guanciale

Guanciale

Guanciale, or Italian Jowl Bacon.(The word guancia is Italian for cheek)

This is an easy way to get into cured meats. The process itself is not hard, although it takes time and a cool place to hang the meat. Probably the hardest part about making guanciale is finding a good hog jowl. You really want jowls from a quality pig, like a Berkshire or Duroc. Farmer's markets often have good hog farmers selling their wares, so look them up. As for the curing salt No. 2, you can buy it online.

How do you use guanciale, which, by the way, is pronounced gwan-chee-AHL-ay? I prefer it in chunks with beans or pasta, or sliced thin as an antipasto or as part of a charcuterie plate. And yes, you can fry it up like bacon, but it will be so dry you will need to put a little water in the pan first to let some fat render; this prevents the meat from burning.

Prep Time:15 mins

Total Time:15 min

Curing Time 4-16 weeks

Ingredients

1 large hog jowl, skin on

Instacure No. 2 (see above)

kosher salt (see above)

1/3 cup sugar

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon crushed black pepper

2 teaspoons dried thyme

1 teaspoon ground allspice

5 or 6 bay leaves crushed

Instructions

Mix all the cure ingredients together and pack the jowl with it. Massage the cure into the meat and fat. Put the jowl into a container (plastic, glass, ceramic, stainless steel) that just barely holds it, and toss in any remaining cure. Cover the container and put in the fridge for 4 to 7 days. Turn the jowl over once a day.

When the meat has stiffened up at the thickest part, usually 5 days or more, rinse off the cure (you can leave a little on, but get most off), and pat the jowl dry. Put on a rack in a drafty place for several hours.

Poke a hole through the skin on a corner of the jowl and tie string to it. Hang the jowl in a cool, moist place (50-55°F and at least 65 percent humidity,

A general rule is you want the air to be about 5 percent drier than the interior of the meat. So start at 90 percent for the first couple days, then ratchet down 5 percent a week until you get to 55 to 60 percent, then hold it there.

So in short, you will need:

A fridge, basement or other cool, dark place to hang your cured meat

A way to control temperature, either in a permanently cool basement or with a temperature regulator

A way to control humidity, either a humidifier, or, in some places, a dehumidifier. If you can control humidity in 5 percent increments, you can make a better product

Patience

Guanciale, as with most cured meats, requires time to be really good. I started by curing mine for only 3 to 4 weeks, but now I prefer 12 to 16 weeks. The depth of flavor in a longer-cured guanciale is markedly better than one cured for a shorter period. You could go longer than 16 weeks, if you’d like.

To store, cut into large chunks and vacuum seal or cover with plastic wrap and butcher paper before freezing. Guanciale will last, well-wrapped, in the fridge for several months.

Notes

Note that the prep time does not include curing or drying time.

Author: Hank Shaw

Urban Cowgill Oct 2019