Speck substitute

Substitutes for Speck with ratios

1. 2Prosciutto plus a pinch of smoked paprika

   Different taste

   Use the same amount plus ⅛ tsp smoked paprika per 60g

   Italian air-dried ham, corrected for the smoke it does not have.

   What changes

   Best for

   pizza, pasta, antipasto, wrapping, sandwiches

   Prep. Lay slices out, dust very lightly with smoked paprika, and add to hot dishes at the last moment.

   Prosciutto and speck are close cousins: both are salted, air-dried pork legs, both come in silky thin slices with a soft fat rim. Left alone, prosciutto makes a lovely plate that simply is not speck, tasting sweeter, more delicate and floral, with none of the woody, resinous smokiness or juniper edge that gives speck its alpine character. A very small amount of smoked paprika dusted over the slices, or a couple of drops of liquid smoke stirred into whatever fat or sauce is in the dish, closes most of that gap. Be sparing; too much and it tastes of barbecue rather than beech smoke.

2. 3Westphalian ham or other cold-smoked dry-cured ham

   Close match

   Use the same amount

   German dry-cured ham smoked over juniper branches and beechwood.

   What changes

   Best for

   charcuterie boards, pizza, sandwiches, canapes

   Prep. Slice paper-thin and serve at cool room temperature; add late to hot dishes.

   Very close indeed, and if your deli has it this is arguably a better match than Black Forest ham. It is dry-cured, firmly textured and smoked over juniper, which is precisely the aromatic note that defines speck. It tends to be smokier and more intensely savoury than speck, with a drier, denser bite and often less fat, so slices can feel firmer and less melting. Slice it as thin as possible and let it sit at cool room temperature before serving to bring out the aroma.

3. 4Smoked pancetta (pancetta affumicata) or smoked bacon, for cooked dishes

   Taste and texture differ

   Use the same amount by weight

   Cured and smoked pork belly, diced and cooked before use.

   What changes

   Best for

   pasta sauces, dumplings and knodel, soups, risotto, potatoes, braises

   Prep. Dice and render from a cold pan over low heat until the fat runs and the pieces are lightly coloured, then build the dish in that fat.

   The right substitute whenever the speck is being cooked, and the wrong one whenever it is eaten raw. Both bring the smoke and the cured salt, and both render fat generously, which is a real advantage in a pan. The difference is fat content and cut: pork belly is far fattier than pork leg, so the dish will be noticeably richer and greasier, and diced belly cooks into soft chewy nuggets rather than the delicate sheets speck gives you. American bacon is also usually sweetened with sugar or maple, which shows up clearly in a savoury alpine dish, so choose an unsweetened smoked pancetta if you can.

4. 5Thinly sliced smoked turkey breast

   Taste and texture differ

   Use the same amount

   Lean smoked turkey breast, shaved thin at the deli.

   What changes

   Best for

   pizza, sandwiches, salads, when pork is not an option

   Prep. Add in the final minute of cooking or after plating; finish the dish with olive oil for the missing fat.

   A reasonable non-pork option because it does bring genuine smoke, which is the flavour note that matters most. What it does not bring is any of the cured, aged, faintly funky depth that months of air-drying produces, so it tastes clean, mild and straightforwardly of smoked poultry rather than complex and savoury. It is also very lean, so there is no fat to melt over a hot pizza and it dries into papery curls if it bakes for long. Add it at the very end and drizzle a little olive oil over the dish to supply the missing richness.

5. 6Culatello or unsmoked prosciutto crudo, used plain

   Different taste

   Use the same amount

   Fine air-dried Italian cured pork with no smoking at all.

   What changes

   Best for

   charcuterie boards, antipasto, wrapping, when smoke is not wanted

   Prep. Serve at cool room temperature with something juniper-adjacent alongside, such as a gin-cured pickle or rye bread, to nod at the missing smoke.

   Included as the honest admission that if you cannot find any smoked cured ham, the best you can do is an excellent unsmoked one and accept the difference. Culatello in particular is silkier and more refined than prosciutto and makes a beautiful plate. But there is no getting around the fact that the smoke is missing, so the dish will taste sweeter, gentler and less resinous, and anyone who knows speck will notice immediately. Do not try to compensate on a cold plate with liquid smoke, which tastes acrid and artificial when it is not cooked into something.