Why it works: Mutton and vinegar work together. They rank in the top 25% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 615 recipes. Both carry 3-methylbutanol, which smells malty, whiskey. The science ↓
Roasting
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare a clear and bright fire by pushing red hot coals to the front.
Add fresh coal at the back, leaving space for air to draw the fire.
Fill front spaces with small lumps of coal or coke.
Ensure the leg of mutton is clean; scrape and wipe it with a cloth if necessary.
Cut off the knuckle bone and set it aside for stock or gravy.
Trim off excess flank and skin where the leg joins the loin.
Weigh the leg of mutton to determine cooking time.
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 + vinegartop 25% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together615 recipes
Shared aroma: 3-methylbutanol (malty, whiskey).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
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