Name: Maple-glazed Pork Chops
Ingredients: 2 Tbs (30 ml) pure maple syrup; 2 Tbs (30 ml) Dijon-style mustard; Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste; 4-6 boneless pork loin chops, about 1 1/4 inches (4 cm) thick

Why it works: Mustard and pepper are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 9% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 15,430 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓

Maple-glazed Pork Chops

Time5 to 6 minutes per side

Ingredients

2 Tbs (30 ml) pure maple syrup
2 Tbs (30 ml) Dijon-style mustard
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
4-6 boneless pork loin chops, about 1 1/4 inches (4 cm) thick

Directions

Make the glaze

Whisk together the maple syrup, mustard, salt, and pepper.

Grill the chops

Brush the chops with the glaze and grill directly over hot coals for 5 to 6 minutes per side, basting with the remaining glaze during cooking.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

303Calories

27 gProtein

14 gFat

15 gCarbs

What these numbers assume: 5 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Pork	100g cooked	242
Maple Syrup	1 tbsp (20ml)	52
Black Pepper	1 tsp ground (2.3g)	6
Mustard	1 tsp (5g) yellow	3
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

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.

Mustard + peppertop 9% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together15,430 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Mustard + porktop 11% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together2,445 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Maple syrup + porktop 15% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together269 recipes

Shared aroma: sotolon (curry, maple).
Pepper + porktop 16% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together22,121 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Maple syrup + mustardtop 17% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together177 recipes

Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).

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

What each ingredient does

Pure maple syrup: Adds sweetness and sugars that caramelize and brown on the grill.
Dijon-style mustard: Adds sharp tang that balances the sweetness of the syrup.
Boneless pork loin chops: The main protein, cooked through over direct heat.

The step that matters

Watch the glaze over the coals. Maple syrup contains sugars that darken quickly over direct hot coals. If the glaze chars before the chops are cooked through, it turns bitter, so the chops should be turned and basted steadily while grilling.

Swap the mustard

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (maple syrup, pepper, pork):

Capsicumfits better
Potatofits about as well
Mustardthe original
Tomatofits about as well

Fit is the average pairing score against maple syrup, pepper, pork. 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.

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Maple-glazed Pork Chops