Making Pancetta (Pork Belly G^2 Mystery Dish Challenge)

For the second G^2 mystery disk, pork belly won the reader poll after a tie breaker. I thought I'd try something special and very different from the normal cookery: making homemade pancetta. While this sounds difficult, the process was easy and crazy-economical. I have to credit the (not yet released) A16 Cookbook for inspiring me to tackle this one, though my final approach was influenced by several sources. Garde Manger is all about the cold plate and preservation techniques in the chef's repertoire, and Charcuterie or Salumi is the sub-discipline covering preserved meats. This area has long been a curiousity, and now it's finally time for a little gastronomic guesswork. While I'm sure a little dry aging and the Je ne sais quoi of mold from hangin in a dark corner of my basement for a couple weeks might improve upon the results, it's very tough to beat spending $3 a pound for pancetta. I'm hoping a few more attempts will help me perfect this, but I'm not sure I'll buy pancetta again except in a pinch.

Here's the preparation:

- 2 Tbsp tellicherry black peppercorns
- 1 Tbsp juniper berries
- 3 bay leaves, powdered
- 1 1/2 cups kosher salt
- 1 whole nutmeg
- 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
- rosemary
- french thyme
- 2.5 lbs pork belly, skin on

When selecting the pork belly, opt for the freshest whitest fat you can find, well marbled (meaning a decent amount of meat in there, never frozen and whole pieces with skin on, though this preparation used large chunks (1/2 to 3/4 lbs each). Run the bay leaves through a spice grinder to powder; repeat with the thyme and rosemary (I used dried herbs here). Pulse the peppercorns and juniper berries in the spice grider leaving some larger chunks.



Combine all ingredients and work the mixture over all sides of the pork belly, gently pressing some in, but not caking it on too heavily (it should be coated well).



The salt and sugar should inhibit surface bacterial growth while marinating / wet curing. Place all chunks in a large ziplock bag, force out as much air as you can, then seal tightly and place in your refrigerator. The last step is placing a weight onto the pork belly, which will aid in the curing process; I used a marble cheese tray which did the job nicely.



Leave the belly in the refrigerator to cure for at least 3 days, and up to 7 days, flipping each day and replacing the weight. When the belly has started to resemble a cured meat that is firm to the touch, remove from the refrigerator, rinse, pat dry, and roast at 325F for 20 minutes on a baking pan uncovered. Reduce the heat to 275 and go another 15-20 minutes, until cooked through but not crisping anywhere but the bottom edge. Remove and let cool completely, then remove the skin by tugging and using a flexible boning or fillet knife. Seal tightly with plastic wrap and use within 2 weeks if in the refrigerator or 6 months if you freeze it. If you get it too salty like I did, just poach it in water under low heat for a few minutes, this should extract the salt and hydrate the pancetta slightly, but only do this just prior to using it your own recipe.