The market · Meat · Southern Europe

Pork jowl

The pig's cheek and jowl: thick, firm fat laced with sweet meat. Fresh, it's for slow braising or grilling thin; cured, it's guanciale.

rich · sweet fat · silky

What to do with it

Rosa Ibarra's Clarified milk punch, mezcal and pineapplePork jowl would soften its edgeIbu Sari's Sambal ijoPork jowl would soften its edgeKenji Hara's Milk punch, with hojichaPork jowl would soften its edge

Kinds

Fresh jowl
For braising, confit, or slicing thin to grill over fire.
Pig cheek
The lean muscle inside the jowl; a gelatinous braising cut.
Guanciale
Cured jowl, the fat for carbonara and amatriciana.

Goes with

black pepperpecorinochilliwhite wine

Knowing it

Where to buy
Ask the butcher; it's cheap and usually goes into sausages. Skin-on if you want to cure it yourself.
Worth knowing
Braise it slowly until the fat is soft, press it overnight under a weight in the fridge, then slice and crisp it in a hot pan.

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