Carbonara Recipe

Bring 4 liters (about 1 gallon) of water to a rolling boil in a large pot. Add 2 tablespoons of coarse salt once boiling.

Add 12 oz spaghetti and cook until just shy of al dente (about 1–2 minutes less than package instructions). Stir occasionally to prevent sticking.

Before draining, reserve 1 cup of pasta cooking water. Drain the pasta and set aside briefly; do not rinse.

While the water is coming to a boil, place 6 oz guanciale cut into 1/4" lardons in a cold large skillet. Turn heat to medium-low.

Render the fat slowly: cook, stirring occasionally, until the guanciale is golden and crisp at the edges and the fat is translucent, about 8–12 minutes. Adjust heat to avoid burning.

When crisp, remove skillet from heat but leave the rendered fat and guanciale in the pan. If there is an excessive amount of fat (more than about 3 tablespoons), spoon off a little, leaving enough to coat the pasta.

Mix eggs and cheese

In a medium bowl, whisk together 3 whole eggs and 1 additional egg yolk until homogeneous.

Stir in 1 cup finely grated Pecorino Romano and 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper until a thick, slightly grainy paste forms. The mixture should be loose enough to combine with pasta when tempered.

With the skillet containing guanciale and its fat off the heat (warm but not hot), add the drained pasta to the skillet and toss to coat thoroughly in the fat. If the skillet has cooled too much, warm it briefly on very low heat for 20–30 seconds—do not make it hot.

Working quickly, temper the egg-cheese mixture: add a few tablespoons of the reserved hot pasta water to the egg mixture while whisking to raise its temperature (this prevents scrambling).

Remove the skillet from any heat. Pour the tempered egg-cheese mixture over the pasta and toss vigorously with tongs or a fork to create a silky sauce that coats each strand. Add reserved pasta water a little at a time (up to the reserved 1 cup) as needed to loosen and emulsify the sauce to a creamy consistency. The residual heat of the pasta will cook the eggs gently—do not return to high heat or the eggs will scramble.

Taste and adjust: if the sauce seems too salty, add a splash more pasta water; if too thick or dry, add more water. If you prefer more cheese, sprinkle 1–2 tablespoons Pecorino and toss once more.

Divide among warmed bowls, top with the crisp guanciale (stirred through or spooned on top), extra Pecorino Romano to taste, and freshly ground black pepper to taste.