RECIPE FOR HOMEMADE PANCETTA 
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You may ask - what is the difference between pancetta and bacon? Both can come from the pork belly, but bacon typically is wet brined or injected and pancetta lends itself better to a dry cure with aromatics.

There is something very satisfying about whipping up a quick meal with your pancetta to hand. I like to fry up some lardons (small chunks of diced up pancetta), cooked up in a pan and then add some fresh cooked pasta and peas in, then all tossed in the natural fat. Takes minutes to cook. In one bowl with a fork. The number of late nights due to work and not wanting the hassle of cooking for ages when I all i want is some good grub and bit of TV.
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​This is a very simple recipe for anyone not knowing much about curing meats and can be used in all your favourite recipes calling for pancetta like carbonara, bolognese, or a cracking bucatinini all'amatriciana.

But one of the real beauties of this base recipe is you can add other aromatics and can use this in other recipes that calls for pancetta or bacon. I love throwing it in some soups and chicken casseroles. Why not try with other herbs and spices like sprigs of rosemary, coriander seeds or fennel seeds. This recipe is a wet brine in its own juices and the time in the brine gives time for the aromatics to permeate the meat. 

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INGREDIENTS
  • One large cut of pork belly, big enough that when the skin is removed will be rollable in one direction.
  • Craft Cookhouse Basic Dry Cure (see recipe here)
  • Nutmeg
  • Few springs of fresh thyme (Optional)
  • Crushed Garlic (Optional)
  • Some coarse ground black pepper
  • Ziplock bag / sealable food bag big enough to contain your pork belly
  • ​Some string ( I recommend Butchers String)
  • White or red wine vinegar
INSTRUCTIONS
  • If you have bought a whole pork belly from the butcher then remove the bones (keep to make awesome spare ribs) and remove the skin with a sharp knife (use the skin for pork crackling or diced up into soups to act as a natural thickening agent)
  • Trim the meat so you don't have thick bits of fat and no flaps of meat, all trimmed up into a good block of belly. Use the trimmings in other recipes. You will have 2 main sides - 1 side which would have been the inside, and 1 side where you will have a thin layer of fat where you removed the skin. Try not to leave thick areas of fat.
Now, weigh your pork belly - you will be looking to add 5% of the weight in salt, and since our Basic Dry Cure is a 50/50 mix of salt and sugar you will want 10% of the weight in dry cure. Sprinkle the cure over your pork belly.
Make a note of the weight as this will also dictate how long the belly will cure for.
Rub the cure all over the belly, including the sides.
Put in the sealable bag with some springs of thyme, the crushed garlic and some course ground black pepper and any left over dry cure. 
​Put the bag in the fridge.
It is important to note that when you first try this it is better to under cure the meat rather than over cure it and make it too salty for your taste buds.
After a day you will see a natural brine forming as the natural water is drawn from the belly. This is now a natural wet cure. It is going to stay in the bag for 1 day per 500g in weight of the meat - rounded up. So if your meat was 1300g you will leave it for 72 hours (3 days).
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Give the meat a massage in the bag and turn it over couple of times a day just so that the meat has the opportunity to engage with the natural brine as much as possible.

AFTER 1-4 DAYS IN THE FRIDGE (Depending upon the weight)
  • Wash the belly thoroughly with cold running water and pat dry with clean tea towel or kitchen roll.
  • Put the belly fat side down (the side you removed the skin from) and sprinkle with some ground nutmeg and course ground pepper.
  • ​Now roll and tie the belly as tightly as possible so the original skin side is on the outside.
  • Get the string as tight as possible. I recommend starting in the middle and working your way to the sides in 3cm-5cm intervals.
  • Paint/wipe the outside with the vinegar and hang in cool dry place, out of direct sunlight. Make sure it is not touching anything.​​
  • It will be ready on 3-4 days. It will be firm but pliable and the flavour will improve over time. After the 3-4 days you can continue to hang it or store in the fridge. You can cut into lardons and freeze it but I prefer to use it fresh. It will last a good three months if frozen.