Name: Meat Rub
Ingredients: 8 t paprika; 2 t cayenne; 2 t oregano; 2 t thyme; 2 t pepper; 2 t cumin; 2 t nutmeg; 2 t onion powder; 1/4 cup garlic powder; 2 t salt

Why it works: Oregano and cumin match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 983 recipes. Both carry estragole, which smells anise, licorice. The science ↓

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.

Oregano + cumintop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together983 recipes

Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
Oregano + thymetop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together791 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
Onion + garlictop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together29,058 recipes

Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).
Cumin + garlictop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together5,082 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
Oregano + garlictop 2% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together3,756 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Paprika: Adds colour and a mild, sweet smoky flavour to the rub.
Garlic powder: Provides a concentrated savoury aroma that carries through the seasoning.
Cayenne: Adds heat that builds on the meat's surface during cooking.

The step that matters

Rubbing the meat well in advance. Salt in the rub slowly dissolves and is reabsorbed into the meat, seasoning it more deeply the longer it rests. Rubbing just before cooking leaves the seasoning mostly on the surface.

Swap the nutmeg

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (oregano, thyme, pepper, cumin, onion, garlic):

Marjoramfits better
Rosemaryfits better
Parsleyfits better
Nutmegthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against oregano, thyme, pepper, cumin, onion, garlic. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Onion	1 medium (110g)	44
Nutmeg	1 tsp ground (2.2g)	12
Cumin	1 tsp ground (2.1g)	8
Cayenne	1 tsp (1.8g)	6
Black Pepper	1 tsp ground (2.3g)	6
Oregano	1 tsp dried (1.8g)	5
Thyme	1 tsp dried (1.4g)	4
Garlic	1 clove (3g)	4
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0

Meat Rub

Meat Rub

Ingredients

Directions

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)