Finally Found It!

[CraigC]

After looking in every Italian market close to us, we finally found it in a little place called The Italian Depot. We were at a Farmers Market and the place was next door. It had a small refrigerated section and maybe 5 shelves of dry goods.

Guanciale

Its domestic from a company in Iowa. It is also the best price we have found, even on the net. I paid $70.00 for 5-1/4 pounds.

 

[Kayelle]

Glad you found it, but clue the rest of us in, why is it so special?

 

[CraigC]

Glad you found it, but clue the rest of us in, why is it so special?

It is similar to pancetta, but made from the hog jowl and seasoned slightly different. Like pancetta it is cured, but not smoked like bacon. Mario Batali swears by it and it is what Carbonara should be made with. Also the texture is different due to the fat being from the jowl and not the belly.

 

[Andy M.]

Expensive stuff! Fortunately, you don't need a lot for carbonara.

 

[Kayelle]

Glad I like mine with bacon.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

That looks great...I wonder how far I would have to travel to find some.

 

[medtran49]

We just got finished vacu sealing the guanciale in more or less 8 oz portions. Can't wait to make carbonara with it. It has a higher fat to meat ratio than pancetta, and is much more dense. It will be interesting to make the comparison. Personally, I like to try new things, even if I later decide that I like the cheaper and/or more available products better or the same afterward.

Penn Dutch had 80/20 ground chuck on sale for $1.99, so Craig bought a bunch of that, and we just got done portioning that and vacu sealing too.

 

[Addie]

I saw the title and thought for sure that it was Princess saying she had found her camera.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

I saw the title and thought for sure that it was Princess saying she had found her camera.

Nope, but I have the next 7 days off and will make a concerted effort to dig it up.

 

[buckytom]

Ooh, guanciale. Good score. That stuff is even hard to find here in the big city. Same goes with bresaola.

 

[CraigC]

Ooh, guanciale. Good score. That stuff is even hard to find here in the big city. Same goes with bresaola.

Make some yourself!

 

[buckytom]

I've made gravlax before, and have smoked or cured fish and fowl, even made pemmican, but I've never tried to cure beef. Now you have me thinking...

What besides carbonara are you goung to do with the guanciale?

 

[CraigC]

I've made gravlax before, and have smoked or cured fish and fowl, even made pemmican, but I've never tried to cure beef. Now you have me thinking...

What besides carbonara are you goung to do with the guanciale?

Mario's "Bucatini all Amatriciana" for one and other recipes yet to be explored.

Bucatini all’Amatriciana | Mario Batali

Karen made one in 2014.

 

[medtran49]

Bresola thread http://www.discusscooking.com/forums/f94/bresaola-91120.html

I'm kind of considering curing some lardo with at least some of the jowl even though it's traditionally made with back fat. Have to do some research though since there's the denseness difference issue to consider.

 

[Addie]

Nope, but I have the next 7 days off and will make a concerted effort to dig it up.

Just done forget to make one of those days for rest or fun for just you and Shrek.

 

[medtran49]

Just used the guanciale for the first time. Pretty cool the way it rendered. The fatty part was already trying to melt at 80 degrees. When the pan started to heat up to medium, the fat turned translucent. It looked like the pork soup jelly cubes I made for Chinese soup dumplings, but then eventually turned into cracklings. The price for the guanciale was definitely worth it for something you only make once in a while like carbonara.

 

[buckytom]

You and Craigsy need to adopt me.

 

[Margot Howe]

Wow! That sounds awesome. Looks like a trip into the city is in the near future. We have a large Italian population in RI, much of it on Federal Hill in Providence. Took a walking tour through that neighborhood once, and I'm sure I can find guanciale there if it is available in our little state. Looking forward to trying it out.

 

[Kaneohegirlinaz]

After looking in every Italian market close to us, we finally found it in a little place called The Italian Depot. We were at a Farmers Market and the place was next door. It had a small refrigerated section and maybe 5 shelves of dry goods.

Guanciale

Its domestic from a company in Iowa. It is also the best price we have found, even on the net. I paid $70.00 for 5-1/4 pounds.

I've always wanted to try that.
Craig, med, what does it taste like?

 

[medtran49]

It had more pepper than pancetta. I just had a couple of tiny cubes of the guanciale after it rendered and it was peppery pork cracklings. Only thing I can really say is the carbonara was the best I've ever had.

Since there was more than we needed weight wise, I sliced several pieces paper thin for a flat bread pizza tomorrow. Hopefully, that will give a stronger taste.