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 ↓
Under-done Beef Served As Steaks
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Cut the beef into slices 1.5 inches thick, ensuring a good amount of fat.
Cook
Place the slices on a grill over a good fire and turn them often without piercing them.
Once browned, transfer the steaks to a very hot dish.
Season and serve
Season with coarse sea salt and black pepper, then pour hot gravy over the steaks.
Serve with sliced fried potatoes around the dish, if desired.
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 + fried potatotop 50% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together0 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-undecenal (sweet).
-
Pepper + fried potatotop 79% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together0 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Beef
- Provides the main protein; its fat content keeps the slices moist and flavorful during grilling.
The step that matters
Turning the steaks often without piercing them. Frequent turning on a hot fire browns the surface evenly, while piercing lets juices escape, leaving the meat drier.
“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.
You might also like
The 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.
Potato Croquettes255 recipes
Roast Beef211 recipes
Beef Loaf175 recipes
Fried Fish120 recipes