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 ↓
Soup Stock
Ingredients
Directions
Make the stock
Wash the meat and place it in a large pot with cold water.
Slowly bring to a boil, skimming off the scum.
Add a little salt and a dash of cold water to help the scum rise, then skim again.
Let it boil gently for 6 to 8 hours until the meat is tender.
Strain and finish
Add a little pepper, strain the stock into a jar, and let it cool.
Remove all the grease from the cooled stock.
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.
Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it
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).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Lean beef
- Releases flavour and gelatin into the water, giving the stock body and savoury depth.
- Cold water
- Extracts flavour from the meat slowly as it heats, and the added dash helps scum rise for skimming.
The step that matters
Skimming off the scum. Scum is coagulated protein and impurities that rise as the liquid heats. Skimming it early keeps the stock clear and free of bitter, muddy flavour.
“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 beef stock recipes
You might also like
Beef Tea69 recipes
Raw Beef Tea23 recipes
Vegetable Soup350 recipes
Raspberry Vinegar214 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.