Pedrazzoli Carrobbio Guanciale

Guanciale is the cut the old Roman kitchens were built around. Cured pork jowl, not belly: the muscle is leaner, the fat is softer and more aromatic, and when it renders it carries the salt and pepper of the cure through whatever it touches. Carbonara, amatriciana, gricia: none of them work with pancetta, and none of them taste right without guanciale.

The Pedrazzoli family have been curing meat in the Po Valley since 1951, when Arnaldo Pedrazzoli founded the salumificio in the Mantovan village of San Giovanni del Dosso. Three generations on, the business is run by Mauro Pedrazzoli and his cousin Stefano, with the next generation, Emanuele and Elisa, already at work alongside them.

Il Carrobbio sits in the Q+ line, their small-batch premium range. This is the conventional line, cured in the traditional way: not the organic Primavera range, but the guanciale the family reach for when they want to show what the salumificio can do at full scale. Sold whole at around 1.5kg.

Breed & welfare: Italian heritage pork from Pedrazzoli's own breeding farms, heavy pigs of over 200kg raised for the Q+ luxury line. Closed-cycle traceability, reared without a rushed grow-out. The 2025 Guida Salumi d'Italia recognised the salumificio with an Animal Welfare Pin for its rearing standards.

Cure: Dry-cured by hand with salt, a little sugar, and coarse black pepper, then rested a minimum of three months in temperature-controlled rooms in Mantova. No smoking. No gluten in the cure, no added dairy. As a traditional dry-cured salume, it is preserved with curing salts (nitrate and nitrite).

Certifications & awards: The salumificio produces 75% of its own energy from on-site photovoltaic, recycles all of its process water from the heat of machinery cooling, and holds ISO 14001 environmental certification. It was recognised with an Animal Welfare Pin and a Green Pin for its company and sustainable chain in the 2025 Guida Salumi d'Italia. Note: Il Carrobbio is Pedrazzoli's conventional Q+ line and is not organic. For a certified organic guanciale from the same family, see the Pedrazzoli Organic Guanciale from their Primavera Bio range.

Soft, buttery fat with a distinct rim of lean. Pepper and salt on the nose; the fat melts at hand temperature and carries a clean, sweet pork flavour without any smoke or spice distraction. This is the point of guanciale: the cure should step out of the way and let the pork speak.

How to use it: Cut into small lardons or strips and render slowly in a cold pan. No oil needed; the fat is the sauce. For carbonara, use the rendered fat with the egg and cheese emulsion. For amatriciana, build the tomato over it. For gricia, let it do the whole job with pecorino. Also excellent crisped and scattered on beans, soups, or a simple egg.

Guanciale is cured pork jowl, the fatty muscle from the cheek. Pancetta is cured pork belly. They are not interchangeable. Guanciale has softer, more aromatic fat with a higher fat-to-lean ratio and a stronger, sweeter flavour; when rendered it produces a silkier emulsion. The classic Roman pastas, carbonara, amatriciana, and gricia, are built on guanciale. Using pancetta instead is a common substitution but it produces a noticeably different dish.

No. Il Carrobbio is Pedrazzoli's Q+ line, their conventional small-batch premium range, cured in the traditional way with curing salts (nitrate and nitrite). For a certified organic guanciale from the same family, made with no nitrites and no added preservatives, see the Pedrazzoli Organic Guanciale from their Primavera Bio line.

Yes to both. No wheat-based binders, no lactose, no milk derivatives. Safe for coeliac and dairy-intolerant diets. Check the label on arrival as the formulation of reference.

Cut into lardons (roughly 5 mm by 20 mm) and render in a cold, dry pan over low-medium heat. The fat will melt out in a few minutes. For carbonara: take the pan off the heat, add hot drained pasta and a tablespoon of the cooking water, then fold in the egg-yolk-and-pecorino emulsion. For amatriciana: build tomato, chilli, and a splash of white wine over the rendered guanciale. For a plain egg at breakfast: crisp the lardons first, then fry the egg in the rendered fat.

Shelf life 120 days from production, stored in a cool, dry place. Refer to the best-before date on the pack. Once cut, wrap tightly in greaseproof paper and refrigerate at 2–4 °C; use within 2–3 weeks. Guanciale can be frozen in portioned lardons; use within 3 months for best texture.

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