Amazon · The cut itself
Guanciale, about 3 lb
A specific listing, not a search — check the weight and trim against the guide above before ordering.
Guanciale is known in English as Pork cheek.
Also called
Popo le Chien, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons — Guanciale_closeup_(cropped).jpg
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Cured pork jowl — the traditional fat ingredient in Roman pasta dishes (carbonara, amatriciana, gricia). Salt-cured for one to two weeks, then air-dried for several months with black pepper or chili. Higher fat content and more delicate, gelatinous texture than pancetta. Renders into a glassy fat that coats pasta perfectly. Pancetta is sometimes substituted, but Roman cooks consider that a compromise — guanciale's fat melts at lower temperatures and binds the sauce differently.
Names by country
| Country | Name | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 🇺🇸United States | Guanciale | |
| 🇬🇧United Kingdom | Guanciale | |
| 🇲🇽Mexico | Guanciale | |
| 🇦🇷Argentina | Guanciale | |
| 🇫🇷France | Guanciale | |
| 🇪🇸Spain | Guanciale | |
| 🇵🇹Portugal | Guanciale | |
| 🇧🇷Brazil | Guanciale | |
| 🇮🇹Italy | Guancialeprimary | Cured pork jowl; the traditional fat ingredient for Roman carbonara, amatriciana, and gricia. |
| 🇩🇪Germany | Guanciale |
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Classic recipe
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$$ · everyday prep, trimming, and carving
Slice against the grain cleanly every time
Slicing steak, trimming small amounts of fat, chopping aromatics, and general kitchen work.
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