Panchetta Tessa (Be warned, there is no SMOKE)

[Pork Belly]

Panchetta Tessa (Flat) is prepared the same as traditional rolled panchetta it is just not rolled.

Start with the Basic Dry Cure From Michael Ruhlman's Book Charcuterie

Everybody doesn't have a scale so I listed different measuring options.
Basic Dry Cure
1Pound or 450 grams Kosher Salt
8 oz. or 225 Grams Sugar
2 oz. or 50 grams or 10 teaspoons Pink Salt- Sodium Nitrite

For this batch I used a 3.5 pound section of Pork Belly.
The belly was place in a large bowel and dry cure added. Rub the cure in until it is evenly coatted, discarding any excess.
Prepare the following:
Dice then crush one head of Fresh Garlic
Toast 1 Tablespoon each of Juniper Berries and whole black peppercorns, then grind in a spice grinder until course.

Apply the garlic and juniper/pepper mixture evenly to all sides of the meat. Seal the belly in a zip top bag for seven days. While still sealed in the bag flip the belly top to bottom every day for seven days.
On the seventh day rinse with cool water just long enough to remove the curing salt, all of the spice bits will not come off this is fine. Pat the belly dry, it is optional to apply a dusting of course ground black pepper at this time. Hang the section of belly either with a bacon hanger of by piercing with a knife and trying secure loops with butcher twine.

The Panchetta is ready to eat at this time but is better as it ages and looses additional moisture. hang it in a cool dry place out of direct sunlight. The basement of a walk-in pantry is great, However I have often just left them hing on a cabinet knob in the kitchen. I once made a rolled Panchetta that was about 8 pounds. It hung on the cabinet knob until it was used up through a few months.

The picture of the pile of cure on the belly shows about one large hand full of cure, maybe 2/3 of a cup. This is one of the reasons I love the dry cure method, you only have to be exact when you make the cure.

The meat shows you how much to use. Dump the cure on, rub it in get rid of the excess, it always works.

This is where I get my Juniper Berries, one pound is more than  quart of berries.
http://www.butcher-packer.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=887

 

[BedouinBob]

I gotta try that with my next pork belly. I love panchetta. Is there a benefit to having it flat rather than rolled or is it just a preference?

 

[Pork Belly]

The benefit would be it dries faster and it is simpler to make.  A negative would be it dries out faster than a roll if you keep it hanging and don't eat it fast enough.

To properly roll one you need a big piece of belly, it's just easier. Next time I do one I will get plenty of pictures, as it is a bit of a process. You can not leave any air pockets in the roll or it will rot in those spots. I have several metal needles that my mother used to use to close the cavity on a turkey They are about four inches long. I use them to secure the roll and the start binding it in the middle and working out. Once it is full tied I cut the ends off so they are flat. I take those two pieces of trim, and tie them together in a separate bundle to hang. The trimmed pieces are nearly always tapered. I lay them out to they make a uniform thickness and tie them together. You do that so they dry evenly. Trimming the ends of the Panchetta roll makes a flat even surface that dries equally, helps in appearance and give no place for mold to hide. You can see the trimmed pieces hanging next to the large roll in the pictures. The last picture shows a Panchetta Tessa on a bacon hanger, in front of it are a Pork Loin (Lanza) and Venison Loin. All the meat in the last picture were aged in my basement as you see them, no bags. The trimmed sections in the other pictures were given as a gift. That large roll stayed on that cabinet knob until we ate it up about one pound at at time.

 

[BedouinBob]

Man, that is some fine lookin' eats!

 

[Pork Belly]

Thanks, it is a fun project.

 

[Pork Belly]

The Panchetta is ready to eat at this time but is better as it ages and looses additional moisture.

Point of clarification, you still need to cook it. Although technically cured not raw when fished aging you should cook it.

 

[Pork Belly]

Rinsed, Dried, Dusted with FRESH cracked black pepper and hung. You can eat it now but it is better after hanging and loosing some moisture.

 

[BedouinBob]

Nice job of braiding Brian!  looks really good. How do you keep it away from the dog?  ;D

 

[Pork Belly]

We didn't have a dog at the time that was hanging. However we do now, she is fantastic, never stealing food. Her box of Milkbones sits open on the floor. She loves them but wont take one unless you hand it to her. This last Panchetta hung on the cabinet for two days before I delivered it to a friend.

 

[BedouinBob]

Man, I may have to move to Michigan and become friends.... 

 

[lanailife]

Going to try this!