If you love the sultry flavour of pork fat, you will love Guanciale.
Originating from Italy, Guanciale are made with pork jowls (that have very high fat to meat ratio) cured in salt and pepper, and left to mature for a few months. When ready, Guanciale has a deep, richer sweet-savory pork flavour than both pancetta or bacon, and due to its high fat to meat ratio, it has a meltingly tender texture.
Guanciale is typically used as a cooking ingredient, the fats are usually rendered out leaving little pieces of crispy pork. Both fat and crisps are then used like magic dust for dishes, including one of Italy's most famous pasta dishes - Carbonara!
Cooking tip: When rendering the Guanciale, start the Guanciale pieces on a cold pan before heating it up slowly.
