Why it works: Pepper and parsley match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 2% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 34,122 recipes. Both carry 4'-methylacetophenone, which smells bitter almond. The science ↓
Pork and Beans
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a moderate oven”. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare the beans
Pick over the beans.
Wash the beans.
Soak the beans in water overnight.
Drain the beans.
Boil the beans in cold water for 20 minutes.
Stir in baking soda.
Skim off the froth.
Drain the beans again.
Assemble and bake
Place the beans in an earthenware pot.
Score the rind of the salt pork.
Place the salt pork in the center of the beans.
Mix boiling water with salt, cayenne pepper, and molasses.
Pour the mixture over the beans.
Cover the pot.
Bake in a moderate oven at 350°F (175°C) for 4 hours.
Remove the cover for the last hour to brown the top and crisp the pork.
Serve
Serve in a deep dish with the pork on top, garnished with parsley.
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 + parsleytop 2% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together34,122 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
-
Beans + parsleytop 8% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together1,376 recipes
Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).
-
Beans + peppertop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,733 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Beans + porktop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,000 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Pork + peppertop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together22,121 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Beans
- Form the bulk of the dish and become tender and creamy during the long, slow bake.
- Salt pork
- Adds fat and savory flavor, and its rind crisps when the cover is removed.
- Molasses
- Adds sweetness and depth of flavor and helps the top brown during baking.
- Baking soda (in the method)
- Raises the cooking water's alkalinity, which helps the beans soften.
The step that matters
Removing the cover for the last hour. Uncovering the pot lets moisture evaporate and the surface brown and crisp. Covering it for the whole bake keeps the top soft and pale.
Swap the parsley
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (beans, pork, pepper, molasses):
- Clovefits better
- Cuminfits better
- Allspicefits better
- Parsleythe original
Fit is the average pairing score against beans, pork, pepper, molasses. 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.
More pork and beans recipes
You might also like
Pork Cake107 recipes
Roast Pork82 recipes
Molasses Sauce32 recipes
German Style String Beans7 recipesThe 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.