Homemade Pancetta

This homemade pancetta recipe is a practical way to cure pork belly at home. I made this batch with wild boar belly because I like its lean, pronounced flavor. So you can use wild boar or farmed hog belly here. The final product characteristics are virtually the same. A firm and flavorful pancetta that can be thinly sliced or diced. 

Pancetta is one of the more approachable cured meats for home cooks for one simple reason. You can make it in a regular refrigerator. And once the belly is cured, rolled, and dried, you have a piece of pork that works in pasta, soups, salads, sandwiches, and charcuterie boards.


Don’t miss a few of my other favorite wild pork recipes, like pork schnitzel, smoked pork chops, and slow cooker pork shanks. These can all be made with domestic farmed pork.

Why This Recipe Works

This recipe keeps the process simple without leaving out the key details. You are still curing a whole pork belly with salt, Instacure #2, sugar, black pepper, and aromatics. The difference here is that I wrote this version for home cooks using a regular refrigerator rather than a dedicated curing room. I make this from start to finish in my refrigerator at home.

Pork belly is the perfect cut for this process because it has enough fat to stay supple as it cures and dries. Even with wild boar, which is often leaner than farmed pork. You still get the same result, but the balance of salt, sugar, and drying time matters a little more.

Rolling the belly helps, but it’s not required. It gives you classic rolled pancetta, which protects more of the meat as it dries. It also makes it easier to slice thin once it is ready. You can leave it flat if you want pancetta tesa, but rolled pancetta is the better fit for this version.

The drying time is there for texture and flavor. Once the cure is done, the pancetta can be cooked. Giving it another 2 to 3 weeks to dry just makes it firmer, cleaner to slice, and a more pronounced pancetta flavor.

Key Ingredients

Pork belly

Use a 5-pound pork belly, skin on or off. If you are using wild boar, you will probably need two smaller bellies instead of one large one.

Salt

Salt is the curing workhorse here. Measure it precisely.

Instacure #2

This is the pink curing salt for dry-cured meats that hang for longer periods of time. This is not the place for guessing or swapping curing salts.

Brown sugar

Brown sugar has a deeper flavor profile than plain cane sugar.

Black pepper

Most of the pepper goes into the cure. The rest gets dusted on before hanging. If you’re looking for the best flavor possible, toast whole peppercorns before grinding.

Juniper, fennel, bay, thyme, and rosemary

These are the aromatics that complement the pancetta and elevate its flavor.,

Butcher’s twine

You need twine to hold the belly in a tight roll while it dries.

How to Make It

1. Make the cure

In a bowl, combine the following and mix well.

• 3 ounces salt
• 1 teaspoon Instacure #2
• 2 tablespoons ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons crushed juniper berries
• 2 teaspoons cracked fennel seeds
• 4 minced garlic cloves
• 4 chopped bay leaves
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 sprigs fresh rosemary

2. Cure the belly

• Rub the cure all over the pork belly. Make sure every side is coated.
• Place the belly in a zip-top bag and refrigerate for 5 days. Flip it and rub the cure around once a day, or at least every couple of days, so it cures evenly.

3. Rinse and dry

• After 5 days, remove the belly from the bag and rinse it well under cold water to remove the cure.
• Pat it dry with paper towels.
• If you want to track drying by weight, weigh the belly now and record the number.

4. Roll and tie

• Dust the inside of the belly with the remaining 1 tablespoon ground black pepper.
• Roll the belly as tightly as you can with the fat or skin side facing out. Tie it with butcher’s twine so it holds its shape.

5. Dry the pancetta

• Hang the pancetta in your refrigerator or curing chamber with enough space around it for airflow.Let it dry for 2 to 3 weeks, or until it has lost about 30 percent of its post-cure weight if you are using a scale.

Chef Tips and Notes

Here are a few tips and notes that may be useful before you get started.

• Wild boar belly is usually thinner and leaner. That can make it dry a little faster, so keep an eye on it.
• Skin on or off both work. Skin off is easier to roll tight. Skin on gives the belly a little more structure.
• Rolled or flat both work. Rolled is more traditional here, but flat pancetta is easier for some first-timers.
• Maintain airflow. The pancetta needs room around it while it hangs.
• If it feels loose, retie it. A tight roll dries more evenly and slices better.
• You can cook it after curing. The extra drying time is for better texture and more concentrated flavor.

Storage and Leftovers

• Wrap the pancetta well and keep it in the refrigerator. It will keep for a couple of weeks.
• For longer storage, freeze it. It helps to portion or slice it first so you can pull only what you need.
• If you use it before the full drying period is up, that is fine as long as you cook it. It just will not have the same texture or concentration of flavor as a fully dried piece.

FAQ

If you make this pancetta recipe, drop a comment or leave a review. And if you have any cooking questions or want to share your latest dishes, give me a shout on Instagram @larry__white.

Homemade Pancetta

Author: Larry White

This homemade pancetta is cured with black pepper, juniper, fennel, and herbs. Perfect for sandwiches, salads, soups and bean dishes.

5 from 1 vote

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Course charcuterie

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time120 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Approximate Hanging Time336 hours hrs

Servings: 5 Pounds

Equipment

• Butchers Twine
• Digital Kitchen Scale, optional

Ingredients 

1x2x3x

For the Pork

• ▢ 5 pound pork belly (skin on or off)

For the Cure

• ▢ 3 ounces Kosher salt (85 grams)
• ▢ 1 teaspoon 6 grams pink curing salt, Instacure #2
• ▢ 2 tablespoons ground black pepper (for the cure)
• ▢ 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• ▢ 2 tablespoons juniper berries crushed
• ▢ 2 teaspoons fennel seeds cracked
• ▢ 4 garlic cloves minced
• ▢ 4 bay leaves chopped
• ▢ 4 sprigs fresh thyme
• ▢ 2 sprigs fresh rosemary

For Seasoning after curing

• ▢ 1 tablespoon ground black pepper

Instructions

• Combine all of the cure ingredients except the 1 tablespoon of black pepper for dusting in a bowl. Stir well.
• Rub the cure all over the pork belly.
• Place the pork belly into a zip-top plastic food storage bag.
• Refrigerate for 5 days, flipping the meat and redistributing the cure as it firms.
• Remove the pork belly from the bag and rinse well with cold water to remove the cure.
• If weighing for doneness, weigh the belly now and record it.
• Dust the inside with the remaining black pepper, then roll the belly tightly with the fat or skin side facing outward. Tie tightly with butcher’s twine.
• Hang the meat in your refrigerator or curing chamber with good airflow around it.
• Let it hang for 2 to 3 weeks, or until it has lost 30 percent of its recorded weight.

NOTES

• Use Instacure #2, not #1. Pancetta is a longer dry-cured project, so this is the correct curing salt for the job.
• Wild boar belly dries faster. It is usually leaner than farmed pork belly, so start checking it earlier during the drying stage.
• A scale helps. Time gives you a range, but weight loss gives you a better read on doneness. Aim for about 30 percent weight loss after curing.
• Roll it tight. A tight roll dries more evenly and gives you cleaner slices later. If it loosens up, tie it again.
• A regular refrigerator works. Pancetta is one of the easier cured meats to make at home as long as it has space and airflow around it.
• You can cook it after the cure. The extra 2 to 3 weeks of drying are for better texture and more concentrated flavor.
• Wrap it well after drying. Keep it in the refrigerator for short-term use or freeze it in smaller pieces so you only thaw what you need.

Make this recipe?Mention @Larry__White or tag #WildGameGourmet!