pork cheek *fail*

[code3rrt]

Would've never thought of pork cheek. I've had halibut cheeks before, absolutely love those. Sounds like something new to try.

kc

[BBQchef33]

Pork cheeks when cured is Guanciale(pronounced guan-chal-lay).. or Roman Bacon. i use it in lots Italian peasant recipes. Pretty much central to anything italian that calls for bacon.. its probably saltier and firmer than what you made, but we gotta find a use for yours. :) Smoke is just another form of curing.... isnt it.



it makes a killer brown gravy with wine and mushrooom over chicken also.. it can be used in interchangeably with pancetta.. good in carbonara too.

[landarc]

Hmmm, all the guanciale I have had was made from jowls, not cheeks. The pork cheeks I have had were leaner than guanciale.

[BBQchef33]

Originally Posted by landarc

Hmmm, all the guanciale I have had was made from jowls, not cheeks. The pork cheeks I have had were leaner than guanciale.

and......

when youre right, youre right..

brainfart..

guanciale is the jowl, not the cheek..

never had a cheek.. I would try it anyway..

[Phubar]

Cheeks done the right way are awesome!
Veal cheeks are also very tasty.
I hope you'll try it again!

[boogiesnap]

Originally Posted by landarc

Hmmm, all the guanciale I have had was made from jowls, not cheeks. The pork cheeks I have had were leaner than guanciale.

while i could not find anything definitive in charts via google on a quick search. i think, they are in fact the same thing. i'll ask the butcher next i see them.

[HeSmellsLikeSmoke]

From Wikipedia.

"Guanciale (Italian pronunciation: [ɡwanˈtʃaːle]) is most often an unsmoked Italian bacon prepared with pig's jowl or cheeks. Its name is derived from guancia, Italian for cheek. Guanciale is similar to the jowl bacon of the United States.

Pork cheek is rubbed with salt, sugar, and spices (typically ground black pepper or red pepper and thyme or fennel and sometimes garlic) and cured for three weeks. Its flavor is stronger than other pork products, such as pancetta, and its texture is more delicate.

Guanciale is traditionally used in dishes like pasta all'amatriciana and spaghetti alla carbonara. It is a delicacy of central Italy, particularly Umbria and Lazio.
Pancetta, a cured Italian bacon which is normally not smoked, can be used as a substitute when guanciale is not available."

[ModelMaker]

It's good to be carnivour.
Ed

[boogiesnap]

so to follow up, my wife cooked the other two confit. i think in extra virgin olive oil and salted them HEAVILY.

the result was delicious nuggets of salty pork goodness. pork flavor really came out with the salting and the extra cooking time really broke them down nice. not pulled pork tender, but a different great texture.

i can see why these are highly revered.

[landarc]

I can tell you, that from my previous experience going around and around with meat counter persons, the concept that cheek and jowl are different was difficult to have understood. But, if you look at the two cuts of meat, and some guanciale (which is one of my favorite ways to season up a dish) you will see that it has to be jowl. The cheek is just too meaty and lacking fat.

[landarc]

Raw Pork Jowl


Raw Pork cheeks

[boogiesnap]

these were certainly cheek, not jowl, looking at the pic of jowl.

i can see where confusion may occur, but these aren't meat counter guys, they carved the meat right off the heads in front of me. pretty cool BTW.

begs the question, those raving about cheek really maybe have had jowl?

i'll inquire further next time i go and maybe get a bit of both and have it.

[bigabyte]

Farkers! Now you have REALLY put a jowl bacon craving on me!

[Scubadoo97]

Nice plating. Never had pork cheeks but have braised beef cheeks a couple of times.

[landarc]

Guanciale makes everything taste great