Better than bacon! Pancetta is something you can easily make yourself, and it turns out even better than what you can find in the supermarket. This way, you also have control over the seasoning.
Recipe for homemade pancetta
Bacon has near god-like status among many of us Danes, and we often like to call bacon “the spice of meat.” What many do not know is that pancetta beats bacon by several lengths!
Pancetta is the Italian answer to bacon, and it has a milder yet more distinctive flavor. Therefore, it is perfect for charcuterie or the tapas table, or if it is crisped and placed on top of a pizza or in a salad, where the very salty bacon might not quite fit.
Pancetta is something you can easily make yourself, and it will turn out even better than what you can find in the supermarket. This way, you also have full control over the seasoning.
When I dry-age, I use dry aging bags from my own webshop, so I always know they are in good condition.
Homemade Pancetta Recipe
Servings: portion
Homemade Pancetta
Better than bacon! Pancetta is something you can easily make yourself, and it turns out even better than what you can find in the supermarket. This way, you also have control over the seasoning.
Equipment
- Mortar
Ingredients
- 1500 gram Pork Breast or pork belly without skin
- 9.4 gram Garlic Powder
- 3.15 gram Juniper Berries crushed - or 2 whole berries
- 4 pcs. Bay Leaf
- 4.6 gram Pepper ground - or 1 tablespoon whole peppercorns
- 2.4 gram Thyme dried
- 54 gram Salt with top
- 25 gram Cane Sugar
Instructions
- Pour garlic powder, juniper berries, bay leaves, pepper, thyme, salt, and raw sugar into a mortar and grind well, so it becomes uniform.
- Take your meat and rub it well with the spice mixture.
- Then place the seasoned meat in a plastic bag and press out as much air as possible.
- Seal the bag.
- Put the meat in the refrigerator. It should marinate for four to six days. Remember to turn the bag every day.
- Take the meat out of the refrigerator when the time is up, and unpack it from the bag.
- Hold the meat under cold, running water to rinse off any excess spices and salt.
- Dry the meat well with a clean cloth or paper towel. If desired, you can grind some extra pepper, juniper berries, and thyme over the meat. If working with a relatively thin piece of meat, it's a good idea to roll it into a sausage shape and wrap a meat net around it to hold it together.
- Place the meat in your dry aging bag.
- There should be about 8 centimeters from the edge of the meat to the bag's opening, so the bag will likely need to be trimmed at the opening.
- Now vacuum seal the bag.
- Place a rack on a shelf in the refrigerator and lay the meat bag on the rack. There should be plenty of air circulation around it. The meat should mature there for about two weeks or until the texture becomes firm - somewhat like a rubber sole under a running shoe.
- After this, your pancetta is ready for consumption. It can keep for about three weeks in the refrigerator. You can also vacuum seal it before placing it in the refrigerator, or you can freeze it - in either case, it will keep for up to half a year.
Notes
Editing: Alternatively, you can use a dry aging cabinet to dry age your meat.