Cured pork
Cured pork belly. An easier-to-find substitute for guanciale, and closer to the authentic flavor than bacon since it isn't smoked.
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Chef Ropia's carbonara never touches cream — egg and cheese alone create the emulsion. In his book, he thins the egg mixture with cooled pasta water first, which he says keeps it from going lumpy.
Vincenzo's Plate allows pancetta or salami as a substitute in amatriciana but names bacon specifically as the one to avoid. Here's how guanciale differs, how chefs treat it, and how to buy it online.
Guanciale, pancetta, and bacon are all cured pork, but fat ratio and smoking split them apart. Serious Eats ranks them bacon, pancetta, guanciale — and guanciale use ranges 19g to 67g per 100g pasta.
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Ingredients