to eat more than I should. Good luck & enjoy!

[Willy]

Thanks, HD. Do you finish the slab at room temp or keep it in the fridge after the one week cure?

[HorseDoctor]

I split the difference. This time of year I hang in a downstairs room with heat vents off. It is usually in the 55 degree ball park in that room. I do it rolled & tied tight rather than flat. The last piece hung for close 3 weeks. I was aiming for 2 weeks but an elk hunt got in the way and put an extra week in the mix. It worked just fine that way. If you do see a little white mold forming that is normal, just wipe it with a piece of cloth dampened with white vinegar. Green fuzzy mold is bad, as is foul smelling meat. Not sure we are supposed to talk about non-cooked meats here but Meathead did reference Rhulman's work so maybe it will be OK??

[Willy]

OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Do make pancetta according to Ruhlman's recipe (link above). We made pasta carbonara with our homemade pancetta and it was great. We've survived 26 hours with no ill effects--LOL

I couldn't bring myself to do the final week-long cure at room temp, so I let it cure in the fridge on a rack over a sheet pan. It looked and tasted great (a nine day cure after a one week "marination")! Next up--Meatheads recipe for homemade bacon and, on the next trip to Costco, another pork belly is going in the cart. Pancetta runs up towards $20 per pound in my experience, so getting it for around $3 per pound is a steal.

As a side thought, it occurs to me that MAYBE it is best to freeze pork belly first when making bacon/pancetta, etc since part of the cure process is aimed at drying the meat out. Any thoughts?

[_John_]

Reading a Ruhlman book now, he is awesome. Last fresh pork belly I got was $10 a pound, I would be making all kinds of stuff with that!

[Smokedad]

Try UMAi drybags. EasyPeasy! They are also great for dry aging primal cuts (ribeye,sirloin,tenderloin,NY strip,etc. Also great for cured and dried sausages (Salumi). Charcuterie- whole muscle cuts cured, then dried in the reefer until 30/40% weight loss. (capicola, bresaola, duck prosciutto,prosciutto,) Had to get a hand me down reefer to keep my sweetheart happy!