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The Cured Meats That Should Never Be In Carbonara, According To The Pasta Queen

Nadia Caterina Munno, also known as TikTok's Pasta Queen, has some strong opinions when it comes to pasta. You would, too, if you also came from an Italian macaroni-making dynasty. Munno is all about the ingredients, especially when it comes to making carbonara pasta, which uses spaghetti, black pepper, eggs, cured pork, and pecorino romano cheese.

However, it can't be just any cured pork. If you're chopping up bacon or pancetta to make this dish, stop. The host of the Amazon Prime series "The Pasta Queen" notes in Episode 4 of Season 1 that these two types of meat don't belong in this dish. Only guanciale, also known as pork jowl, should be fried up for your pasta carbonara.

Why pork jowl? Guanciale is different from bacon and pancetta in several ways. First, those latter two come from the belly of the pig. Guanciale comes from the cheek and is quite fatty. This means when you fry it up, it's going to have a slightly softer texture, which contrasts beautifully with an al dente cooked noodle. Whereas bacon is only sometimes cured, and pancetta's curing process only takes a couple of days, guanciale is cured for up to 3 months with seasonings and herbs to develop layers of flavor. This results in what the Pasta Queen says is a "more delicate, rich, and fatty" bite.

Don't toss the rendered fat

However, if you're on a budget, guanciale may be out of yours. It's not as easy to find as bacon and pancetta, and because it's generally imported from Italy, it can cost a pretty penny. So, if you really want to put the Pasta Queen's meat recommendation to the test, be prepared to pay a little extra.

When Nadia Caterina Munno slices up her guanciale, she recommends doing so vertically into quarter-inch pieces, noting they will shrink as they cook. Just don't let this meat burn. Still, you want to render the guanciale the same way you render bacon fat: low and slow. And don't get rid of the rendered fat. Munno explains the rendered fat is full of flavor, and it's "key" to the sauce. In fact, she goes as far as to say it's the "secret of having the most velvety, creamy carbonara sauce."

When it comes to the cheese, the cookbook author says to use the smallest grate on the cheese grater box, and don't forget the "tears of the pasta Gods," as she calls the starchy, salted pasta water. Follow Munno's lead, and your carbonara pasta will turn out just as gorgeous as hers.