Guanciale
Italian cured pork jowl with generous fat and a deep savoury flavour. Browning gives it crisp edges and releases flavourful fat for pasta and sauces.
What it offers and why to use it
Guanciale is pork jowl cured with salt and spices. It differs from pancetta, which comes from pork belly. Often used for carbonara and amatriciana, it releases enough fat to brown without added oil.
Rich, salty and savoury, with pepper notes depending on the cure.
From shopping to cooking
Choose
Choose creamy white fat, pink meat and a clean aroma. Avoid yellowed fat, rancid smells or damaged packaging.
Store
Keep refrigerated and well wrapped, following the producer’s temperature and use-by guidance. Limit air exposure after opening.
Prepare
Cut into strips or cubes and start in a cold pan. Cook gently to render some fat before browning.
How to make the most of it
Good pairings
Pasta, eggs, Parmesan, pecorino, tomatoes and black pepper.
How to substitute it
Unsmoked cured pancetta; adjust salt and allow for differences in flavour and fat.
Recipes with guanciale
Creamy risoni carbonara
Risoni pasta cooked in stock like risotto, then coated with egg yolks and Parmesan, with golden guanciale and black pepper…
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