Guanciale

Pork jowl cured with salt and pepper, then air-dried. It is not smoked. It holds more fat than pancetta, and the fat melts at a lower temperature.\n\nRender it from a cold pan on low heat. The fat runs out before the meat browns. Keep the fat: in carbonara it is the oil phase of the sauce.\n\nPancetta replaces it. Pancetta is leaner and milder, so it gives less fat and less of the funky cured taste.