Exploring Substitutes for Guanciale in Pasta Dishes: Is Smoked Pork Jowl an Option?
Updated: Sep 4
This post explores alternatives to guanciale in classic Roman pasta dishes. While most Americans use bacon, smoked pork jowl may be a better, less expensive alternative in dishes like Amatriciana. We made a classic Bucatini All'Amatriciana twice: once with guanciale and once with smoked pork jowl. How will humble American pork jowl stack up against its more expensive Italian cousin?
Roman pasta dishes, renowned for their rich flavors and hearty ingredients, have captured the hearts of food enthusiasts worldwide. Traditional recipes often call for guanciale—cured pork cheek (or jowl)—which adds a unique depth of flavor to classics like Bucatini All'Amatriciana. However, American and Canadian cooks are often unable to cook with guanciale because:
Guanciale is not always readily available.
Guanciale can be expensive, sometimes costing upwards of $25 per pound.
Many more budget-friendly alternatives are available in North America, including smoked pork jowls, as well as cured pork belly, salt pork, bacon, or pancetta. Selecting the right alternative can help you create a dish worthy of the Roman culinary legacy.
Understanding Guanciale
Guanciale is a beloved ingredient in Roman cuisine, renowned for its richness, flavor, and distinctive texture. Made from pork cheek or jowl, it undergoes a curing process that infuses it with various spices, typically including black pepper and sometimes garlic, before being aged for several months. This creates a fatty, melt-in-your-mouth texture that beautifully enhances pasta dishes, with Bucatini All'Amatriciana as a prime example.
Package of imported Guanciale. Guanciale cut into 1/4 inch slices. Guanciale cut into lardons.
Though guanciale defines the flavor profile of many Roman recipes, its high price point often puts it out of reach for the average home cook. This prompts a search for alternatives that deliver delicious results without breaking the bank.
Smoked Pork Jowl as a Substitute for Guanciale
Package of Smoked Pork Jowl. Whole pork jowl. Closeup shot of pork jowl.
Smoked pork jowl is one of the most accessible substitutes for guanciale available. Priced at under $5 per pound (I buy it at my local Walmart for $4.54 for a 1.25-pound portion), it offers a more affordable way to enjoy flavors reminiscent of guanciale. While smoked pork jowl has a distinct taste profile due to the smoking process, you can reduce the smokiness. First, soak the pork jowl in room-temperature water for 30 minutes, then pat it dry and remove the skin. This makes the smoky flavor much more subtle and minimally detectable.
Soaking smoked pork jowl in water to remove smoke. Pork jowl cut into strips. Pork jowl cut into lardons.
The cleaned, skinned pork jowl will have a flavor very similar to guanciale because they are the same part of the pig, and both are cured. Guanciale will have a slightly funkier, darker flavor, and smoked pork jowl is less salty. For this reason, I will often add a little more salt when cooking with smoked pork jowl..
Cured Pork Belly and Salt Pork as Substitutes for Guanciale
Another option for guanciale is cured pork belly. While each of these options is good, without smokiness, they are not as good as pork jowl in Roman pasta dishes. Pork jowl yields more liquid fat when cooked, which forms the base of the sauce for carbonara, gricia, and amatriciana. Without the large amount of rendered fat that comes off of pork jowl, the sauces are a letdown. That said, if you choose carefully, you can select pork belly with a lot of fat, and it can produce a nice alternative.
Cured pork belly is very hard to find, so you may need to buy fresh pork belly and cure it at home. This simple process is covered in detail in the post on seriouseasts.com. You only need fresh pork belly, some salt, and about 4 days. You can, of course, cure your pork belly for longer with spices to make it even more reminiscent of guanciale.
Salt pork, a staple in older recipes, can also serve as an alternative. Typically salt-cured and somewhat less fatty, it may require adjustments in cooking times and methods to render fat effectively. While salt pork offers authenticity in flavor, it can cloud the vibrant tastes you'd expect from a Roman dish, making it less suitable than the previous options. While some commentators maintain that it is saltier than guanciale, I find salt pork and guanciale very similar in saltiness. If your salt pork is too salty, soak it in room-temperature water for 30 minutes before using it, then pat it dry.
