Christine Dabney > wrote:

> Now you two are getting me interested in making some pastrami. I just
> ordered curing salts from www.sausagemaker.com. I have the
> Charcuterie book, and while bacon is first on my list to make from
> that book, pastrami is sounding very good as well.

I've never liked pastrami much, but Armenian basturma can be supreme.

> That and pancetta, if I can find a decent place to cure it. NM is not
> exactly humid..and all I have is a fridge.

Mmm... pancetta. What I like even better is guanciale. Here is a
recipe by Mario Batali, from
<http://www.babbonyc.com/in-guanciale.html>. Also see a very good
illustrated blog entry at
<http://www.themorningnews.org/archives/how_to/the_art_of_the_cure.php>.

Victor

GUANCIALE
While most pork bacon products are taken from the belly of a pig,
Guanciale is made by drying the meat from a hog's jowls. Though the
resulting meat is leaner than traditional pork pieces, it has a
noticeably richer flavor. It is this richness, combined with a delicate
porkiness, that more than merits the meat's three-week drying period.
Making guanciale may require a little more planning than simply buying
good-quality bacon or pancetta, but its abundance of flavor
distinguishes guanciale from the rest, making every dish that much more
succulent. At Babbo, we use our homemade guanciale all over the place,
but nowhere is its fullness of flavor and porky richness more celebrated
than in our bucatini all'amatriciana.

Makes 2 pounds
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup kosher salt
10 to 15 whole black peppercorns
4 sprigs of fresh thyme leaves
2 pounds hog jowls

1. In a medium bowl, combine the sugar, salt, peppercorns and thyme.
Coat the hog jowls with the mixture, rubbing gently. Place the jowls in
a nonreactive casserole, cover, and refrigerate for 5 to 7 days.
2. Remove the jowls from the casserole and tie a piece of butcher's
twine around the middle of each. Hang the jowls in a dry cool place (it
should not be warmer than 60°F.) for at least 3 weeks. They should be
firm and dry, with a slight give. Slice and use like bacon or pancetta.