Why it works: Beef and mutton are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 10% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,373 recipes. Both carry trans-2-nonenal, which smells cardboard, fatty. The science ↓
Roasting
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a hot oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
Place the rib of beef in the oven immediately to seal in juices.
Roast for 15 minutes per pound, plus an additional 15 minutes.
For sirloin or leg of mutton, roast for 20 minutes per pound, plus an additional 20 minutes.
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.
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 + muttontop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,373 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Rib of beef
- Forms the main roast; its fat and connective tissue add moisture and flavor as it cooks.
- Sirloin of mutton
- Forms a main roast; its fat renders during roasting, adding juiciness and rich flavor.
- Leg of mutton
- Forms a main roast; its fat renders during roasting, adding juiciness and rich flavor.
The step that matters
Placing the rib of beef in the oven immediately. Starting the roast in a hot oven browns the surface quickly, which helps build flavor and crust. Cooking time is set by weight, so the roast should go in the oven as soon as the oven is at temperature to keep the timing accurate.
“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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