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Pancetta recipe

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
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Course charcuterie
Cuisine Italian
Prep Time120 hours 30 minutes
Approximate Hanging Time336 hours
Servings: 5 Pounds

Equipment

Ingredients 

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!