Name: Three-bean and Pork Slow Cooker Chili
Ingredients: 1 medium onion, chopped; 2 medium garlic cloves, minced; 1 cup carrots, chopped; 1 tbsp chili powder, medium-hot; 1 tsp dried oregano, crushed; 1 medium jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped or 1 canned chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, chopped; ½ tsp table salt; ½ tsp black pepper, freshly ground; 2 pound lean pork tenderloin, trimmed of fat and cut into 1-inch chunks; 15 oz canned black beans, drained and rinsed; 15 oz canned kidney beans, drained and rinsed; 15 oz canned pinto beans, drained and rinsed; 1 cup canned tomato puree; 29 oz canned diced tomatoes, with green pepper, celery and onion, undrained; 6 oz canned tomato paste

Why it works: Onion and pork match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 4% of all ingredient pairs, and 18,199 recipes mention both. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much aroma chemistry they share, and how many recipes mention both.

Onion + porktop 4% of all pairs

Aroma overlapstrong

Mentioned together18,199 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Onion + garlictop 1% of all pairs

Aroma overlapstrong

Mentioned together29,030 recipes

Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).
Garlic + oreganotop 3% of all pairs

Aroma overlapmoderate

Mentioned together3,756 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
Carrot + oreganotop 3% of all pairs

Aroma overlapstrong

Mentioned together535 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
Carrot + peppertop 3% of all pairs

Aroma overlapstrong

Mentioned together14,555 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

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

What each ingredient does

Pork tenderloin: Provides the main meat, which turns tender during the long, slow cooking.
Black beans, kidney beans and pinto beans: Add body and substance, holding their shape through long cooking.
Diced tomatoes and tomato paste: Supply acidity and a thick, rich base that carries the chili flavour.
Chili powder: Provides the main spice warmth and aroma of the chili.
Onion and garlic: Build savoury depth and aroma as they soften in the sauce.

Flavor stand-ins for the jalapeno

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (onion, garlic, carrot, oregano, pepper, pork, beans):

Cuminbetter flavor fit
Thymebetter flavor fit
Marjorambetter flavor fit
Jalapenothe original

Fit is the average pairing score against onion, garlic, carrot, oregano, pepper, pork, beans. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes. This compares flavor only: it does not check the job the ingredient does in the dish (bulk, moisture, acidity, structure).

“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.