Braised Pork Jowls Allamatriciana Recipes

BRAISED PORK JOWLS ALL'AMATRICIANA

Steps:

• For the jowls: Combine jowls, bay leaves, oregano, thyme, peppercorns, kosher salt, pink salt and 3 quarts water in a large soup pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a low simmer and cook until the jowls are fork-tender throughout, about 2 hours 30 minutes. Set aside to cool in cooking liquid.
• Slice each jowl across the grain into about six 1/4-inch-thick slices.
• For the amatriciana sauce: Slice the Pancetta into 1/8-inch-thick slices, then cut the slices into 3/4-inch squares. Set aside.
• Heat a large, heavy-bottomed saucepot over medium-high heat and add onions and pancetta. Turn heat to high and cook, stirring occasionally, until well caramelized. Add the tomatoes, red pepper flakes and garlic and stir to mix well. Reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove from heat and keep warm. Season to taste.
• Heat a large cast-iron pan over medium-high heat and add the olive oil. Cook until smoking, then add 2 to 3 slices jowl to the pan. (Don't crowd them in the pan; give them room to breathe.) Caramelize both sides of the jowl slices until crisped, then remove them to a paper towel to absorb excess oil. Continue with remaining slices. Arrange the slices on a large platter and spoon a generous amount of amatriciana sauce on top. Sprinkle with pecorino and chopped parsley.
• Combine kosher salt, sugar and pink salt in a medium bowl and mix well. Roughly chop the rosemary and thyme leaves and mix them into the dry ingredients. Add the peppercorns, red pepper flakes, coriander seeds and garlic and mix well again. Set aside.
• Place the pork belly in a shallow plastic bin or on a cookie sheet and rub liberally with the cure; it should have a uniform coating on it, almost as if you'd dredged it. Put the pork belly in a 2-gallon resealable plastic bag and seal it. Refrigerate, flipping the bag every 2 days and working the cure into the meat, for 9 days.
• Remove the pork belly from the bag and rinse all the cure off. Use a meat needle to insert a string into one corner of the pancetta. Hang it in the refrigerator to dry for 1 to 2 weeks more. (The pancetta will be ready in 1 week, but an additional week of curing will intensify the flavor.)

BUCATINI ALL'AMATRICIANA

Steps:

• Sauce, part 1: Dice the guanciale, then sauté in olive oil over medium heat, 6-8 minutes or until the guanciale is crisp.
• Pasta: Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta to the boiling water and cook until al dente, about 3 minutes less than what the box advises. (Chef Mantuano advises using bronze-cut pasta for his dishes. These noodles are made with bronze molds instead of Teflon, for a surface texture that's a bit rougher and more porous. This greatly helps the sauce to cling to each noodle.)
• Sauce, part 2: Add the tomatoes to the crispy guanciale and bring to a simmer. Using a wooden spoon, stir the sauce occasionally, breaking up the tomatoes as they are cooking, 5 minutes. Set aside.
• Assembly: Reserve ½ cup of the pasta water, then drain the bucatini. Return the pasta to the pot. Season the sauce with chili flakes and black pepper. Pour sauce and reserved pasta water into the pot and cook over low heat, tossing the pasta with the sauce to allow them to "marry," 2 minutes. The pasta should still be firm to the bite.
• Transfer the pasta to a platter. Grate Pecorino Romano directly on top, about ½ cup. Serve immediately, passing more cheese at the table.