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 ↓
Baked Beans
Ingredients
Directions
The book gives no oven temperature. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps was added when the recipe was transcribed, as a starting point.
Soak and parboil
Soak the beans in plenty of cold water overnight.
In the morning, transfer the beans to a small bean pot and add the salt pork.
Fill the pot with cold water and let it sit on the back of the stove for 2 to 3 hours.
Pour off most of the water, refill with cold water, and add a pinch of baking soda.
Bake
Place the pot in a 350°F (175°C) oven and heat slowly until boiling, about 1 hour.
Increase the heat and cook until done, adding hot water if necessary.
Taste before serving to check if additional salt is needed.
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).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Beans
- Provide the main body and starchy texture of the finished dish.
- Salt pork
- Adds fat and savory flavor that seasons the beans as they cook.
- Baking soda
- Raises the pot's alkalinity, helping the beans soften during cooking.
The step that matters
Slow heating to boiling in the oven. Heating slowly lets the beans soften evenly without splitting or turning mushy. Adding hot water when needed keeps them submerged so they cook through without drying out.
“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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