Homemade Pancetta Recipe (How to Make Pancetta)

Name: Homemade Pancetta Recipe (How to Make Pancetta)
Prep time: 45 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 1 .5 lbs
Ingredients: 2 lbs fresh pork belly slices; 1 cup kosher salt; 8 oz dry white wine; 2 tsp black pepper; 2 tsp crushed red pepper; 2 tsp ground cayenne pepper

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4.9

105 reviews

Excellent

Prep Time
45 mins
Total Time
45 mins
Servings
1 .5 lbs
Calories
121 kcal
Course
Others
Cuisine
Italian

Homemade Pancetta Recipe (How to Make Pancetta)

Chloe Henry

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A simple way to use your refrigerator to make homemade pancetta.

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Ingredients

Servings

2 lbs fresh pork belly slices with rind (preferably organic), do NOT use pork which has previously been frozen
1 cup kosher salt please don't worry about measurements on this, just follow the directions
8 oz dry white wine inexpensive
2 tsp black pepper more or less
2 tsp crushed red pepper (optional - more or less, as desired)
2 tsp ground cayenne pepper (optional - more or less, as desired)

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Instructions

Day 1
Salt the pork pieces generously (like a light blanket of snow--see my photo) with Kosher salt and leave for 24 hours in the fridge.
Do not substitute with other salt, it will not work properly.
Day 2
The next day, rinse the pork with water, pat dry with a paper towel, and rinse in white wine, but do not pat dry. You will be throwing away the white wine, so try to use as little as you can to still rinse the meat. This helps to preserve the pork.
Prepare a plate or tray with the desired amount of pepper in any combination. (The amount shown did not make a very spicy pancetta.) Mix all the pepper together.
Rub the pepper into the pancetta pieces until well coated, adding more pepper as needed. Again, measurements are not critical, just look at my photos for inspiration. Use as much as you like. Set aside on waxed paper.
You will need a small tray which will fit long skewers to rest upon. This creates something that the pancetta pieces can be placed on to dry so that the air moves around it. You can see what I have done in the photos above. Place the pieces of pancetta spaced apart on top of the wooden skewers and place in a well ventilated fridge (not crowded).
The following 2 or 3 weeks
The pancetta pieces will be kept in the refrigerator, loosely covered with wax paper, for about 2 to 3 weeks. Turn the pieces everyday (using all 4 sides) until the pancetta has cured without becoming overly dry. If you used 2 lbs of pancetta, it should weight approximately 24 oz when it's cured.
At this time, my preference is to seal it with a food sealer, which locks out all the air, allowing the pancetta to keep refrigerated a longer period of time.
Finally, you can use the pancetta however you choose, but do not eat it without properly cooking it first.

Notes

*As with any uncooked, cured meat product, there are risks involved if the product is not made correctly, or if it is not cooked thoroughly. I take no responsibility for any illness incurred from using this recipe.
Please don't pay much attention to the amounts of ingredients listed. Nothing is critical, and if you don't like spicy pancetta, you can omit the hot peppers.

Nutrition Information

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Serving 1 Calories 121kcal (6%) Carbohydrates 1g (0%) Protein 14g (28%) Fat 11g (17%) Saturated Fat 4g (20%) Polyunsaturated Fat 8g Cholesterol 52mg (17%) Sodium 3836mg (160%)