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diner

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Posts posted by diner

    Making Guanciale at Home

    in Italy: Cooking & Baking

    Posted

    Oh, one more question. Emily, where would you air dry it at home? If it doesn't need to hang, could you just put it on a rack in the refigerator? Hanging it out in a basement or garage sounds like it would attract insects/animals. I even thought of buying a cheap wine cooler to put it in.

    Making Guanciale at Home

    in Italy: Cooking & Baking

    Posted

    Thanks, Emily and bigwino. You should know that I am completely inexperienced on the subject. I read that color preservation was one of the main rationales for using nitrate, but I have seen many references also that it is a protection against spoilage. For example, from Paul Bertolli, who provides an extensive discussion of all sorts of salumi curing in his book, Cooking by Hand: "Today the use of nitrate and nitrite is still widely considered to be an essential element of the curing process for aesthetic reasons, for safety, and for its functional effectiveness."

    Thank you both for clarifying the salt and washing issues. I didn't really think there was a mistake by the publishers, but I was surprised to see such different approaches re: nitrite and washing online and in print.

    Making Guanciale at Home

    in Italy: Cooking & Baking

    Posted

    Has anyone tried to cure guanciale (cured pig's jowls) at home? There is a simple recipe in the Babbo cookbook, which also appears on the Babbo Web site:

    http://www.babbonyc.com/in-guanciale.html

    I was surprised that the recipe did not call for using any "curing salt." I would love to avoid using curing salt/nitrite, but from some preliminary research, it seems to be a standard curing ingredient in order to kill certain bacteria. I looked at a few recipes for pancetta, and they all use a curing salt, in addition to regular salt. I'm wondering if this is an omission in the recipe, or if it could safely be made without curing salt.

    Another question: The recipe does not discuss washing the salt off the meat after the cure and before the drying period. This is a step I have seen in pancetta recipes. Another omission of a step that should be followed?

    Any thoughts on either of these questions?

    Thanks.

    Making Bacon

    in Cooking

    Posted

    If you live in an apartment, like me, you can make cured but unsmoked bacon (like pancetta), which is not the same but delicious in its own way. Paul Bertolli's recipe for tesa in Cooking by Hand is a great starting point. Even if you have the smoking capabilities, this could be a good way to practice sourcing your pork bellies and curing meat.

    Have you made the tesa recipe? 12 pounds seems like an awful lot. I wondered if the recipe could be cut in half or reduced further.

    I'm also interested in making guanciale. There is a simple recipe in th Babbo cookbook, but it calls for 3 weeks of hanging in a cool, dry space. Any idea where to pull that off? I also live in an apartment. I could try to use a friend's garage or basement, but wondered about the safety of that . . .

    San Antonio, Texas

    in Texas: Dining

    Posted

    Hi there,

    I am sorry to say that my wife never made it anywhere in San Antonio. She was there on business, and though she was dying to get out of the hotel, she was forced to work night and day and attend business dinners.

    Hopefully, all of these great restaurant recommendations are being put to use by other eGullet members.

    Thanks again to all who posted.

    San Antonio, Texas

    in Texas: Dining

    Posted

    Thank you for all of these recommendations!

    She's staying at the Westin La Cantera on a business trip. She's read your suggestions and will post a response when her registration is confirmed (new member). Thank you, on her behalf, as well.

    I'm tempted to hop on a plane and head over to Lockhart, myself!

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