Why it works: Mutton and pepper are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 16% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 5,442 recipes. Both carry trans-2-nonenal, which smells cardboard, fatty. The science ↓
Mutton Chops
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Cut the chops from a tender loin and remove excess fat.
Trim the chops into a nice shape and slightly beat them.
Grill and serve
Preheat a grill over a bright fire and rub the chops with a little fat.
Lay the chops on the grill and turn them frequently.
Cook for about 8 minutes until done.
Season with pepper and salt, then place on a hot dish.
Rub a small piece of butter on each chop.
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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Mutton + peppertop 16% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together5,442 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
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Mutton + buttertop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,781 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
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Pepper + buttertop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together85,593 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
- Loin of mutton
- Is the main meat, whose tender cut gives the chops their body and bite.
- Butter
- Adds richness and a glossy finish to the cooked chops.
The step that matters
Lay the chops on the grill and turn them frequently. Frequent turning over a bright, hot fire helps the surface brown evenly without burning, while the inside cooks through gently. Letting one side sit too long can char it while the centre stays underdone.
“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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