Why it works: Beef and pork match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 5,690 recipes. Both carry 12-methyltridecanal, which smells tallowy, beefy. The science ↓
Irish Stew
Ingredients
Directions
In a large pot, combine the mutton, beef, veal, and pork chops.
Add the quartered potatoes and sliced onions.
Season with salt and pepper, then pour in the gravy and catsup if using.
Cover the pot tightly and simmer on low heat for 2 hours, stirring occasionally to prevent burning.
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.
Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it
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.
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Beef + porktop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together5,690 recipes
Shared aroma: 12-methyltridecanal (tallowy, beefy).
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Potato + oniontop 3% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together9,023 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Pork + potatotop 5% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,668 recipes
Shared aroma: sotolon (curry, maple).
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Beef + oniontop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together17,092 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Beef + potatotop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,052 recipes
Shared aroma: sotolon (curry, maple).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Mutton chops
- Provide the rich meat base and savory flavor that defines the stew.
- Irish potatoes
- Thicken the broth as they break down and add starchy body to the stew.
- Onions
- Add sweetness and aroma as they soften and melt into the broth.
- Gravy
- Adds moisture and savory depth to the liquid surrounding the meat.
The step that matters
Simmering the covered pot. Low, gentle heat lets the tough meat become tender without drying out, while stirring prevents the starches and sugars on the bottom from scorching.
Swap the onion
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (mutton, beef, veal, pork, potato, pepper, ham):
- Onionthe original
- Tomatofits about as well
- Carrotfits about as well
- Capsicumfits about as well
Fit is the average pairing score against mutton, beef, veal, pork, potato, pepper, ham. 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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