Pancetta

[carnie1]

Here is my first try at Pancetta as in the book Charcutrie

Dry Rub Notice the nice chip on the stove, Missed the bag when crushing Juniper berries) Off to Home Depot for some touch up
Trimmed Pork Belly
Ready to cure

[classicrockgriller]

So it goes in the fridge for how long?

Looks pretty kewl!

[carnie1]

So it goes in the fridge for how long?

Looks pretty kewl!

They claim 7 days

[Quarlow]

Mmmm I love pancetta. Can't wait to see how it turns out.

[oakville smoker]

Carnie

Looks awesome
Can you share the entire recipe?
I am very interested in this

[Tenpoint5]

Looks like a good thing your doing there Carnie!! I will be watching closely. Bacon any way shape or form is still bacon and still good!!

[carnie1]

Carnie

Looks awesome
Can you share the entire recipe?
I am very interested in this

It was easier to make a PDF copy, Anyone wants it send me a PM with your email and I'll send you a copy

[ExpatCanadian]

Came across this topic quite late....  I'm actually about to start a belly with this recipe, so would appreciate any updates on the results!  My instinct will be to smoke it a little bit, but as Pancetta is typically unsmoked, I'll try to resist  :-\.  I buy a lot of it to cook with with (Spaghetti Carbonara is one of my favourite pasts dishes!)....  so this should save some money!

The recipe is actually available on Michael Ruhlman's blog site as well, for those of you who haven't already got it in PDF format from Carnie1...

[oakville smoker]

So this version is like making side bacon except that its cured in the fridge and dried in the air and flat
When I think of pancetta, ( was married to an Italian butchers daughter in a previous life ) I think of a
cold cut that is round in shape, that has been cured and then hung to dry in a rolled up state.

If I had been smarter back then, I would have paid more attention to what he was doing.  But I did not
own a smoker and had a ready source for this stuff

Do you think the belly could be cured, rinsed, hung to dry for say a day and  then put in some kind of casing,
rolled up like a jelly roll and left to cure by its own devices?

This is becoming quite the challenge and obsession now...  LOL

ps.  that web site is an awesome site and its now marked for future considerations

[Quarlow]

I think they roll it and then bind it with butchers twine. I saw some in a deli like that once.

[3rensho]

When I make mine I have both rolled some and left some flat.  Other that drying time haven't found much difference.

[oakville smoker]

3rensho

Do you just cure per this technique and roll with twine?
Do you put in a casing like a coppa?  My guess is the fat layer on the pancetta is pretty much all that is needed
The coppa being exposed meat would need the protection of the casing ?

[3rensho]

Yes, just cure and roll it up tying with butchers twine.  Casing not needed because,  as you stated,  the layer of fat suffices.  Actually I never use a casing unless the meat is in chunks and needs a casing to hold it together and maintain shape.  Important thing is not letting the meat dry out too quickly if you live in a low humidity area.  If it dries too quickly the outside becomes impermeable to moisture and the inside, not being able to dry,  can spoil (in spite of the cure).

[carnie1]

I think they roll it and then bind it with butchers twine. I saw some in a deli like that once.

Thats what the book said, was just gonna post an update
Here is what it looked like before I put it up to hang


I'll let you know in a few weeks

[ExpatCanadian]

Wow, that looks great Carnie!  I've actually been following another another food blog for a while and came across a couple of photos of the cross section of one of these once finished.  I e-mailed the guy because he used a wine fridge to dry his, and I happen to have one of those.  The combination of higher (than fridge) temperature and high humidity makes it ideal for the slow drying that this requires.  I wanted to know the temperature he had it set to, and asked him a couple more questions:

Q. Do you remember what temperature you had it set to for that drying/aging phase?
A. As I recall between 50 and 55 Fahrenheit is ideal.

Q. Do you roll it after curing but before hanging it?
A. Roll and tie, then age. It doesn't have to be rolled but is better if you do and it can't be rolled after aging.

Q. Do you vary much from the Ruhlman recipe?
A. Not in technique (except for the wine fridge), but my curing mixture is an amalgam of several recipes.

The link for his recipe is here: http://seriouslygood.kdweeks.com/2007/01/pancetta.html

And another photo of his finished product...  it looks SO DAMN GOOD like this I think this is definitely the way to go!