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Steak with Chipotle, Bacon and Tomatoes

A grilled steak seasoned with chipotle, bacon, onion, and tomatoes.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 7 ingredients
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Why it works: Olive and tomato are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 15,539 recipes. Both carry 3-hexenal, which smells apple, fruity. The science ↓

Steak with Chipotle, Bacon and Tomatoes

Ovenmaximum temperature
Timeabout 4 minutes per side

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

  1. Start a charcoal or gas grill; fire should be quite hot, and rack about 4 inches from the heat source.

  2. If using oven, turn it to its maximum temperature.

  3. Put chipotle in a bowl and add boiling water to cover the chipotle.

Make the sauce

  1. Put olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. After a minute, add bacon.

  2. Cook, stirring occasionally, until crisp, about 10 minutes.

  3. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until it is softened, about 5 minutes.

  4. Lower heat.

  5. Stem and seed chipotle. Add chipotle (or a piece of it, to taste).

  6. Add tomatoes. Adjust heat so mixture simmers steadily but not violently.

  7. Reserve chipotle soaking liquid.

  8. When tomatoes break up, taste sauce. Add salt and pepper as needed.

  9. If sauce is not hot enough, add a bit of chipotle-soaking liquid or reserved chipotle.

Cook the steaks and serve

  1. Season steaks with salt and pepper.

  2. Grill about 4 minutes on a side, or until they reach desired degree of doneness.

  3. If cooking steaks inside, heat a cast iron or other heavy skillet over high heat 3 to 4 minutes. Add steak. After a minute, transfer pan to oven.

  4. Turn after about 4 minutes. Continue to cook to the desired degree of doneness.

  5. When steaks are done, serve them with sauce.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

492Calories
32 gProtein
33 gFat
18 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 8 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Beef100g cooked250
Olive Oil1 tbsp (14g)119
Onion1 medium (110g)44
Bacon1 slice cooked (8g)43
Tomato1 medium (123g)22
Chili1 tsp (2.7g)8
Black Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
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. Olive + tomatotop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together15,539 recipes

    Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).

  2. Tomato + peppertop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together17,923 recipes

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

  3. Onion + tomatotop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together20,633 recipes

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

  4. Olive + oniontop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together29,779 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).

  5. Onion + peppertop 11% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together68,474 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

Bacon
Renders fat that cooks the onion and adds smoky, savory flavor to the sauce.
Tomatoes
Break down into the body of the sauce, providing moisture and acidity.
Chipotle chilies
Provide smoky heat and aroma to the sauce.
Onion
Softens into the sauce, adding sweetness and savory depth.
Strip sirloin, skirt or rib-eye steak
Main protein; browns on the grill or in the skillet for rich, beefy flavor.

The step that matters

Cook the bacon until crisp. Rendering the bacon fully over moderate heat releases its fat to cook the onion and builds the sauce's savory base; too little heat leaves it greasy, too much burns it before the fat releases.

Swap the onion

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (olive, tomato, pepper):

  1. Capsicumfits better
  2. Eggplantfits better
  3. Spinachfits better
  4. Onionthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against olive, tomato, pepper. 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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