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kaede4318 t1_ja1kbe2 wrote

Reply to comment by donmongoose in [Homemade] Bucatini alla Carbonara by orcodito

Is there a noticeable difference if you use (american) bacon instead of pancetta?

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donmongoose t1_ja1ln9z wrote

I'm certainly no expert in these things, but my basic understanding is pancetta is closer to guanciale in taste, texture and fat than normal bacon, but I'd imagine normal bacon is fine provided it's not ridiculously thinny sliced and cut into chunks. I'm from the UK but from what I've heard, American bacon would probably work better than our bacon as its usually belly, not loin.

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TotaLibertarian t1_ja1mhv0 wrote

Always belly.

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donmongoose t1_ja1mvoh wrote

I'd recommend avoiding absolutes when it comes to food, turns out some of us were eating horse meat for quite awhile over here and I doubt the US food standards are much better than ours.

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TotaLibertarian t1_ja1nkaz wrote

You don’t know what you are talking about. If you mix up horse meat and pork belly that’s on you.

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donmongoose t1_ja1p6qf wrote

My point was more that you can't say American bacon is always belly, because there's always the chance that it isn't. The sort of food they slipped horsemeat into isn't the sort I'd go near, but the bottom line is, companies selling/producing food are as prone to cutting corners as any other.

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TotaLibertarian t1_ja1qfup wrote

This is a stupid argument. If you have eyes you can see it’s belly meat.

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donmongoose t1_ja1r63k wrote

I can't speak for yourself, but I'd wager the large majority of people who eat bacon don't even know what part of the pig it comes from unless its specifically listed, let alone be able to distinguish whether it is infact the correct cut.

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TotaLibertarian t1_ja2wzl0 wrote

Maybe in your country. American bacon is cured and smoked pork belly. If someone is lying that does not change the definition. A waiter is not going to bring your food to the table and say here is probably a pork chop and almost definitely a Caesar salad.

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TotaLibertarian t1_ja1mfe1 wrote

Bacon is smoked.

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donmongoose t1_ja1n4z1 wrote

Good point, pancetta over here is usually unsmoked, just cured, like guanciale (although in the UK bacon is available smoked or unsmoked)

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orcodito OP t1_ja218qg wrote

Less grease which is important for the preparation of the dish.

On the other hand, the real Carbonara was probably made with bacon so I guess it will taste really good anyways ;)

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