Chef John's Spaghetti alla Carbonara Recipe

Cook guanciale with olive oil and 1 teaspoon ground black pepper in a Dutch oven over medium-low heat until almost crisp about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low.

Whisk eggs 3 tablespoons Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese 3 tablespoons Pecorino Romano cheese and 1 teaspoon ground black pepper in a bowl. Set aside.

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook spaghetti in the boiling water stirring occasionally until cooked through but firm to the bite 10 to 12 minutes. Drain reserving 1 cup of the pasta water.

Pour reserved pasta water and drained spaghetti into the bacon-pepper mixture; stir to combine.

Slowly pour egg mixture into the pasta mixture; cook stirring constantly until the egg mixture forms a thick sauce 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat.

Stir remaining 3 tablespoons Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and 3 tablespoons Pecorino Romano cheese into the pasta mixture and serve.