Welcome!


This is a membership forum. Guests can view 5 pages for free. To participate, please join.

[ Pitmaster Club Information | Join Now | Login | Contact Us ]

Only 4 free page views remaining.

Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Pancetta anyone?

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

    Pancetta anyone?

    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.

    #2
    I did Italian ham once (think Prosciutto or Jamon Iberico). Turned out real nice. It took 3 months. I haven't done Pancetta yet, but your description is spot on. It's like a finer, or more delicate version of bacon. I love it myself. Will be real interesting to follow your progress on this one.

    Comment


      #3
      I'm very interested to see how this works. I've been on the fence about buying that book. You recommend?

      Because, I totally need another hobby.......

      Comment


      • Potkettleblack
        Potkettleblack commented
        Editing a comment
        Seconding the recommendation. But Ruhlman is among my favorite cookbook authors.

      • EdF
        EdF commented
        Editing a comment
        Yep! He knows his stuff!

      • Sephon
        Sephon commented
        Editing a comment
        ColonialDawg, Potkettleblack, EdF, Thanks guys. I'll pick it up.

      #4
      So ColonialDawg, sir: The Umai bags can be used in a standard fridge at standard fridge temps, then and one doesn't need to "dial up" a higher temp in the fridge for the curing time, please? Thank you very much for this very cool idea if so!

      Comment


      • EdF
        EdF commented
        Editing a comment
        Indeed. Keep it 34-38, open the door a lot for air flow, and DO NOT TOUCH THE BAG while it's aging.

      • Troutman
        Troutman commented
        Editing a comment
        Yup, what he said, been doing it with beef for quite a while now, works great !!!

      #5
      I buy and cook with Pancetta all the time, an excellent substitution for bacon as someone said. Like making your own bacon I'm sure it's gotta be better than store bought, even the imported Italian brands. I know there is another forum that I used to be on that does have quite a few sausage, bacon and cured meat guys that do nothing but that who had their own discussion group, so I think the idea of a charcuterie sub-forum of some sort here would be a great idea !!!

      Comment


        #6
        I buy pancetta at Fresh By Brookshires, it always seems way moister that the stuff I get at Italian markets. I use it for pasta sauces with veil and ground pork. I must admit, the dryer stuff is MUCH better than the stuff from the cryobag at Fresh. I wonder if one is wet cured and the other dry cured.

        Comment


          #7
          About every other time I do a batch of bacon (in cooler months) I do a roll or two of pancetta also. I use Ruhlman's recipe at least as a guideline. Spices can be altered as you wish. It's good stuff! I just hang it in a cool area of our lower level. I have not used the UMai bags or refrigerator for pancetta but have used UMai bags for a few other things. They work well. Between Ruhlman & UMai, you should be in good shape. Enjoy!!!

          Comment


            #8
            I've made Michael Ruhlman's; it was great: http://ruhlman.com/2009/06/home-cured-pancetta/

            I deviated from his recipe in that I did not dry at ambient, but instead used a rack in the fridge.

            Comment


              #9
              Yup done it a bunch! The book is fine. We just would hand them in the walk in. I'm with PKB and the Doc above. You are in good shape. I don't make them much any more.

              Comment


                #10
                Alright, game on folks. I ended up buying a 9+ pound pork belly from Costco. Sams Club was out of stock (of course it’s always there when I don’t need it). I know it isn’t Heritage pork, but I’ve always had good cooks with Costco’s pork bellies.

                Last night I cut the slab in half (~4 pounds, 13 ounces each half). Kept 1/2 for pancetta and froze the other half.

                Rubbed down the one I kept using the spices suggested by Rhulman, and sealed it in a vacuum bag, then placed in my outdoor fridge. Plan is to flip it every other day and check it for firmness after about a week. I’ll post some pics as I go, but nothing very exciting to show right now.

                Pic of my bowl of spices - ooooh, aaaah.

                Mixture consists of kosher salt, instacure #1, course black pepper, crushed juniper berries, minced garlic, fresh nutmeg, bay leaves, thyme, and dark brown sugar


                Click image for larger version

Name:	20180325_215308.jpg
Views:	131
Size:	173.8 KB
ID:	472836

                There seems to be a debate on whether to use instacure #1 or #2. I settled on #1 since I have it on hand and am keeping my pancetta flat instead if rolling. I also am not eating mine raw.

                And here is the hunk of pork before going into the vacuum bag (not Umai bag).

                Click image for larger version

Name:	20180325_220401.jpg
Views:	130
Size:	229.8 KB
ID:	472837

                The small bits of greenery are my attept to crush fresh bay leaves. I just tore them into small pieces.

                On a side note, I did find a butcher who had a 3-pound hog jowel for under $20, so I pulled the trigger. So, that means I’ll be starting guanciale soon as well.
                Attached Files
                Last edited by ColonialDawg; March 26, 2018, 07:55 AM.

                Comment


                • HorseDoctor
                  HorseDoctor commented
                  Editing a comment
                  A small (inexpensive) electric coffee grinder dedicated to spices does a great job on bay leaves, as well as most other spices.

                • ColonialDawg
                  ColonialDawg commented
                  Editing a comment
                  I have a grinder and used it for the peppercorns and juniper berries. It didn’t do so well with fresh bay leaves, which is why I just tore them into small pieces. I have used it successfully on dry bay leaves, though.

                • EdF
                  EdF commented
                  Editing a comment
                  You're going to be happy. First pancetta, then guanciale. Smart moves!

              Announcement

              Collapse
              No announcement yet.
              Working...
              X
              false
              0
              Guest
              Guest
              500
              ["pitmaster-my-membership","login","join-pitmaster","lostpw","reset-password","special-offers","help","nojs","meat-ups","gifts","authaau-alpha","ebooklogin-start","alpha","start"]
              false
              false
              {"count":0,"link":"/forum/announcements/","debug":""}
              Yes
              ["\/forum\/free-deep-dive-guide-ebook-downloads","\/forum\/free-deep-dive-guide-ebook-downloads\/1157845-paid-members-download-your-6-deep-dive-guide-ebooks-for-free-here","\/forum\/the-pitcast","\/forum\/national-barbecue-news-magazine","\/forum\/national-barbecue-news-magazine\/national-barbecue-news-magazine-aa","\/forum\/national-barbecue-news-magazine\/national-barbecue-news-magazine-aa\/bbq-news-magazine-2019-issues","\/forum\/national-barbecue-news-magazine\/national-barbecue-news-magazine-aa\/bbq-news-magazine-2020-issues","\/forum\/national-barbecue-news-magazine\/national-barbecue-news-magazine-aa\/bbq-news-magazine-2021-issues","\/forum\/national-barbecue-news-magazine\/national-barbecue-news-magazine-aa\/bbq-news-magazine-2022-issues","\/forum\/national-barbecue-news-magazine\/national-barbecue-news-magazine-aa\/current-2023-issues","\/forum\/national-barbecue-news-magazine\/national-barbecue-news-magazine-aa\/current-2024-issues","\/forum\/free-deep-dive-guide-ebook-downloads\/1165909-trial-members-download-your-free-deep-dive-guide-ebook-here"]
              /forum/free-deep-dive-guide-ebook-downloads/1165909-trial-members-download-your-free-deep-dive-guide-ebook-here