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 ↓
Brown Stock
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the meat
Place the beef, veal, and trotters or heel in a covered stewpan with a little water to draw out the gravy gently until it browns.
Pour in enough boiling water to cover the meat completely and let it boil slowly, skimming frequently.
Simmer
Season with whole peppers, coarse sea salt, roots, herbs, and vegetables.
Boil gently for 5 to 6 hours, then pour the broth off the meat and let it cool overnight.
Finish and store
The next morning, remove the scum and fat, and store the stock in a stone jar for later use.
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.
-
Beef + peppertop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together18,971 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Beef + vealtop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,784 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,6-nonadienal (cucumber, green).
-
Veal + peppertop 19% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together10,049 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Shin of beef
- Releases gelatin and meaty flavor into the broth as it simmers slowly.
- Knuckle of veal
- Adds gelatin and body, giving the stock a fuller texture.
- Sheep's trotters or cow-heel
- Contributes gelatin, which gives the cooled stock its body and set.
The step that matters
Skimming the boiling liquid. Scum and fat rising to the surface can cloud the stock and taste greasy. Skimming while it boils keeps the broth clear and clean-flavored.
“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 brown stock recipes
You might also like
Beef, Mutton, or Veal Broth6 recipes
Roast Beef211 recipes
Beef Loaf175 recipes
Corned Beef87 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.