Special guest Sous Chef Erik shows us how to make his famous pancetta, then I make a dish of Sichuan-style Double Cooked Pork with pancetta in place of the pork. Everything is easy and delicious! If you live in the Bay Area, you can buy Erik's pancetta at souscheferik.com.
Stay tuned for part two, where we show you how to roll and dry-cure your wet-cured pancetta.
Curing Mix
Yields enough mix to cure 10-15 pounds of meat
This basic curing mix is suitable for a lot of applications. Think of this as a base to which you can add sweetness for something like smoked bacon or savoriness for pancetta and guanciale.
Note: Insta-cure #1 is the same as Prague Powder #1, A.K.A. sodium nitrite, not to be confused with sodium nitrate. Make sure to keep it safely stored in a place where it will not accidentally be ingested in quantities greater than those called for in these recipes. You can buy it here: www.sausagemaker.com/insta-cu...
250g kosher or sea salt
125g fine sugar
14g Instacure #1
1. Add all ingredients to a bowl or container and mix thoroughly. Keep in a sealed container or jar.
Pancetta
4 to 5 pounds pork belly, skin removed
Curing mix as needed to dredge the pork, about 100g
6 Turkish bay leaves, crumbled by hand or in a mortar & pestle
20g (about 1 ½ tablespoons) coarsely ground black peppercorns
6 to 8 garlic cloves, crushed and chopped roughly
Needles from 3 sprigs rosemary
1. In a pan or casserole that can fit the pork belly, add 100g of curing mix. Shake pan from side to side to distribute mix evenly.
2. Place the pork belly in the pan with mix and press down gently. Flip pork and repeat on all sides, adding curing mix as necessary so that entire surface is thoroughly coated.
3. Place the pork in a large vacuum seal or zipper-lock bag. Reaching into the bag, spread half of bay leaves, 10g of the peppercorns, half of the garlic, and half of the rosemary evenly over the top surface of the pork. Flip and spread remaining aromatics over the other surface. Seal bag, removing as much air as possible.
4. Place the belly in a sheet pan or tray just large enough for the pork. If possible, place another pan on top of the pork and add a weight to press the meat flat as it cures (such as a sealed bag of beans). Refrigerate for at least six days and up to fourteen, flipping the bag every other day to distribute cure.
5. Remove the pancetta from the bag and rinse off the aromatics under cold water (some of the aromatics will remain on the surface of the pancetta; this is fine). Dry thoroughly with paper towels.
6. At this point, you can cook and enjoy the pancetta, but for better texture and flavor, wrap the pancetta in cheesecloth or paper towels, place it on a rack set in a rimmed baking sheet, and allow the pancetta to rest in the refrigerator, uncovered for at least two days and up to two weeks to dry-cure. Properly sealed and refrigerated, the pancetta will last for three to four weeks. You can also freeze the pancetta for several months.
Sichuan-style Double Cooked Pancetta
Sichuan-style double cooked pork is great when made with pancetta, which crisps up better and has a firmer texture than fresh pork belly. Make sure to soak it in water long enough to draw out excess salt before proceeding with the recipe. (Or don't, if you like it nice and salty)
1/2 pound pancetta
Water
1 stick cinnamon
1 whole star anise pod
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon Sichuan peppercorns
1 tablespoon peanut or vegetable oil
1 cup tender leek whites cut into 1-inch diamonds or squares
1 1/2 tablespoons fermented broad bean chili paste (doubajiang)
2 teaspoons fermented black beans, roughly chopped, or 1 tablespoon black bean paste
1 teaspoon light soy sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
1. Rinse pancetta under cold water and scrub any surface salt or spices off of it. Soak pancetta in 2 quarts of fresh water in the refrigerator overnight.
2. Combine pancetta, cinnamon stick, star anise, bay leaves, Sichuan peppercorns, and 1 quart of water in a wok or saucepan and bring to a simmer. Cook gently for 20 minutes, then drain and transfer pancetta to a cutting board. Allow it to air-dry for 10 minutes, then using a sharp knife, cut it into 1-inch-wide strips, then slice the strips into 1/8th-inch-thick square.
3. Heat oil in a wok over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add pork strips and cook, tossing and stirring frequently, until lightly browned and crisp on both sides, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and set aside, leaving the fat in the pan.
4. Reheat fat until lightly smoking, then add leeks and stir-fry until tender, about 30 seconds. Return pork belly to wok. Add chili paste, black beans, soy sauce, and sugar, and cook, tossing and stirring until everything is heated through and sauce is completely, dry. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve immediately.
17 май 2020
