Ingredients
Directions 8 steps | 30 Minutes
Measure and prep all ingredients. (See notes 3.)
Cook the pasta. Bring a large pot of unsalted or lightly salted water to a boil. Add the bucatini and cook until al dente, around 10 minutes. Check the package’s instructions. (See notes 4.)
Prepare the carbonara. While the pasta is cooking, add the guanciale to a hot skillet and fry until brown and crispy. Turn off the heat and discard half of the fat.
While the guanciale is frying, place the egg yolk, Pecorino and pepper in a bowl. Whisk until well combined.
Add the extra-virgin olive oil and warm water and whisk until well combined.
Once the pasta is ready, remove it with kitchen tongs to the skillet with the guanciale and toss in the fat so it's well combined. Stir well on medium heat adding a few tablespoons of hot pasta water from the pot until the water is evaporated and the starch has bound the ingredients.
Turn off the heat, wait a few seconds (the time depends on how much the skillet retains the heat), and then add the egg mixture while tossing the pasta to ensure the eggs don't scramble. Once the sauce turns glossy and creamy it's ready. (See notes 5.)
Top with extra Pecorino and pepper. Serve and enjoy!
Notes:
- For a gluten free version, you can substitute bucatini with gluten free spaghetti.
- If you don't want pork, smoked salmon is an excellent alternative (for me even better). In this case, just sauté the salmon in a tablespoon of olive oil.
- Do not add onion, garlic or cream to the recipe. For more servings, just multiply the ingredients.
- Guanciale and Pecorino are already very salty. If salting the water, use no more than 2 grams for ½ gallon of water.
- The heat of the bucatini is enough to coagulate the egg without scrambling it.
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