Name: Kalua Pig and Vegetables
Ingredients: vegetable leaves; potatoes; green onions; tomato paste; Bar-B-Q smoke liquid; Hawaiian sea salts; about 5 lb pork butt

Why it works: Potato and onion are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 3% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 9,023 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓

Kalua Pig and Vegetables

Oven325°F

Timeabout 5 hours

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

Coat pork with Hawaiian sea salt and add layers of tomato paste.
Soak mixture with Bar-B-Q liquid and bake in oven.

Bake

Cook the meal in oven at 325°F.
Bake for about 5 hours.
After 3 hours, add vegetable leaves, potatoes, and green onions.

Serve

Serve hot, garnish with vegetable leaves.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

589Calories

34 gProtein

28 gFat

52 gCarbs

Counts 6 of 7 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 6 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Pork	100g cooked	242
Potato	1 medium (173g) baked	161
Vegetable	1 tbsp (14g)	120
Onion	1 medium (110g)	44
Tomato	1 medium (123g)	22
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0
Smoke	not in our table	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.

Potato + oniontop 3% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together9,023 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Potato + tomatotop 5% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together2,798 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Potato + porktop 5% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together2,668 recipes

Shared aroma: sotolon (curry, maple).
Onion + tomatotop 8% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together20,633 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Onion + porktop 10% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together18,214 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 butt: Slow cooking breaks down its connective tissue, leaving the meat tender and easy to shred.
Tomato paste: Adds concentrated flavor, color, and body to the meat layers.
Potatoes: Absorb cooking juices and soften, adding starch and bulk to the dish.