Yes, yes, we all know how great bacon is. Bacon makes everything better and you can make bacon ice cream, chocolate covered bacon, etc. But bacon made from the belly of the pork is one thing. How about roman bacon, guanciale; it's made from the jowls of the pig. That's bacon on another level entirely.
If bacon has about 60% fat to 40% meat, guanciale as about 85% fat to 15% meat. But the pork flavor from guanciale puts bacon to shame. It's very intense and it makes the distinct bucatini all'amatriciana a luxuriously rich, unique dish.
I've found that Mario has published a recipe for guanciale in two of his books, Babbo and Molto Itliano. The recipes are identical.
It starts with high-quality pork jowls. These are not easy to come by, unless you want a whole pig's head, but then your left to butcher the jowls yourself. After a bit of reasearch and a story in the New York Times, I came acorss Heritage Foods. They sell pre-butched pork jowls.
The jowls are cured with salt, sugar, fresh thyme, and black pepper. That's it.
Into plastic bags for 10 days or so.
Here they are, cured. Their color is darker, texture firmer.
Then they hang to dry in my drying cellar (okay, my basement) for two weeks. This intensifies the flavor. And here's the finished guanciale, cut into half-pound portions for the freezer.
Roman bacon. Up next, bucatini all'amatriciana.
