Why it works: Sugar and beef are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 37% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 5,435 recipes. Both carry beta-damascenone, which smells apple, rose. The science ↓
Beefsteak for Winter Use
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Mix the salt, sugar, and powdered saltpetre well.
Cut the steak into large, thick pieces.
Cure
Sprinkle the bottom of a large jar with salt.
Layer the steak in the jar, sprinkling with the salt mixture between layers.
Leave a good coating of the mixture on top.
Cover with a weighted plate and place in a cool, airy location.
Serve
Broil or fry the steak as usual before serving.
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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Sugar + beeftop 37% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together5,435 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Beef steak
- The main meat, which the salt mixture cures and firms as it sits.
- Coarse sea salt
- Draws moisture out of the meat and seasons it while helping preserve it.
- Sugar
- Balances the harshness of the salt and adds a mild sweetness.
- Powdered saltpetre
- Helps preserve the meat and gives cured meat its characteristic color.
The step that matters
Layering and coating the steak with the salt mixture. Every surface needs contact with the cure, including a thick coating on top, so the salt and nitrate penetrate evenly and the meat is preserved throughout rather than just at the edges.
“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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