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 ↓
Beef Steaks
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Prepare a clear fire for broiling.
Grease the gridiron to prevent burning.
Cook the steaks
Broil the steaks over a coke fire.
Cook one side until done before turning.
Finish and serve
Add minced shallot and ketchup to the dish.
Rub butter on the steak just before serving.
Season with salt and pepper after removing from the fire.
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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Beef + peppertop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together18,971 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Shallot + peppertop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,898 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
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Beef + shallottop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,103 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
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Shallot + ketchuptop 16% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together476 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Beef + buttertop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together10,847 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-furfurylthiol (coffee, roasted).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Rump beef steaks
- Provide the main meat, which browns and develops flavour when broiled over direct heat.
- Butter
- Adds richness and moisture to the steak surface just before serving.
- Minced shallot
- Adds a mild, sweet aromatic flavour to the dish.
- Ketchup
- Adds sweetness and acidity to the sauce or dish.
The step that matters
Cook one side until done before turning. Turning too early leaves the surface unseared and the steak can stick to the grate. Letting one side form a browned crust releases it cleanly and gives better flavour and texture.
Swap the shallot
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (beef, ketchup, butter, pepper):
- Capsicumfits better
- Onionfits better
- Tomatofits better
- Shallotthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against beef, ketchup, butter, pepper. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
“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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