Pancetta vs. Bacon philisophical question

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13spicerub

Meat Mopper
Original poster
Sep 11, 2007
180
11
NYC
this is like the chicken or the egg.

ok so Pancetta is bacon that isn't smoked.

so if i wrap a fatty in pancetta, then smoke it, is it still pancetta or is it bacon?

let that roll around in your head a little bit.

i expect a 5 page paper with footnotes by friday.
 
I say it's still the same thing. A steak is a steak for example... The only way I would call it changed is if it was put into a dish with other ingredients, making all of it a single dish.

So basically, if it's a single item cooked and served it's still that item.

If it's multiple items to make a dish, it isn't that item anymore.
 
But if you smoke corned beef it becomes pastrami and if you dry and smoke a jalapeno pepper it becomes a chipotle pepper. Hmmmm.
 
at what point does it become the other item? the second it hits the grates? not until its pulled off? the moment it takes on a smoke flavor?
 
Okay... how about this:

A) Multiple ingredients cooked together become a dish/item of its own.

B) Single items cooked in order to become another item are still a single item.
 
Actually, I don't think the smoke isn't the only difference. As I recall, bacon is usually brined. Whereas Pancetta is typically seasoned dry, and usually with different seasoning than bacon, in a casing until cured.
 
I agree with "A". But on "B" it is still a single item-it just might have a new name I guess.
 
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