Guanciale - Old Country Bacon

 We like to use our guanciale as an addition to many recipes such as pasta sauces, veggie dishes and beans. We prefer to keep it stored in the freezer and shave off very thin slices, the thinner the better. Use it sparingly at first until you get a feel for its power, a little goes a long way. When you bite down on a piece of guanciale it bursts a flavor bomb of salty, herb infused pork fat in your mouth with a tender chew of the meat which runs through the center of the jowl. You will no doubt run into areas of just flavored fat (without the vein of meat). This is quite nice when used to prime a cast iron pan before cooking eggs or other dishes.