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Cinnamon Chile-crusted Steak

A steak coated with a spice blend of ancho chile, oregano, cinnamon, chipotle, parsley, pepper, cumin, and salt, then grilled.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 9 ingredients
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Why it works: Mexican oregano and cumin share more aroma than cooks usually use. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 69 recipes. Both carry coumarin, which smells sweet, hay. The science ↓

Cinnamon Chile-crusted Steak

Time6 to 8 minutes per side

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

  1. Mix the spices and salt on a plate.

  2. Coat the steaks evenly with the spices.

Grill

  1. Grill over medium-high heat for 6 to 8 minutes per side, or until desired doneness.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

34Calories
1 gProtein
1 gFat
7 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 7 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Chili1 tsp (2.7g)8
Cumin1 tsp ground (2.1g)8
Black Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Cinnamon1 tsp ground (2.6g)6
Mexican Oregano1 tsp dried (1.8g)5
Parsley1 tbsp chopped fresh (3.8g)1
Salt1 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.

  1. Mexican oregano + cumintop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together69 recipes

    Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).

  2. Cinnamon + cumintop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together1,103 recipes

    Shared aroma: 4-methoxybenzaldehyde (sweet, anise).

  3. Pepper + parsleytop 2% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together34,122 recipes

    Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).

  4. Parsley + cumintop 3% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together821 recipes

    Shared aroma: cuminaldehyde (Spicy, cumin).

  5. Pepper + cumintop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together4,382 recipes

    Shared aroma: methyl cinnamate (strawberry).

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

What each ingredient does

New york strip or rib-eye steaks
Provides the main protein; its fat and thickness determine juiciness and sear.
Ancho chile pepper
Adds mild, fruity heat and a deep red color to the crust.
Chipotle chile pepper
Adds smoky heat that gives the crust its main spice character.
Black pepper
Adds sharp aroma and a coarse bite to the spice coating.

The step that matters

Coat the steaks evenly. Spices stick to the meat's surface and brown during searing. Uneven coating leaves bare patches that burn or taste bland, so spread the rub across every side of each steak.

Swap the cinnamon

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (pepper, mexican oregano, parsley, cumin):

  1. Corianderfits better
  2. Oreganofits better
  3. Thymefits better
  4. Cinnamonthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against pepper, mexican oregano, parsley, cumin. 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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