Get a big pot of water on the stove and add 1 tablespoon of salt. Bring to a boil while you’re getting everything ready.

Chop your guanciale into small cubes and grate your pecorino finely (I like to use a microplane for this if you have one).

Crack the 2 eggs into a small bowl and add the grated pecorino, 1 tablespoon of miso paste and a good grind of black pepper (around 1 tablespoon). With a fork, give it a very good mix until it resembles a thick paste, pressing down to break up the miso. Set aside.

Set a large, high-sided frying pan or skillet on the stovetop and add the cubed guanciale. Turn the heat to medium and cook, stirring, for about 4 minutes, until the guanciale is starting to get crispy and the fat is rendering out and pooling in the pan. You don’t need to add any oil before adding the guanciale – it’s lovely and fatty enough. But, if you’re using bacon, ham, chorizo or pancetta, you may need to add a little oil if the meat is lean and not releasing fat. I like my guanciale super crispy, but if you like it softer you can stop cooking when it’s looking right for you. When you’re satisfied, turn off the heat and cover the pan with a lid if it has one, or a large plate.

Once your pasta is al dente (still with a little bite to it) it’s time to put it all together. This is when you need to work quickly and confidently!

Drizzle ¼ cup of pasta cooking water into the egg, pecorino and miso paste, stirring vigorously with a fork while doing it. This is going to temper the paste (it will raise the temperature slightly and gradually so it lowers the risk of it splitting and scrambling when you add it to the hot pasta pan). Transfer the pasta directly from the pot to the pan with the guanciale and turn the heat to low. Give it a quick toss, and when you start to hear the guanciale sizzling, turn the heat off. Then add the paste into the pan with the pasta and guanciale and give it a really good toss with tongs to coat every pasta strand. This is where you’ll start to see the texture of the sauce change – it’ll become runny at first, then start to thicken up and go super glossy the longer you toss it through the hot pasta.

If you find the sauce is too runny for your liking, you can add a little more grated pecorino to the pan and toss through to thicken it up. Likewise, if it’s not runny enough, add a little more pasta cooking water to the pan and toss through. If it’s really not thickening up, turn the heat to the lowest setting and toss the pasta over the heat, making sure not to let it get too hot.

You want to serve carbonara right away, so divide the pasta between two serving plates, then top with more grated pecorino and an extra grind of black pepper.