dondford

Funny you should mentioned that; that's exactly what I have mind next. Fresh hog jowl can't be found here, only smoked. But I have called the processor where I got the fatback and pork belly for the Pancetta and Lardo and he said he could supply fresh jowl. I think Guanciale will be a snap after the Pancetta and Lardo; I will need to do the air drying stage in the refrigerator as I did the Pancetta and Lardo; I don't have a place I can maintain 60 degrees. If I keep doing this stuff, I plan to get a old refrigerator and rig a way to maintain a constant 60'ish degree temperature. Don

Thanks for your reply. I cured it exactly by the instructions in "Charcuterie" until the prescribed curing time was reached. The slab didn't feel as firm as I thought it should, so I mixed up another batch of the curing mix and rubbed it down and cured it anther week. It firmed up nicely with the extended time. After it was rinsed off, I then air dried it with a fan. At that point I decided to roll it instead of leaving it in a slab (I had the Pancetta rolled at that point and it just looked so neat) I first hung it in my utility room to cure but the temp was around 70 degrees, not the 60 as suggested in the book. that concerned me so I posted a message on this forum asking for advice. Several advised air drying in the refrigerator and that is what I did, for about 24 days. It was a good experience and I learned a lot. The tint makes me wonder, hopefully someone will post a answer. Don

I have just finished my first pancetta and lardo following the directions in Ruhlman & Poleyn's "Charcuterie". The pancetta turned out very nice with nice appearance; I have cooked some and was very pleased how favorable it is. I have never had Italian pancetta and a little surprised how salty it was. It is not as salty as salted "streak a lean", but is fairly salty. How salty should pancetta be? The lardo also is pretty, but when I sliced it, the inside has a very slight greenish tint. It tastes fine uncooked , does not smell spoiled and when I cooked it the tint went away and it tasted great cooked. What do, you think? Don

Thanks for the reply. It was cured in the refrigerator. I did note that one of the authors, in spite of advising the 50-60 degrees, said that he hung his pancetta in his kitchen on the pan rack. its hard to believe his kitchen is that cool. Don

I have made some homemade pancetta following the directions in Ruhlman & Poleyn's "Charcuterie". The preparation, curing and rolling went fine and now its time to hang it for a couple of weeks. The authors recommends hanging it at 50-60 degrees. The problem is there is nowhere in my home that maintains 50-60 degrees; it stays at around 70 degrees. My question: Am I better off at hanging at the higher temperature, or should I finish it off in the refrigerator? Thanks, Don