Why it works: Beef and pepper 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 ↓
Roast Beef
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a hot oven”. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
Clean the spit and oven thoroughly before use.
Roast and baste
Place the beef on the spit, bony side facing the fire, and roast slowly at first, turning often.
Once all sides are partly cooked, move the meat closer to the fire.
Baste frequently with drippings and a mixture of water and salt.
Just before finishing, dredge the meat with flour mixed with a little salt and baste again.
Half an hour before it's done, pour off the gravy, season with salt and pepper, and thicken if desired.
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 + peppertop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together18,971 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Pepper + corntop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,324 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Beef + corntop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,028 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Flour + corntop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together6,165 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Flour + peppertop 19% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together50,459 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Beef
- Provides the main protein, which firms and browns as it roasts.
- Flour
- Forms a browned crust on the surface and helps thicken the gravy.
- Water
- Mixed with salt for basting, adding moisture to the surface as it cooks.
- Corn or potato starch
- Thickens the drippings into a smoother, more cohesive gravy.
The step that matters
Half an hour before it's done, pour off the gravy. Pouring off the fat and drippings before thickening lets you control the gravy's consistency. Thickening starch needs liquid that is not greasy to set smoothly, and seasoning at this point keeps the flavor balanced as the drippings reduce.
“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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