Pancetta Weight Loss

[wheels]

Being new to the branch of air-drying, I thought I had read that much on the subject to be confident in what I was doing.

How wrong can you be - I've been like an expectant father with my pancetta - lord knows what I'll be like with the chorizo I'm now doing!

Anyway, what's the expected weight loss percentage when doing pancetta - is it 30-40% like salami etc or should I be testing the AW.

Phil

[Greyham]

Hi Wheels,
firstly let me ask what style of pancetta are you making? Has it been dry cured or wet cured? Whole belly or top end?
I make two kinds. traditional italian cured first then heavily peppered on both inside and out, then rolled and tied ready for hanging.
I hang for two-three weeks at first and go from there. The drier obviously the less weight it will be.
The 2nd version is dry cured and rested for a week before smoking. This i do in my rather large smoker in my garden. Cold smoke over oak for two weeks. Smoking obviously acts as both a preservative and aids in drying out the meat. Fat content is important here in choice of bellly. I sell this as smoked pancetta at various farmers markets and it is very popular.

[Greyham]

Oh wheels if you want my chorizo recipe let me know. I make about twenty kilos a week

[Spuddy]

is it 30-40% like salami

Simple answer, no. I would aim for 20-30%.

[wittdog]

Oh wheels if you want my chorizo recipe let me know. I make about twenty kilos a week

I am interested in a good chorizo recipe...if you could post it or PM it that would be great.

[wheels]

Oh wheels if you want my chorizo recipe let me know. I make about twenty kilos a week

Yes please, maybe in a new thread so I can find it later?

Thanks for all your replies

Phil

[wheels]

Hi Wheels,
firstly let me ask what style of pancetta are you making? Has it been dry cured or wet cured? Whole belly or top end?

Mine's a dry cured unsmoked tesa - front end of the belly.

The 2nd version is dry cured and rested for a week before smoking. This i do in my rather large smoker in my garden. Cold smoke over oak for two weeks. Smoking obviously acts as both a preservative and aids in drying out the meat. Fat content is important here in choice of bellly. I sell this as smoked pancetta at various farmers markets and it is very popular.

I'm glad to know that your customers like it. I assume that you roll this as an Arrotolata? Two weeks seems heck of a long smoking time - even trickle smoked - I only like my (streaky) done for 24 hours or so.

I notice that you say on another post that you don't use any nitrates in your bacon, do you use nitrites? Does this also apply to smoked bacon where the anerobic, slightly warm (well, above the safe zone), temperatures are the conditions that Clostridium botulinum favours?

Phil

[jasonmolinari]

Being new to the branch of air-drying, I thought I had read that much on the subject to be confident in what I was doing.

How wrong can you be - I've been like an expectant father with my pancetta - lord knows what I'll be like with the chorizo I'm now doing!

Anyway, what's the expected weight loss percentage when doing pancetta - is it 30-40% like salami etc or should I be testing the AW.

Phil

Given the quantity of fat in pork belly you won't get as much weight loss as in a salame. (the meat contains much more water than the fat). For pancetta i do it more by feel than by weight loss. My guess would be somewhere around 20% loss by the times it's done.

[wheels]

I took it to around 30% - it was great!

Congratulations on a brilliant recipe.

Phil

[jasonmolinari]

Thanks. I'm glad it worked out for you!