Why it works: Beans and pork are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 11% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,000 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. 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
Wash the beans in cold water and pick out any imperfect ones.
Soak the beans in fresh cold water overnight.
Change the water twice the next morning.
Simmer the beans in a large pot with cold water for four hours.
Drain the beans in a colander.
Assemble and bake
Heat a beanpot with hot water and wipe it dry.
Place a small piece of pork in the pot and add the beans, leaving two inches from the top.
Score another small piece of pork and place it on top of the beans.
Dissolve the molasses in a pint of warm water, add the salt and Worcestershire sauce, and pour over the beans.
Bake in a 350°F (175°C) oven for three hours, adding more warm water if needed to prevent drying out.
Bake for an additional three hours.
Serve
Serve with hot Boston brown bread.
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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Beans + porktop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,000 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Molasses + saucetop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together280 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Beans + saucetop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,184 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Pork + saucetop 23% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together4,666 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Beans + molassestop 26% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together491 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Small white beans
- Form the bulk of the dish and, once soaked and cooked, become tender and creamy.
- Pork
- Adds savory fat and meaty flavor that seasons the beans as they bake.
- Black molasses
- Adds sweetness and deep color, and helps brown the surface of the beans.
The step that matters
Adding warm water during the long bake. Beans absorb liquid and can dry out over six hours of baking. Topping up with warm water keeps them moist and prevents scorching, while keeping the beans submerged so they cook evenly.
Swap the beans
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (pork, molasses, sauce):
- Beansthe original
- Sesamefits about as well
- Peanutfits less well
- Chestnutfits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against pork, molasses, sauce. 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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