Pecorino Romano, crispy guanciale or pancetta, and black pepper give carbona layers of flavor. Spaghetti is a common pasta ...

Bacon or pancetta. The traditional meat for carbonara is cured pork jowl called guanciale. Since guanciale isn’t easy to find outside of Italy, it’s common to use bacon or pancetta instead.

Meanwhile, cook the pork (guanciale, pancetta or bacon) until slightly crispy. Add the drained, cooked pasta to the skillet with the pork, stirring to combine. Transfer the pasta to a serving bowl.

I have made the following pasta recipe at least a dozen times with pancetta, and was blown away by the sweet porky flavour from the inaugural rendition using guanciale. I should also mention that ...