A little cured pork can add wonders to any recipe, elevating stews, casseroles, pasta dishes, sandwiches, and more with its rich flavour and smokiness. However, not all pork is cured the same. Take pancetta and bacon, for example. Most people will not be able to tell the difference between the two. However, knowing their subtle distinction can help a home cook determine which one is better for elevating their cooking.
Which type of cured pork reigns supreme in the kitchen: pancetta or bacon?
The Italian pancetta
Pancetta is regularly used in Italian cooking. It is made with pork belly that has been cured in salt and seasoned with garlic, ground pepper, fennel, nutmeg, and other herbs and spices. Rather than cured as a solid chunk of meat, pancetta is rolled into a log and hung to dry for several weeks. It’s often sold encased in plastic so it maintains its circular form even when thinly sliced.
Pancetta is already great to eat on its own right after the curing process, thanks to its rich pork flavour and soft and silky texture.
The classic bacon
They say bacon makes everything better and for good reason.
A breakfast staple that’s also welcome during lunch and dinner, it’s also made from pork belly that’s cured in salt, sugar, and other spices for almost a week. The delicious smokiness that makes it a culinary favourite comes from the meat being smoked after the curing process, with the type of wood used contributing to its unique taste.
Most people are familiar with thinly sliced bacon, which can be fried to be eaten on its own or used to wrap other food items such as hot dogs and asparagus. Bacon is also sold in slabs, allowing home cooks to cut them into their desired thickness to add to pasta dishes or chop them up as pizza topping. Unlike pancetta, bacon must be cooked first before consumption.
So which is better?
Both types of meat are great for cooking, and it’s common to substitute one with the other. Choosing which meat to add to a dish is a matter of personal taste, specifically if you’re looking for that smokiness that bacon delivers. However, with pancetta, while becoming more popular in deli’s, is still not as easily available. Substituting pancetta with bacon calls for extra prep: chefs recommend blanching bacon first to lose its smokiness. So, if you’re new to exploring the world of cured meats, start with bacon and work your way up to pancetta, because mistakes will cost you precious ingredients that can otherwise be nibbled as a delicacy in its own right.