Why it works: Garlic and onion match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 29,058 recipes. Both carry furaneol, which smells caramel, strawberry. The science ↓
Home-cured Tasso Ham
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the cure
In a mixing bowl, combine the salt, black pepper, cayenne, paprika, granulated garlic, granulated onion and onion powder.
Coat and rest the pork
Dredge each piece of pork in the spice mix, pressing the spice mix well into each piece.
Wrap the Tasso in plastic wrap, about 4 pieces together.
Refrigerate for a minimum of 3 days or up to 1 week.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 6 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Pork | 100g cooked | 242 |
| Onion | 1 medium (110g) | 44 |
| Black Pepper | 1 tsp ground (2.3g) | 6 |
| Cayenne | 1 tsp (1.8g) | 6 |
| Garlic | 1 clove (3g) | 4 |
| 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.
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.
-
Garlic + oniontop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together29,058 recipes
Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).
-
Pepper + garlictop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together27,090 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
-
Onion + porktop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together18,214 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Pepper + oniontop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together68,474 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Garlic + porktop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together7,169 recipes
Shared aroma: 3-ethyl-2,5-dimethylpyrazine (roasted, nutty).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Lean pork butt
- Provides the meat that the spice cure penetrates and firms as it rests.
- Salt
- Draws moisture out of the pork and carries the seasoning into the meat during curing.
- Paprika
- Adds colour and a mild, sweet smoky-red flavour to the coating.
- Cayenne
- Adds the main heat to the spice coating.
The step that matters
Pressing the spice mix into each piece. Salt and spices only season the meat where they touch it, and salt must contact the surface to pull moisture out and carry flavour inward. Even coverage gives an evenly cured result.
Swap the onion
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (pepper, garlic, pork):
- Potatofits about as well
- Capsicumfits about as well
- Onionthe original
- Spinachfits about as well
Fit is the average pairing score against pepper, garlic, 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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