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Thanksgiving Mince Meat

A spiced, fruit‑laden beef mince for Thanksgiving.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 22 ingredients
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Why it works: Raisin and cinnamon are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 5,390 recipes. Both carry 1-octen-3-ol, which smells mushroom, earthy. The science ↓

Thanksgiving Mince Meat

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare the filling

  1. Chop the lean beef finely in a meat chopper.

  2. Add a pound and a quarter of suet, freed from strings and chopped fine, to the meat.

  3. Add six pounds tart apples, Spitzenbergs or nice greenings, chopped in coarse bits.

  4. Add six pounds sugar, one pint molasses, four pounds seeded raisins, three pounds currants, well washed and thoroughly dried, one-half pound citron shredded fine, three pints sweet cider, three pints jdoiled cider, one quart of the stock in which the meat was cooked, three tablespoon powdered cinnamon, two tablespoon-fuls each of salt and powdered cloves, one teaspoonful each white pepper, mace, allspice and nutmeg, three pints tart jelly, and as much more juice of preserves or jelly as the housekeeper may elect.

Flavour and store

  1. Rose water may be added at the last if desired, and a quarter of a pound each candied orange or lemon peel are an improvement.

  2. Chopped prunes are another excellent addition, as also cold coffee or any fruit juices that have commenced to ferment, but not moldy.

  3. This mince meat may be scalded or packed away in glass jars without cooking, its richness ensuring its keeping.

  4. Allow to ripen at least two weeks before using.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

300Calories
2 gProtein
2 gFat
76 gCarbs

Counts 10 of 13 ingredients. The other 3 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 10 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Apple1 medium (182g)95
Grape1/2 cup (76g)62
Molasses1 tbsp (20g)58
Sugar1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated49
Nutmeg1 tsp ground (2.2g)12
Clove1 tsp ground (2g)7
Cinnamon1 tsp ground (2.6g)6
Black Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Allspice1 tsp ground (1.9g)5
Salt1 tsp (6g)0
Cidernot in our table0
Meatnot in our table0
Macenot in our table0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures. See the original page.

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. Raisin + cinnamontop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together5,390 recipes

    Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-ol (mushroom, earthy).

  2. Apple + cidertop 2% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together1,238 recipes

    Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-one (mushroom, metallic).

  3. Apple + cinnamontop 4% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together5,598 recipes

    Shared aroma: methyl cinnamate (strawberry).

  4. Currant + cidertop 10% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together500 recipes

    Shared aroma: isoamyl acetate (banana, pear).

  5. Sugar + cinnamontop 10% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together30,779 recipes

    Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).

Sugar and cinnamon barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 30,779 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.

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

What each ingredient does

Lean beef
Provides the meaty body and savory base of the mince.
Suet (in the method)
Adds richness and fat that keeps the filling moist and smooth.
Tart apples
Supply acidity and moisture that balance the sweetness.
Sugar
Sweetens the filling and helps preserve it.
Molasses
Adds depth, dark colour and extra sweetness.
Raisins
Add chewy texture and concentrated sweetness.

The step that matters

Allow to ripen at least two weeks before using.. Resting lets the spices, fruit and sugar blend and mellow, so the flavour becomes rounder and less sharp. Cooks often taste too early and judge it flat or harsh.

Swap the currant

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (apple, sugar, molasses, raisin, cider, meat, cinnamon):

  1. Figfits better
  2. Pearfits better
  3. Vanillafits better
  4. Currantthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against apple, sugar, molasses, raisin, cider, meat, cinnamon. 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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