Give Your Italian Sub A Bacon-Lover's Upgrade With This Flavorful Cut Of Meat

It's fair to say that Italian sandwiches are continents away from American-style sub sandwiches, both literally and figuratively. But that's no reason to feel deprived on this side of the Atlantic Ocean. Though plenty of chain sandwich shops make mild interpretations of what Italians actually eat, a far better approach is creating a genuine panino-style sandwich at home. To do that, there's an ingredient suggestion that will take your taste buds straight into the heart of Italian flavors: speck. 

While not the same as bacon, speck is definitely an Italian sub upgrade for bacon lovers, as the flavor has subtle similarities. In Tasting Table's deep dive on 10 deli meats your Italian sub is missing, Jon Streep, CEO of Italian sandwich shop Alidoro, recommended adding speck to sandwiches. "It gives a very similar flavor profile to bacon," he said. The characteristics of speck, plus the process of making it, add to its bacon-like persona while retaining an ideal texture for Italian sub sandwiches. 

Speck is essentially a dry-cured, lightly smoked Italian ham traditionally associated with South Tyrol in northern Italy. Authentic speck from this region is referred to as Speck Alto Adige IGP, with just 29 licensed producers to date. It's made from the pig's hind leg, and gets seasoned, gently smoked, and then air-aged for several months. 

While the characteristics of speck subtly resemble bacon, they're very different from other meats commonly used in Italian sub sandwiches. The smokiness of speck, plus its deep savory flavor and hints of juniper and bay leaf, distinguish it from prosciutto, another cured meat that routinely appears in Italian-style sandwich and salad recipes. As noted in Tasting Table's discussion on the real difference between bacon and speck, speck more closely resembles the relatively expensive pancetta.

While speck is a game-changer for upgrading Italian subs, it certainly doesn't have to carry the burden alone. Mortadella makes an especially suitable partner because it brings a much softer, richer personality to the sandwich. Traditional Mortadella Bologna PGI is a finely textured Italian pork sausage with a mild, gently seasoned flavor and a familiar pale-pink appearance. That mellow richness could help balance the smokier, more concentrated flavor of speck. Another option is finocchiona, a Tuscan salami flavored with fennel seeds, which brings slightly sweet, herbal notes to the sandwich. For some extra warmth and peppery heat, try adding a layer of spicy soppressata salami. 

Selecting a variety of meats is one of the things sandwich experts covered when they shared 15 ways to upgrade an Italian sub with Tasting Table. But they don't all have to be traditional Italian cold cuts. For example, as noted in the discussion, Defonte's sandwich shop in Brooklyn, New York, features a top-selling Golden Boy sandwich made with a breaded chicken cutlet plus prosciutto, vodka sauce, and melted mozzarella. That could inspire your speck sub.