Name: South Beach Barbecue Sauce
Ingredients: 1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce; 2 tbsp white vinegar; 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce; 1 tsp mustard powder; 2 tsp chopped parsley; ¼ tsp salt; ⅛ tsp ground black pepper; ⅛ tsp garlic powder

Why it works: Parsley and pepper match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 2% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 34,122 recipes. Both carry 4'-methylacetophenone, which smells bitter almond. The science ↓

South Beach Barbecue Sauce

Ingredients

Directions

In a resealable container, combine the tomato sauce, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, mustard powder, parsley, salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
Keeps covered in the refrigerator for 1 week.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

48Calories

3 gProtein

0 gFat

9 gCarbs

What these numbers assume: 8 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Tomato	1 medium (123g)	22
Soy Sauce	1 tbsp (15ml)	9
Black Pepper	1 tsp ground (2.3g)	6
Garlic	1 clove (3g)	4
Vinegar	1 tbsp (15ml) distilled	3
Mustard	1 tsp (5g) yellow	3
Parsley	1 tbsp chopped fresh (3.8g)	1
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.

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.

Parsley + peppertop 2% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together34,122 recipes

Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
Tomato + garlictop 3% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together14,076 recipes

Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).
Parsley + garlictop 4% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together9,308 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
Mustard + garlictop 6% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together4,053 recipes

Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).
Tomato + peppertop 7% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together17,923 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

Tomato sauce: Forms the body and moisture of the sauce, carrying the other flavors.
White vinegar: Adds acidity that brightens the sauce and balances its sweetness.

Swap the tomato

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sauce, vinegar, mustard, parsley, pepper, garlic):

Horseradishfits better
Shallotfits better
Broccolifits better
Tomatothe original

Fit is the average pairing score against sauce, vinegar, mustard, parsley, pepper, garlic. 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.