Carbonara

Materials:

• Big Bowl
  • Preferably metal
• Pasta Pot
• Large Skillet/Pan
• Cheese Grater
  • Can skip if you have pre-shredded cheese
• Knife
• Cutting Board
• Whisk
  • Can use a fork as a replacement
• Heat Resistant Pouring Cup
  • A glass measuring cup works best

Ingredients:

• 1 pound dry pasta
  • Preferably thick spaghetti
• 1 pound thick cut bacon
  • Preferably pepper cured
• ~9-11 large eggs
  • ~7-9 Egg Yolks
  • ~1-3 Whole Eggs
• 1 Parmigiano Reggiano Wedge
  • Can use a whole tub of grated/shredded parmesan as a replacement
• 1 Pecorino Romano Wedge
  • Can use a whole tub of grated/shredded pecorino as a replacement
• A lotta salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

Optional:

• 2-3 cloves of garlic

Prep:

1. Grate/Shred the cheese into the bowl.
   • Make sure it's finely ground.
2. Cut the bacon into small pieces.
   • Think bite sized (bigger than bacon bits).
3. Lay the individual bacon bites into a cold skillet to prepare for cooking.
   • Make sure they're as evenly spread out as possible.
   • I also like to try to place all the fattiest pieces first/at the bottom so it can render off first and help cook the rest of the bacon.

Cooking:

1. Put the skillet with the bacon on the stove and turn the heat to medium to start.

   NOTE: Since each stovetop is different, I consider medium to be the point at which if you dropped in a single piece of bacon it would smoke a bit too much. I know that's not that specific, but that's the best I got ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.

   1. Make sure the bacon starts out cooking in the cold pan you prepared earlier.
   2. Since the pan has to heat up & there's so much bacon, you can focus & move onto step 2 & 3 for the next couple of minutes.
      • Check back every couple of minutes & stir around the bacon until it's all a little bit cooked.
   3. Once the bacon has gotten some color & most of the fat has rendered off, reduce the heat to medium low.
   4. Stir the bacon around once every minute or so until cooked.
      • If you want greater temperature control at this point, feel free to turn your stovetop down to as low as you want.
   5. Once the bacon is cooked to a point where there's equal parts crunch & chew, turn off the heat, move the skillet off the burner, & transfer the bacon bites onto a rack/paper towel lined plate to remove the grease.


2. While the bacon is cooking, crack the eggs into the bowl with the cheese.
   1. Make sure to separate the egg yolks from the whites.
      • I'd recommend starting out with 8 yolks & 1 full egg, then add an extra whole egg after combining all the ingredients if the sauce seems too solid.
   2. Once all the eggs are cracked, whisk the eggs & cheese together until it's a smooth mixture.
   3. Next, mince & very finely slice the garlic & add it to the mixture (if you want).
      • While garlic isn't traditionally in Carbonara, a hint of it is amazing in this dish!
      • I've found that 2 cloves can be too underwhelming, while 3 cloves can make the dish a wee bit too garlicy, so 2 1/2 cloves has been my sweet spot.
   4. Once the mixture is smooth, add a generous amount of freshly ground black pepper to the mixture & whisk again.
   5. Then add a good sized pinch of salt & mix it into the mixture.
      • Start off with a bit less salt than you think you need, since this is quite a salty dish already, & keep adding more to taste.
   6. As stated above TASTE THE SAUCE FOR MORE SEASONING!!! The sauce is what makes the carbonara, so give it the attention to detail it deserves.
   7. Complete step 1 before going any further.
   8. Once the bacon is done cooking, slowly incorporate as much of the bacon fat into the sauce as you desire, while quickly whisking it in.
      • Make sure to add the bacon fat in slowly, since you don't want to cook the eggs.
      • Also, make sure to add the bacon fat in quickly, since you don't want the fat to solidify. You want it to perfectly merge with the sauce.


3. While the bacon is starting cooking, add JUST BARELY enough water to a pot to cover all your pasta while cooking.
1. Once the water is added, add a lot of salt to the pot.
2. Turn the heat to high & bring the water to a boil.
3. Complete Step 2 before continuing.


4. Once the water is boiling, add the pasta to the pot & cook until al dente.
   • Make sure to stir the pasta around every couple of minutes to prevent it from sticking together.
   • Also, make sure to taste the pasta every couple of minutes to make sure it's cooked to your liking.


5. While the pasta is cooking, place your metal bowl with the sauce on top of the pot to create a double boiler.
   • Then begin aggressively whisking the sauce while on the double boiler.
     • This loosens up the sauce and makes it creamier than it normally would be.
   • You don't need to have the double boiler going the whole time.
     • I like to whisk it over the boiler for 2 minutes at a time, then take it off for 1 minute intervals to check the pasta & make sure the sauce isn't getting overcooked.
   • Also, make sure the bowl isn't touching the water.


6. Once the pasta is done, set aside a cup or two of the pasta water.
1. Then drain the pasta into a strainer and quickly return it to the same pot.
2. Add the bacon to the pasta & stir around so it's evenly dispersed
3. Then slowly start incorporating your sauce into the pasta
   • Make sure to add the sauce in slowly, since you don't want to cook the eggs.
   • Also, make sure to stir the sauce in quickly, as you want it to be spread around as evenly as possible while the heat from the pasta solidifies the sauce a bit.
4. Once the sauce is fully incorporated, add a splash of pasta water if the sauce seems too thick.
   • As with the sauce, quickly mix it around to get it properly incorporated, and only add a little bit at a time as to not water down the sauce any more than necessary.


7. Once the sauce is fully incorporated, serve the pasta into bowls & top with a generous amount of freshly ground black pepper & freshly grated parmesan cheese.
   • Make sure to serve the pasta immediately, as it's best when it's fresh.

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