Ingredients

• Kosher salt
• 1 lb (450 g) dried spaghetti
• ½ cup diced guanciale, pancetta, or bacon (about 3 oz; 85 g)
• 3 tbsp (45 ml) extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 2 whole large eggs plus 6 yolks
• ¼ cup grated Pecorino Romano (about 1 oz; 25 g), plus more for serving
• ¼ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (about 1 oz; 25 g), plus more for serving
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper (medium-coarse), plus more for serving

Serves 4 · ~30 minutes total

Instructions

1. Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil, using only as much water as needed to submerge the spaghetti — starchier pasta water makes a better sauce. Cook the spaghetti to al dente. Do not drain the pot — the boiling water becomes the double boiler in step 5.
2. Meanwhile, crisp the diced guanciale in a skillet with about 1 tbsp of the olive oil over medium heat until the fat has rendered and the pieces are browning at the edges. Chilling the pork first makes it much easier to dice.
3. In a large mixing bowl (one that can nest on top of the pasta pot without touching the water), whisk together the whole eggs, yolks, both cheeses, the pepper, and the remaining olive oil.
4. When the pasta is ready, use tongs or a strainer to transfer it into the skillet with the pork and toss so it picks up the fat and crispy bits. Scrape everything into the mixing bowl with the egg mixture, add a splash of the pasta cooking water, and toss well to coat.
5. Nest the mixing bowl on top of the still-simmering pasta pot (a makeshift double boiler) and stir constantly until the sauce thickens into a light, custardy coating that leaves clear trails as you stir. Constant stirring still matters — eggs will eventually scramble even over steam. Loosen with more pasta water if it tightens too much.
6. Serve immediately in warm bowls, topped with more grated cheese and black pepper. Carbonara does not sit — eat it right away.

Skillet variation (faster, riskier): skip the double boiler; after tossing everything in the bowl, return it all to the skillet over medium heat and stir constantly, using the noodles like a mop so no sauce sits on the hot surface too long. Lift the pan on and off the heat to regulate. Transfer out the moment the sauce coats the noodles — residual pan heat will overcook it.

Notes: Guanciale renders the most fat and adds warm-spice flavor; pancetta gives the purest pork flavor; smoked bacon works too and its smoke is no sin. The mostly-yolks mix is deliberate — whole eggs alone make a waterier sauce that can't be tightened without scrambling.