/ck/ - Food & Cooking

Cooking some Carbonara for the first time

Went shopping for ingredients. Stores don't know what guanciale is, and didn't have it. I go to a meat and butcher shop. I ask if they have it, they don't know what it is. I let them know it's pork jowl or pork cheeks. They say they have that and wrap up some meat. I get home and realize written on the meat I got is pork shoulder. That's not the same thing right? Wtf. If that's not what I need I'll probably just try and buy some pancetta instead. If not for carbonara, what is the pork shoulder good for? Also, why the heck is it so hard to find guanciale??