Finishing, rolling and storing cured pancetta

Take the cured pancetta out of its bag, rinse it well and pat it as dry as possible.

It can be cooked now, or returned to the fridge another two to three days to dry and firm a little.

Optionally crack pepper over the meat side.

Wrap in cheesecloth, cut roughly to size, and set on a cooling rack over a sheet pan so air circulates; without a rack, set it on a clean towel and flip about daily.

Variation: to roll, roll tightly with the fat side out, following the natural shape, leaving no air inside; tie tightly with twine from the middle outward, using simple square knots twisted to hold, or a butcher's knot.

Trim the ends straight down alongside the string, rewrap in cheesecloth, and hang by the strings or a loop tied around the cloth; a flat pancetta can be hung through a hole poked in a thick part.

To store, cut into paperback-size pieces and vacuum seal or wrap very well; several weeks in the fridge vacuum sealed, at least a couple of weeks wrapped, or a couple of months or more frozen in heavy-duty plastic.

For slicing, chill it; about 10 minutes in the freezer firms it up.

Treat it as an uncooked product and cook it through.