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Thanks J. I just used the vinegar to wipe away the molds. I will be cooking the end product anyway so I assume that would kill of any problems?

Thanks for the responses everyone. I was concerned because it is a fuzzy mold. I thought I heard they were bad. I will use the vinegar water solution. Does it have to be a specific type of vinegar?

It seems two of my 4 jowls have contracted a mold in the drying phase. I am not sure how I should proceed. Here are some pics of the mold. Thanks http://s1200.photobucket.com/albums/bb331/stropa1/

Unfortunately, the 1st attempt at Guanciale did not go too well. I am not deterred though and have already procured more jowl. This time I am SURE they are pork jowls. They are not tiny pieces like the 1st batch I received. These are roughly 4 lbs each! I want to make sure I don't screw this...

I appreciate all your quick responses. I have one more if you don't mind. Had I dried the jowl without knowing it didn't cure long enough would the final product have been edible?

It did not call for pink salt. When you say make more, you mean cure and let them cure longer, or start over with new meat?

I used the recipe from Ruhlman's book. It was cured in the refrigerator for 7 days.

Kevin, I just hung them to dry. What should I do?

Forgot to post the link again. http://s1200.photobucket.com/albums/bb331/stropa1/

The curing stage of my guanciale concluded today. I took two photos before I hung them. They are very small pieces of jowl. I cut one in half and took a picture of it. Does that look like it should? Also, can I cook the one I cut with out drying phase or should I discard it? Thanks again for...

The bucatini is already waiting in the cupboard!

The cure has begun! I am simultaneously curing bacon and jowl for the 1st time. I will post some pics for critiquing when the process is finished. Thanks again for the help.

The farm just emailed me back and had this to say, "it is pork cheek, our hogs, being a heritage berkshire, is darker meat too. I think the guys running the weight scale used the name that was in the system and changed it with the market. Beef cheeks are about 4 lbs each." I guess it is...

Thanks Kevin. Do you think I can use the cure I made up a few days from now when I get the pork jowl? It is just salt, sugar, fresh garlic, fresh thyme and peppercorns.

I took a picture of them after I vac sealed them. There are 8 cheeks in the package. http://s1200.photobucket.com/albums/bb331/stropa1/

My wife ordered me pork jowl for Christmas to make guanicale with and I defrosted it today to apply the cure. When I opened the package and started to trim, I got a sneaking suspicion it was actually beef cheek. I have not worked with either so telling the difference is difficult for me. My wife...

Anyone have a suggestion where I could get jowl in NJ, preferably Central NJ. I have tried numerous butchers, slaughterhouses, and Asian markets with no success. I found a place online that would ship it to me, but with shipping costs it would be over $18/lb. I am trying to avoid going into the...

I am going to try some Guanciale this month and had a couple questions as this will be my first cure. First, the Babbo recipe does not call for pink salt. Is that anything I need to worry about? Also, after applying the cure should I vac seal the jowl before refrigerating, or should I just put...

Kevin, Should I mix the recipe you linked with the brine and inject it all together, or just inject the brine and rub with the marinade? Thanks for the help.

I was curious if anyone has used the brine/marinade/injection on the Caja China website. I recently attempted my first whole hog in the Caja China. I used the marinade recipe on the website and I found the meat to be a little too salty for my taste, but it was perfectly juicy and tender. The...