Umai Pancetta - Should have made BACON

[Dafish13]

So after about 2 months the first of my 2 pancettas, the flat, lost 27% of its weight. I pulled it out and sliced it in half. It looks like bacon and unfortunately tastes like raw bacon. Since it looks like bacon I fried it like bacon and wow, it tastes great. I have concluded that pancetta is not my favorite and I should have just made bacon or crispy pork belly. Of course it could just be pyschological since it looks like raw bacon. The second pancetta I rolled and it is taking a lot longer to dry. I guess my frying pan will be busy for a while.

 

[Scott Eisenbraun]

That flat of Pancetta would also be good diced in cubes. Sautéed, then added to chili, stews, pasta sauce, and vegetable dishes.

 

[Dafish13]

27% loss isn't IMO enough loss. When drying cured meats 35% is a minimum for me and prefer more towards 50% moisture loss.

The longer it takes to dry the more the flavor profile will develop as enzymes and beneficial bacterial do their thing. The more moisture it looses the more condensed the flavor will be.

Thanks for the advice. I’m learning that there is a lot of personal preference in how much moisture loss people like. I made Spanish Chorizo recently and at 38% loss I thought it was way too dry. The Umai recipe I used called for 35-40% but I saw a post on the internet that said not more than 25%. I will dry the rolled one up more and see how that turns out. I wish these experiments did not take so long. At this pace it will be years before I get the kinks worked out.

 

[Dafish13]

That flat of Pancetta would also be good diced in cubes. Sautéed, then added to chili, stews, pasta sauce, and vegetable dishes.

Most definitely! Assuming I don’t fry it all and eat it first. It’s really good fried!