Why it works: Pepper and beef are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 10% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 18,971 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓
Mutton Chop Fried
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the chops
Season the mutton chops with salt and pepper.
Dip the chops in wheat flour or rolled crackers.
Fry and make the sauce
Fry the chops in hot lard or beef drippings until both sides are a fine brown.
Transfer the chops to a hot dish.
Add hot water to the pan and heat it up.
Stir in the browned flour and let it boil.
Serve the sauce in the pan with the meat.
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.
-
Pepper + beeftop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together18,971 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Mutton + beeftop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,373 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
-
Wheat + beeftop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together319 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline (popcorn, roasted).
-
Wheat + flourtop 12% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,373 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Pepper + wheattop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together984 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Mutton chops
- The main protein, which is cooked until browned on both sides.
- Wheat flour or rolled crackers
- Coating that helps the chops brown and forms a crust when fried.
- Hot lard or beef drippings
- Frying fat that conducts heat and promotes browning on the surface of the chops.
- Browned flour
- Thickens the pan liquid into a sauce and adds a toasted, nutty flavour.
The step that matters
Fry the chops until both sides are a fine brown. The fat must be hot enough to brown the coated surface quickly. Too cool a pan lets the chops steam and turn grey and greasy instead of forming a crisp, flavourful crust.
“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.
You might also like
The free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.
Beef, Mutton, or Veal Broth6 recipes
Mutton Broth292 recipes
Roast Beef211 recipes
Beef Loaf175 recipes