Bucatini all'Amatriciana

Method

1. Render the guanciale by placing the strips in a cold skillet and turning the heat to medium. Cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the guanciale is golden and crispy and has released its fat. The slow start from cold is essential — it renders the fat without burning the meat.

2. Add the red pepper flakes to the rendered fat and cook for 15 seconds. Add the hand-crushed tomatoes (careful — they'll splatter in the hot fat). Stir to combine and simmer for 12-15 minutes until the sauce has thickened slightly and the raw tomato taste has mellowed. Season with salt sparingly — the guanciale and Pecorino add plenty.

3. Cook the bucatini in salted boiling water until 2 minutes short of al dente. Reserve 1 cup pasta water.

4. Combine by adding the drained bucatini to the sauce. Toss over medium heat for 1-2 minutes, adding pasta water as needed. The pasta finishes cooking in the sauce and the starch creates a glossy coating.

5. Add the Pecorino off the heat, tossing vigorously. The cheese melts into the sauce and creates a creamy, emulsified finish. Add more pasta water if it tightens up.

6. Serve immediately in warm bowls with extra Pecorino on top. Amatriciana is one of Rome's four canonical pastas (along with carbonara, cacio e pepe, and gricia). It's the one with tomato.

Equipment

• Large skillet Recommended: Joyce Chen 14-Inch Carbon Steel Wok
• Large pot for pasta
• Tongs Also good: Wok Spatula

Chef Notes

• The most important thing: Render the guanciale slowly from a cold pan. Start with cold guanciale in a cold skillet, then turn the heat to medium. This renders the fat gradually without burning the meat, giving you crispy, golden strips swimming in clear pork fat. That fat is your cooking oil.
• Use guanciale, not pancetta or bacon. Amatriciana is defined by guanciale's sweet, delicate pork flavor. Bacon's smokiness changes the dish entirely.
• Crush the San Marzano tomatoes by hand — squeeze each one through your fingers. This gives you a chunky, rustic sauce. Don't blend them smooth.
• The sauce cooks for only 15 minutes. Amatriciana is a quick sauce — the tomatoes should taste bright and fresh, not long-cooked and concentrated.
• Pecorino Romano is the only cheese. Don't use Parmesan — the sharp, salty tang of Pecorino is what makes amatriciana taste like amatriciana.

Common Substitutions

Ingredient	Substitution	Notes
Guanciale	Pancetta (not bacon)	Pancetta is the acceptable substitute — bacon is too smoky
Bucatini	Spaghetti or rigatoni	Both traditional — rigatoni is common in Rome
San Marzano tomatoes	Quality canned whole tomatoes	Crush by hand — avoid pre-crushed (too smooth)
Pecorino Romano	50/50 Pecorino + Parmesan	Pure Parmesan is too mild for amatriciana
Red pepper flakes	Fresh peperoncino, sliced	More authentic — adjust to your heat preference

What You're Practicing

Amatriciana teaches you the Roman technique of building a pasta sauce from rendered pork fat. The guanciale fat is the cooking medium, the flavor base, and part of the sauce — all from one ingredient. This same fat-as-foundation approach drives carbonara (guanciale fat), gricia (guanciale fat), and aglio e olio (olive oil). Visit Techniques for more on fat-based pasta sauces.

The quick tomato sauce technique (15 minutes, not hours) teaches you that not all tomato sauces benefit from long cooking. Amatriciana's tomatoes should taste bright and fresh, not deeply concentrated. Understanding when to cook tomatoes briefly (amatriciana, pomodoro) versus long (Bolognese, ragù) is a key distinction in Italian cooking.