‘Burnt bacon’ blunder: Chef Aldo Zilli roasts Brooklyn Beckham’s carbonara

Brooklyn Beckham has found himself in hot water with celebrity chef Aldo Zilli after sharing a video of himself cooking spaghetti carbonara, with critics claiming he 'burned' the guanciale.

The 26-year-old aspiring chef posted a step-by-step Instagram tutorial this week, showcasing his take on the classic Italian dish. But not everyone was impressed. Zilli, a well-known Italian-born chef and restaurateur, accused Brooklyn of “jumping on the bandwagon” and ruining the key ingredient.

“Burning guanciale [bacon lardons] would cause it to become bitter, hard and make the carbonara taste terrible,” Zilli told the media. “Maybe he needs a masterclass from Aldo Zilli! Stop changing recipes!”

The criticism quickly spread on social media, with some followers piling on. Comments ranged from, “You burnt your guanciale, made it black” to “What in the extremely charred pork cheek is going on here??” One user, identifying as Italian, remarked: “Your guanciale is so burnt it looks like coal. I wouldn’t touch that dish.”

Others offered unsolicited cooking tips, suggesting adding water to the pan to prevent burning and using a lower flame.

Brooklyn, however, defended his culinary choices, writing: “Guanciale has a lot of sugar in, that’s why it’s darker. I slow-cooked it so it’s not burned.”