Bacon and Pancetta: The Controversial Choices
Bacon and pancetta serve as popular choices for those adapting Roman recipes, but they can be somewhat controversial. Bacon infuses a strong smoky undertone that can overpower traditional flavors. Though it can work in a pinch, it often transforms the dish significantly, making it something other than a classic Roman pasta experience. Pancetta, on the other hand, shares some characteristics with guanciale, being an Italian product made from seasoned and cured pork belly. It generally has a less pronounced flavor than bacon, making it a viable alternative when guanciale is scarce. However, remember that pancetta lacks the distinctive richness and texture of guanciale, and often will not render out enough fat to make a good sauce. Pancetta is also hard to find unsliced and quite expensive.
Basic Recipe for Amatriciana
Ingredients
1 Tablespoon good olive oil
4-6 ounces of guanciale or smoked pork jowl, rinsed with the skin removed and cubed
2 shallots, sliced thinly
1/2 cup white wine
One 28-oz can of San Marzano tomatoes, crushed with your hands
Dried red pepper flakes, to taste
1/4 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
1/2 - 1 cup pasta water
12-16 ounces of bucatini or other pasta, bronze cut
1/2 cup finely grated pecorino romano cheese
Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
Put 4 liters of water in a large pot with 1.5 tablespoons of salt and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
Cut the guanciale or pork jowl into 1/4 inch strips and then 1/4 inch lardons.
Heat olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium-low heat.
Cook the guanciale or pork jowl slowly, until it renders out considerable fat and becomes deliciously crisp. Reserve a few pieces of pork for garnish later on.
Smoked pork jowl in pan with small amount of oil. Pork jowl cooks, rendering fat. Smoked pork jowl, friend crisp with rendered fat.
Add the shallots and cook until translucent.
Add wine and increase heat to medium, cooking off the alcohol.
Add the tomatoes, red pepper flakes, and cracked black pepper.
Taste for salt (if using smoked pork jowl, add salt to match the guanciale's saltiness).
Skillet with pork jowl, shallots and wine. Add the tomatoes to the skillet wtih spices. Cook and correct seasoning.
Cook the tomato sauce for 5 minutes, then put the pasta into boiling water.
When the pasta is nearing al dente, remove it from the water and add it to the tomato sauce along with 1/2 c. pasta water.
Continue stirring or flipping the pasta vigorously while it finishes cooking in the tomato sauce. Stir until al dente and remove from the heat.
Add the pecorino romano cheese in two batches, stirring constantly.
Serve immediately in bowls with more pecorino romano and a few pieces of reserved crispy guanciale or pork jowl.
Add pasta to the skillet. Add pasta water to the skillet. Add pecorino to the skillet.
Guanciale and Smoked Pork Jowl Comparison: The Results
The results for both the guanciale version and the smoked pork jowl version were very good. In fact, they were virtually indistinguishable from one another. The pork jowl version has a slightly brighter flavor and was slightly less salty. The guanciale held up better in the sauce and retained its slightly larger size after cooking. However, the flavor profiles were very similar.
Cooking Tips for Achieving Depth of Flavor
No matter which substitute is chosen, there are ways to elevate the dish to make it feel more authentic:
Render Slowly: Cook your chosen substitute over low heat to allow the fat to melt gently, creating a flavorful base for your pasta sauce.
Enhance with Aromatics: Adding garlic, onion, or even a touch of crushed red pepper can help achieve a more complex flavor profile.
Use Quality Tomatoes: Good-quality canned or fresh tomatoes can enhance the sauce's overall taste, balancing out any differences from the meat substitute.
Use good-quality Pecorino Cheese: Part of being a budget-conscious shopper is knowing when to save money and when to buy the good stuff. Pecorino Romano cheese is essential to carbonara, gricia, and amatriciana dishes. While I find smoked pork jowl a good substitute in these dishes, cow's milk Romano cheese is not. You can find good pecorino at Sam's Club, Costco, and farmers' markets throughout the country. It keeps beautifully for months, so buy the good stuff and use it. A generous amount of freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese adds salty richness that complements the dish, creating a more authentic Roman experience.
Final Thoughts
Ultimately, while guanciale remains the gold standard in Roman pasta dishes, substitutes let home cooks enjoy classic recipes without excessive expense. Smoked pork jowl and cured pork belly emerge as practical choices that can produce flavorful results, though they may deliver different tasting experiences.
With thoughtful cooking techniques and aromatics, home cooks can approach the authenticity of traditional Roman dishes. Making these classic recipes accessible to everyone enriches the culinary landscape, inviting more people to enjoy and appreciate the deliciousness inherent in this remarkable cuisine.
In conclusion, while guanciale may be the traditional choice, the world of cooking thrives on creativity and adaptation—why not embrace it with an open palate and a willingness to explore? Buy the smoked pork jowl and give it a go!
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