Why it works: Pepper and garlic are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 8% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 27,090 recipes. Both carry beta-phellandrene, which smells minty, terpene. The science ↓
Pulled Pork – North Carolina-Style
Serves 8Ingredients
Directions
Step-by-step directions aren't available for this recipe. See the full recipe at the source →
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 6 of 7 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 6 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Pork | 100g cooked | 242 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Chili | 1 tsp (2.7g) | 8 |
| Garlic | 1 clove (3g) | 4 |
| Vinegar | 1 tbsp (15ml) distilled | 3 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 0 |
| Sauce | not in our table | 0 |
One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.
Explore the science
The flavor team
The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.
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Pepper + garlictop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together27,090 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
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Apple cider vinegar + garlictop 13% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together344 recipes
Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).
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Pork + garlictop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together7,169 recipes
Shared aroma: 3-ethyl-2,5-dimethylpyrazine (roasted, nutty).
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Sugar + saucetop 13% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together5,147 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Pork + apple cider vinegartop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together175 recipes
Shared aroma: sotolon (curry, maple).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
Swap the garlic
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (pork, sugar, pepper, apple cider vinegar, sauce):
- Gingerfits about as well
- Garlicthe original
- Thymefits about as well
- Allspicefits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against pork, sugar, pepper, apple cider vinegar, sauce. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
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