Jowl at 55 degrees: Braised cheek

The fat here renders faster than you expect. Take it off while the centre still looks faintly moist and let carry-over finish the job. Often ungraded at retail — buy on firm white fat and a fresh, sweet smell, not a stamp. Look for a marbled cross-section rather than one solid fat seam — the laced pieces are the ones worth the price.

Colour, sinew, where the fat sits, and thickness are what you check before you pay. Ask for the thickness that matches “Braised cheek.” Use 55 degrees and 55 when you cook. Salt after you know the job. Do not play with undercooked meat. Cook Jowl to 55 degrees and serve it as “Braised cheek.” The other figure to watch is 55. Do not time a hard-working muscle like a thin steak. Colour before heat is not doneness. The cheek and throat, worked constantly by chewing, so lean muscle and fat end up laced through each other rather than stacked in layers. Cured it becomes guanciale, the fat that makes a carbonara; grilled fresh it is th

Cook Jowl to 55 degrees and serve it as “Braised cheek.” The other figure to watch is 55. Do not time a hard-working muscle like a thin steak. Colour before heat is not doneness. The cheek and throat, worked constantly by chewing, so lean muscle and fat end up laced through each other rather than stacked in layers. Cured it becomes guanciale, the fat that makes a carbonara; grilled fresh it is th