Kenji's Cooking Show | Sous Chef Erik's Pancetta Class, Part One

Stay tuned for part two, where we show you how to roll and dry-cure your wet-cured pancetta.

Curing Mix
Yields enough mix to cure 10-15 pounds of meat

This basic curing mix is suitable for a lot of applications. Think of this as a base to which you can add sweetness for something like smoked bacon or savoriness for pancetta and guanciale.

250g kosher or sea salt
125g fine sugar
14g Instacure #1

1. Add all ingredients to a bowl or container and mix thoroughly. Keep in a sealed container or jar.

Pancetta

4 to 5 pounds pork belly, skin removed
Curing mix as needed to dredge the pork, about 100g
6 Turkish bay leaves, crumbled by hand or in a mortar & pestle
20g (about 1 ½ tablespoons) coarsely ground black peppercorns
6 to 8 garlic cloves, crushed and chopped roughly
Needles from 3 sprigs rosemary

1. In a pan or casserole that can fit the pork belly, add 100g of curing mix. Shake pan from side to side to distribute mix evenly.
2. Place the pork belly in the pan with mix and press down gently. Flip pork and repeat on all sides, adding curing mix as necessary so that entire surface is thoroughly coated.
3. Place the pork in a large vacuum seal or zipper-lock bag. Reaching into the bag, spread half of bay leaves, 10g of the peppercorns, half of the garlic, and half of the rosemary evenly over the top surface of the pork. Flip and spread remaining aromatics over the other surface. Seal bag, removing as much air as possible.
4. Place the belly in a sheet pan or tray just large enough for the pork. If possible, place another pan on top of the pork and add a weight to press the meat flat as it cures (such as a sealed bag of beans). Refrigerate for at least six days and up to fourteen, flipping the bag every other day to distribute cure.
5. Remove the pancetta from the bag and rinse off the aromatics under cold water (some of the aromatics will remain on the surface of the pancetta; this is fine). Dry thoroughly with paper towels.
6. At this point, you can cook and enjoy the pancetta, but for better texture and flavor, wrap the pancetta in cheesecloth or paper towels, place it on a rack set in a rimmed baking sheet, and allow the pancetta to rest in the refrigerator, uncovered for at least two days and up to two weeks to dry-cure. Properly sealed and refrigerated, the pancetta will last for three to four weeks. You can also freeze the pancetta for several months.

Sichuan-style Double Cooked Pancetta
Sichuan-style double cooked pork is great when made with pancetta, which crisps up better and has a firmer texture than fresh pork belly. Make sure to soak it in water long enough to draw out excess salt before proceeding with the recipe. (Or don't, if you like it nice and salty)

1/2 pound pancetta
Water
1 stick cinnamon
1 whole star anise pod
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon Sichuan peppercorns
1 tablespoon peanut or vegetable oil
1 cup tender leek whites cut into 1-inch diamonds or squares
1 1/2 tablespoons fermented broad bean chili paste (doubajiang)
2 teaspoons fermented black beans, roughly chopped, or 1 tablespoon black bean paste
1 teaspoon light soy sauce
1 teaspoon sugar

1. Rinse pancetta under cold water and scrub any surface salt or spices off of it. Soak pancetta in 2 quarts of fresh water in the refrigerator overnight.

2. Combine pancetta, cinnamon stick, star anise, bay leaves, Sichuan peppercorns, and 1 quart of water in a wok or saucepan and bring to a simmer. Cook gently for 20 minutes, then drain and transfer pancetta to a cutting board. Allow it to air-dry for 10 minutes, then using a sharp knife, cut it into 1-inch-wide strips, then slice the strips into 1/8th-inch-thick square.

3. Heat oil in a wok over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add pork strips and cook, tossing and stirring frequently, until lightly browned and crisp on both sides, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and set aside, leaving the fat in the pan.

4. Reheat fat until lightly smoking, then add leeks and stir-fry until tender, about 30 seconds. Return pork belly to wok. Add chili paste, black beans, soy sauce, and sugar, and cook, tossing and stirring until everything is heated through and sauce is completely, dry. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve immediately.

[JKenjiLopezAlt]

Regarding masks: we should have been wearing them and staying out of each other’s space the whole time. We were doing this video live in a new setting and having some major technical problems right up until we started so in our harried and nervous state, we forgot. Our bad.

When my wife noticed and reminded us we put our masks back on (because as bad as half an hour of exposure is, it’s still better than an hour of exposure). In our follow-up video which will be coming soon, we are much more meticulous about distancing.

Erik and I both isolate at home when not at work and don’t socialize with groups or anyone outside our immediate circles, and San Mateo county is going to be one of the first counties to reponen in the Bay Area due to low infection rates, so the risk factor between us is low. That said, we definitely should have been more careful here and I apologize for appearing to not take safety seriously. We do!

Kenji

[majinmonki]

the legend showed himself, finally...

[barun]

POV cooking is so last month. Now we've got POV watching someone else cook.

Kenji continues to innovate

[patricklus]

I'm not saying sous chef Erik is shabu but I am saying you never see them in the same room together...

[justnerdlife]

This is three years old now, but I loved the two-camera angle when you left the scene. Very cool. Also love cooking from your books!

[Retritilli]

Please make Erik a regular part of your videos. He seems really cool and his explanations and everything was great. Please keep him on and don't get jealous! We'll still love you even when you have Erik in you vids!

[mememastodon]

So why did his parents name him Sous Chef?

[AmbentTech]

Sous Chef Erik, curer of meats, maker of chillis, first of the Sous Chefs, last of his kind.

[sarishinohara]

kenji and sous chef erik, our prometheus, what fire of knowledge do you bring us mortals today?

[TheDaitomOne]

im seriously going to be sad when kenji goes back fulltime and these frequent videos end. Enjoy it whilst it's still here

[itsjaymie]

i feel like that Michael Scott meme 😅
"omg it's happening!"

Edit: YES, please more of this content! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[gian]

Sous Chef Erik is a great teacher! No-nonsense, non-judgemental teaching with lots of patience. If I was a professional cook I'd love to work under that guy

[Kingjay]

I cannot wait to eat the pancetta that Sous Chef Erik taught how to make! I gotta admit it's far simpler than I expected it to be.

Kenji thank you for all the amazing videos you've been doing. This has been one of the few I genuinely look forward to. I know you don't have to make these and deal with folks who have issues with sink spoons, but I glad you're doing this and I really do appreciate it.

[Akkabouz]

The man, the myth, the legend, sous chef Erik!

[Imth]

Sous Chef Erik is even cooler in real life than in my imagination. What a guy.

[DaveNYC]

This series has really been one of the silver linings of lockdown. I’ve been educated and inspired in equal measure and have just really enjoyed watching and then cooking, even if I’m making something entirely different. Really appreciate the time and effort. Thank you!

[gideonamare]

This is it ladies and gentlemen, peak level quarentine cooking video

[sheelasequeira]

Loved Eriks teaching. He’s so clear and easy to follow. More of him please!

[ramherrump]

Is sous-chef Erik wearing a café olimpico shirt from Montréal?! Edit: yes he is, I didn’t realize he was a montrealer!

[VV-vlol]

Nice makeup, Shabu. You're not fooling us.