As I was about to post this topic I started thinking that maybe we should have a separate charcuterie section in these forums...... thoughts? Anyway, I digress.
Pancetta. It’s something I’ve always wanted to try make myself but since I don’t have anywhere to hang meat in my house (at least not anywhere the wife would approve), I never bothered. But recently, I’ve been reading about these Umai bags that are used to dry age steaks and upon further research, I saw that they can also be used to dry cured meats. Su-weeet!
I have Ruhlman’s book, "Charcuterie", and he has a recipe for pancetta I’m going to try. Pancetta is nothing more than cured pork belly (bacon) that isn’t smoked. You can usually find it in the deli section at your local grocery store pre-diced in small plastic containers. It definitely transforms pasta dishes. I figure, like most things, I could probably make it better than the stuff I can buy at the store. So, in my research on pancetta: apparently in northern Italy pancetta is cured and then rolled before hanging to dry. It usually is done when about 25-30% of its weight is lost during drying. The rolled pancetta is typically sliced thin and eaten raw. In central and southern Italy, pancetta is cured and then hung to dry flat for about 30 days. That pancetta is supposedly meant for cooking before eating and is what is typically used in bolognese sauce and carbonara, etc. Guanciale is another cured meat, similar to flat pancetta, that is also commonly used in these dishes. The difference being that guanciale comes from hog jowel, which is difficult to find unless you have a local butcher and you are willing to dish out $10 per pound. Not me.
So, my plan is to buy a good pork belly from Sam’s Club (they have the Smithfield Prime pork), cure it for 14 days, then seal it flat in the Umai bag and then place it in my outdoor refrigerator for about 30 days.
Traditionally, pancetta is hung to dry in special chambers or, if you have a good basement, you can hang them there. The goal is to maintain an environment that is about 50-60 degrees F and 60-70% humidity. I don’t have a good place to do that, so these Umai bags (which are thin porous vacuum sealed bags) help to mimic the right conditions for drying in your refrigerator. Some of you may have experience with these bags dry-aging steaks.
Anyway, I don’t have any pics to share right now. This weekend I am off to get the pork belly and juniper berries. Once I start the process, I’ll post some pics and notes.
If anyone has experience making pancetta, please feel free to share any tips and advice.
Pancetta. It’s something I’ve always wanted to try make myself but since I don’t have anywhere to hang meat in my house (at least not anywhere the wife would approve), I never bothered. But recently, I’ve been reading about these Umai bags that are used to dry age steaks and upon further research, I saw that they can also be used to dry cured meats. Su-weeet!
I have Ruhlman’s book, "Charcuterie", and he has a recipe for pancetta I’m going to try. Pancetta is nothing more than cured pork belly (bacon) that isn’t smoked. You can usually find it in the deli section at your local grocery store pre-diced in small plastic containers. It definitely transforms pasta dishes. I figure, like most things, I could probably make it better than the stuff I can buy at the store. So, in my research on pancetta: apparently in northern Italy pancetta is cured and then rolled before hanging to dry. It usually is done when about 25-30% of its weight is lost during drying. The rolled pancetta is typically sliced thin and eaten raw. In central and southern Italy, pancetta is cured and then hung to dry flat for about 30 days. That pancetta is supposedly meant for cooking before eating and is what is typically used in bolognese sauce and carbonara, etc. Guanciale is another cured meat, similar to flat pancetta, that is also commonly used in these dishes. The difference being that guanciale comes from hog jowel, which is difficult to find unless you have a local butcher and you are willing to dish out $10 per pound. Not me.
So, my plan is to buy a good pork belly from Sam’s Club (they have the Smithfield Prime pork), cure it for 14 days, then seal it flat in the Umai bag and then place it in my outdoor refrigerator for about 30 days.
Traditionally, pancetta is hung to dry in special chambers or, if you have a good basement, you can hang them there. The goal is to maintain an environment that is about 50-60 degrees F and 60-70% humidity. I don’t have a good place to do that, so these Umai bags (which are thin porous vacuum sealed bags) help to mimic the right conditions for drying in your refrigerator. Some of you may have experience with these bags dry-aging steaks.
Anyway, I don’t have any pics to share right now. This weekend I am off to get the pork belly and juniper berries. Once I start the process, I’ll post some pics and notes.
If anyone has experience making pancetta, please feel free to share any tips and advice.
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