Why It's Safe To Eat Pancetta Raw

"My charcuterie board game is getting a little predictable," you privately lament while cruising the meat and cheese section. Don't despair. Ultra-savory pancetta is the artisanal meat needed to add robust porky flavor to your next cheese spread — and regardless of how you've enjoyed it in the past, it doesn't need to be cooked before eating. 

Pancetta is Italian salt-cured pork belly, a fatty cut with a bold, meaty flavor. In addition to salt, the curing process often includes a sugar brine for dynamic sweet contrast. Black pepper, fennel, chili flakes, and warming spices like cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, and allspice are also not uncommon in a wet or dry brine. These seasonings work double duty, both flavoring and preserving the meat as it ages.

Its raw edibility can seem a tad confusing considering pancetta often appears pan-fried in dishes like pasta carbonara and pasta e fagioli. Many recipes pan-fry pancetta do so in order to render off the fat, caramelizing the meat for a deep, rich bite. We like adding it to this and marry me gnocchi recipe for some hearty, protein-forward bulk. But, cured meats are totally safe and delicious to eat uncooked. Whether it's sliced thin like prosciutto or into meaty lardon cubes, pancetta is dry-cured and fully aged, making it safe to eat straight out of the packaging — no cooking necessary. You can chow down on it as soon as you bring it home from the store (or even on the commute).

Thin-sliced pancetta resembles pork bacon, which also comes from the pork belly (and does need to be cooked in order to be safe or remotely pleasurable to eat). But, thanks to the fact that fully-cured pancetta isn't smoked, it presents a saltier, meatier, pork-forward taste than bacon, more comparable to a leaner guanciale. It's worth noting that some regional Italian styles of pancetta are smoked over indirect heat, but this is less common and not universal of all or most pancetta.

Pancetta can be found in many supermarket deli sections, but cooking with or enjoying this artisanal meat as-is can also make for a great excuse for swinging by your local butcher or specialty Italian grocery store. It typically comes in thick slabs or rolls, or pre-sliced into thin rounds.

To serve, pancetta shines in salumi spreads alongside salty pecorino romano, funky manchego, asiago, or creamy ricotta cheeses. Beyond the board, you can add uncooked pancetta to your next BLT sandwich in place of bacon (we also like to build our BLT sammies on an everything bagel). Pancetta pairs superbly with full-bodied red wines like zinfandel, malbec, shiraz, or cabernet sauvignon, with firm tannic structures that can stand up beside this bold meat. In an airtight container in the fridge, pancetta will retain its quality for up to two weeks.