Bucatini carbonara
J. Kenji López-Alt · ♥ 15K likes · 814.4K views · 16 min video
Read about pork in the BrightCulinary Book
Timestamp
Ingredients
Method
Techniques
- pancetta
Cut the guanciale or pancetta into thick little chunks.
- olive oil
Bring water to a boil in one skillet for the pasta; start the pork in another skillet with a touch of olive oil until it renders and sizzles in its own fat.
- 80–100 g bucatini
Weigh out about 80 to 100 grams of bucatini per person.
Bronze-die versus supermarket pasta
- salt
Season the pasta water lightly with salt and cook the pasta.
Turn off the heat under the pork well before the pasta is done so the pan cools; a hot pan scrambles the eggs.
Cooling the pan so the eggs don't scramble
- 30–45 g pecorino Romano
- 1 whole egg
- 1 whole extra egg yolk
- black pepper
Combine about 30 to 45 g pecorino Romano per person, one egg per serving, an extra yolk and plenty of black pepper. No cream.
Pecorino, egg and pepper
Cook the pasta to just shy of al dente, since it finishes cooking in the sauce.
Pulling the pasta shy of al dente
- pasta water
Transfer the pasta to the pork pan with its water, splash in a little more pasta water, and toss so the rendered fat emulsifies into a creamy sauce.
Emulsifying with pasta water and adding the eggs
Add the egg mixture to the relatively cool pan and keep it moving until it thickens slightly, glossy and creamy, not scrambled.
variation: finish it over a double boiler to thicken slowly if carbonara has scrambled before.
- pecorino
Pull the pasta through the sauce, spoon over the excess, and finish with extra pepper and pecorino.
Glossy, not wet or scrambled