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Homemade Guanciale
5 from 10 votes

Homemade Guanciale

Homemade Guanciale is a cured pork jowl preparation featuring a rub of salt, pink curing salt, garlic, pepper, rosemary, and sage, then cured in wine for one week. This recipe relies on precise salt measurements for safe curing and thorough handling to ensure safety and flavor development. The result is a richly flavored, aromatic cured meat used in Italian cooking.

Prep Time
4 hrs
Cook Time
41 d 20 hrs
Total Time
42 d
Servings: 10 servings
Calories: 272 kcal
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian

Ingredients

  • 1 hog jowl glands removed, trimmed of excess fat and meat (have the butcher do this for you!); about 2.2 pounds (1 kg) after trimming, good quality
  • About 1 tablespoon plus 1 1/4 teaspoons salt fine sea salt
  • About 1 cant teaspoon pink curing salt such as Prague powder #2
  • 3 garlic minced, cloves
  • 4 tablespoons black pepper coarsely ground
  • 1 teaspoon rosemary dried crushed
  • 1 teaspoon sage dried crushed
  • 1 1/2 cups white wine such as Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio, dry

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Wear clean gloves while handling the pork.* Pat the trimmed jowl completely dry and place it on a cutting board.
  2. You’ll want to measure the amount of salt you use. It will be approximately 1 tablespoon of both sea and pink salt but the precise amounts for curing depend on the exact weight of the jowl. You want the weight of the sea salt to be 3 percent the weight of the trimmed meat. And you want the weight of the pink salt to be 0.25 percent the weight of the trimmed meat.
  3. In a bowl, combine the sea salt, pink salt, garlic, pepper, rosemary, and sage and mix well. Sprinkle the cure all over the meat and rub it in well to coat all sides.
  4. Place the pork in a resealable plastic freezer bag. Scoop up any stray rub and add it to the bag. Squeeze out the air and seal. Place the bag in a baking dish and refrigerate for 1 week. Turn the bag once a day and give the pork a little massage through the plastic each time you turn it.
  5. After 1 week, remove the sealed bag from the baking dish. Pour the wine into the baking dish. Wearing gloves, remove the pork jowl from the bag and use your (gloved) fingers to brush off as much brine as you can. Immerse the pork in the wine to dislodge more brine; then transfer it to a clean cutting board.
  6. Use a sharp paring knife to cut a hole in one corner of the jowl about 1 inch from the edge. Thread a length of kitchen twine through the hole and knot it where it meets the pork. Tie the ends together tightly to create a long loop for hanging. Alternatively, if you have a sterilized meat hook, this can be used in place of the twine.
  7. Weigh the meat and note the weight. If using a meat hook, note the weight of it as well.
  8. If you have a curing space, hang the guanciale in in it. This is ideally a dark space that’s 41 to 43°F (5 to 6°C). Weigh the guanciale every 7 to 10 days until it’s lost 20 to 30 percent of its weight, which could take anywhere from 2 to 4 weeks.If you don’t have a separate curing space, place the guanciale on a rack set inside a shallow pan in the refrigerator and let it cure, uncovered, until it’s lost 20 to 30 percent of its weight, which could take anywhere from 1 to 2 weeks. Turn the guanciale over every few days to ensure that all sides are exposed to air.☞ TESTER TIP: You can slow the drying process and allow even more flavor to develop by placing a container of a simple saltwater brine beneath the meat.
  9. To store the guanciale, cut it into 4- or 8-ounce (113- or 227-g) pieces and vacuum-seal it or wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and seal in a resealable plastic bag. Store in the freezer for up to several months. Once opened, store the guanciale in plastic wrap in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Notes

  • Measure salt precisely: sea salt should be 3% and pink curing salt 0.25% of the meat weight for safety.
  • Wear clean gloves when handling pork and cure ingredients to maintain hygiene.
  • Keep the curing pork refrigerated and turn it daily, massaging through the plastic to ensure even cure distribution.
  • Maintain appropriate curing environment temperature to ensure safe and effective preservation.
  • After curing, guanciale can be rinsed, dried, and aged according to preference.

Nutrition Information

Serving 1portion Calories 272kcal (14%) Carbohydrates 3g (1%) Protein 17g (34%) Fat 22g (34%) Saturated Fat 9g (45%) Monounsaturated Fat 10g (50%) Trans Fat 0.04g (2%) Cholesterol 67mg (22%) Sodium 1084mg (45%) Fiber 1g (4%) Sugar 0.4g (1%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 10 servings

Amount Per Serving

Calories 272

% Daily Value*

Serving 1portion
Calories 272kcal 14%
Carbohydrates 3g 1%
Protein 17g 34%
Fat 22g 34%
Saturated Fat 9g 45%
Monounsaturated Fat 10g 50%
Trans Fat 0.04g 2%
Cholesterol 67mg 22%
Sodium 1084mg 45%
Fiber 1g 4%
Sugar 0.4g 1%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.