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Mince-meat

A preserved beef mixture with suet, dried fruit, spices, and sweeteners, boiled and packed in jars.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 18 ingredients
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Mince-meat

Why it works: Cinnamon and clove match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 14,189 recipes. Both carry ethyl cinnamate, which smells sweet, balsamic. The science ↓

Mince-meat

Ingredients

Directions

Cook the beef

  1. Boil the beef in enough water to cover it, skimming off the scum as it rises.

  2. Add hot water as needed until the beef is tender.

  3. Remove the lid and add salt.

  4. Let it boil until almost dry, turning the meat occasionally in the liquid.

  5. Remove from heat and let it cool overnight.

  6. Remove bones, gristle, and stringy bits from the meat, and chop finely.

  7. Mince the beef suet at the same time.

Mix the mincemeat

  1. In a large pan, combine the chopped meat, suet, raisins, currants, citron, and apples.

  2. Add cinnamon, cloves, ginger, nutmegs, lemon juice, lemon rind, salt, pepper, and sugar.

  3. In a porcelain kettle, heat the boiled cider (or grape juice) and molasses until boiling.

  4. Pour the hot mixture over the ingredients in the pan and mix well.

Store

  1. Pack into jars and store in a cool place.

  2. Once cool, pour molasses over the top to a thickness of 1 inch and cover tightly.

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.

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.

  1. Cinnamon + clovetop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together14,189 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl cinnamate (sweet, balsamic).

  2. Cinnamon + gingertop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together6,380 recipes

    Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).

  3. Clove + gingertop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together6,038 recipes

    Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).

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

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

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

    Shared aroma: methyl cinnamate (strawberry).

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

What each ingredient does

Beef
Provides the meaty body of the mincemeat once cooked, tender and finely chopped.
Beef suet
Adds richness and a moist, silky texture as it melts into the mixture.
Molasses
Adds dark sweetness and moisture, helping keep the mincemeat soft.
Tart cooking apples
Contribute moisture and a bright acidity that balances the sweetness.
Raisins
Add concentrated sweetness and chewy texture throughout the mixture.
Sugar
Sweetens the mixture and helps preserve it by drawing out moisture.

The step that matters

Boil the beef until almost dry. Cooking the meat down in its own liquid concentrates its flavour and gives a firm, dry texture that is easier to chop finely. Stopping too early leaves it wet and it can spoil in storage.

Swap the currant

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (beef, pepper, raisin, apple, cinnamon, clove, ginger):

  1. Orangefits better
  2. Figfits better
  3. Limefits better
  4. Currantthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against beef, pepper, raisin, apple, cinnamon, clove, ginger. 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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