The Pancetta Project

Call me crazy... my wife certainly does. But I got to thinking that pancetta is pretty tasty, and with a little practice maybe I could make my own just the way I wanted it. So thus was born the Pancetta Project, a nearly 4 week adventure with pork, salt and spices.

Step 1, talk to your local butcher and order a pork belly. In the first picture you can see that it looks like one side of the pig's "abs" but since pigs don't do a lot of crunches there is a lot of fat.

Picture #2, I used half the pork belly, and cured it for 10 days in the salt and spices. It looks a bit darker, feels firmer, and emits the combined odors of meat, sweet, and spicy.

In picture 3 the belly has been rolled and bound, and is hanging from the shower rod in the extra bedroom. It loitered here for 2 weeks, drying peacefully and avoiding the cats.

Finally, success! The final product is sliced and ready for the frying pan. It looks delicious. It smells delicious. Only its not delicious. It's too salty, really too salty to eat. I must have over salted it, and brined it for too long. No worries, there is still the second half of the belly waiting its turn!