Hold the knife with one hand and place your other hand on top of the blade to steady it. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to your hot pan, add the pancetta and fry until golden and crisp (approximately 3-5 minutes). Sliced pancetta can be served with a selection of cold meats and bread as a simple lunch or used to top pizzas.

Aim for cubes that are about 1/4-inch.

It freezes well. Cut, or dice, the meat into small cubes. As pancetta is difficult to find in local markets, most people look for pancetta substitutes while making classic Italian pasta.

To cook: Heat 1 tbsp oil in a frying pan, add cubed pancetta and cook for 5 minutes. You can render the fat from bacon, pancetta, a real cured country ham such as prosciutto or Smithfield, or from a goose or duck to add marvelous flavor to a dish.

For best results open a pack of sliced pancetta 10 minutes before serving. You'd need to walk 28 minutes to burn 100 calories.
Place the top end of the blade on your cutting board and mince the cubes into smaller pieces by rocking the blade back and forth. I remove as much fat as possible, leaving only the brown bits of pancetta. Supermarkets also sell that same package (Citterio). Cut your pancetta into small dice (6x6x6 mm or ¼ x ¼ x ¼ inch cubes). I use chicken stock or wine, if appropriate, to loosen the brown bits from the sauté pan. If you are thinking of the same, you can use prosciutto, bacon, salted pork or smoked sausage as substitutes of pancetta. Visit CalorieKing to see calorie count and nutrient data for all portion sizes. There are 100 calories in 1 oz (1 oz) of Publix Dice Pancetta.
Remove your pancetta with a slotted spoon and place on paper towels to drain. Pancetta Substitutes That Actually Work Just as Well. I usually sautee an ounce of it per person, adding to the pan onions, garlic, oil, whatever vegetable is handy, and some milk or cream, then toss it with pasta and some parmesan. Pancetta is very flavorful so very little goes a long way, considering that it is high in fat.