Name: Roasted Lime-Cilantro Roast
Ingredients: 8 garlic cloves; 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded; ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro; ¼ cup lime juice; 1 tablespoon coriander seeds; 1 tablespoon cumin seeds; 1 tablespoon coarse-grain salt; 1 tablespoon olive oil; 1 4 to 5 pound roast, eye of round or rump

Why it works: Lime and coriander match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,536 recipes. Both carry beta-phellandrene, which smells minty, terpene. The science ↓

Roasted Lime-Cilantro Roast

Oven325°F

Time3 hours and 15 minutes

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare the paste

Process first 8 ingredients in a food processor until a thick paste forms, stopping to scrape down sides.

Marinate the roast

Make 3 to 4 (1-inch) cuts in each side of roast with a sharp knife.
Fill each cut with about 1 teaspoon of paste.
Spread remaining paste over beef.
Wrap tightly with plastic wrap; chill at least 8 hours or up to 24 hours.

Bake and serve

Unwrap roast; place in a 13 x 9-inch pan.
Bake, covered, at 325°F for 3 hours and 15 minutes or until meat shreds and a meat thermometer inserted into thickest portion registers 180°F (meat will not shred below this temperature).
Let stand 10 minutes before shredding or chopping.
Garnish, if desired.
Serve with corn tortillas, sour cream, pico de gallo and onions, if desired.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

151Calories

1 gProtein

14 gFat

7 gCarbs

Counts 7 of 9 ingredients. The other 2 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 7 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Olive Oil	1 tbsp (14g)	119
Lime	juice of 1 lime (44ml)	11
Chili	1 tsp (2.7g)	8
Cumin	1 tsp ground (2.1g)	8
Garlic	1 clove (3g)	4
Cilantro	1 tbsp chopped fresh (1g)	1
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0
Coriander	not in our table	0
Seed	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.

Lime + coriandertop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together3,536 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
Coriander + cumintop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together3,866 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
Lime + cumintop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together1,216 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
Garlic + cumintop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together5,082 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
Jalapeno + cumintop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together688 recipes

Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

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

What each ingredient does

Garlic: Adds pungent aroma and flavor that mellows during the long cooking.
Jalapeno pepper: Adds heat and fresh, vegetal flavor to the paste.
Lime juice: Adds acidity that brightens the paste and helps flavor the meat.
Coriander seeds: Contribute warm, citrusy aromatic flavor when ground into the paste.
Cumin seeds: Contribute earthy, warm aromatic flavor to the paste.
Roast: Tough cut that becomes tender and shreddable through long, slow cooking.

The step that matters

Cooking to 180°F before shredding. Eye of round and rump are lean, tough cuts. Collagen breaks down into gelatin only at higher internal temperatures, so the meat stays chewy and will not shred if pulled too early. Checking the thermometer protects against undercooking.

Swap the clove

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (garlic, jalapeno, pepper, lime, coriander, cumin, olive):

Oreganofits better
Turmericfits better
Cardamomfits better
Clovethe original

Fit is the average pairing score against garlic, jalapeno, pepper, lime, coriander, cumin, olive. 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.