substitute for pancetta

emcsull
  • Posted by: emcsull
  • November 22, 2018
  • 4409 views
  • 4 Comments

4 Comments

Merrill S. November 22, 2018
It really depends on the recipe. Prosciutto would be a closer substitute in terms of flavor (or guanciale, though that's even harder to find), but odds are you'll only have access to very thin slices of prosciutto, which may not work if you need cubed pancetta.
 
Smaug November 22, 2018
It is a sticky problem, there is no obvious substitute. Cubed pancetta is available at Trader Joes in small packages- possibly the poster could still track it down; not sure if TJ is open today.
 
Smaug November 22, 2018
I would be extremely leery of using bacon; smoke flavor is badly out of place in most Italian recipes. It would kind of depend on how it functions in the recipe- possibly you could just skip it, sub prosciutto, or find another way to balance the recipe.
 
Merrill S. November 22, 2018
Hi emcsull and happy Thanksgiving! What's the recipe you need the pancetta for? Bacon could work, but it will add a smokiness that pancetta won't. If you think that will be OK with the other flavors, it's probably the simplest substitute.
 
Recommended by Food52