Why it works: Sage and pepper match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 3% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 5,388 recipes. Both carry beta-phellandrene, which smells minty, terpene. The science ↓
Raised Pork Pie
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the filling
Cut the pork into small pieces.
Season the pork with salt, sage, and pepper.
Form the crust
Mold the crust with your hands or a pie mold while it is warm.
Set the crust aside until cold.
Fill the crust tightly with the seasoned pork.
Close the pie
Wet the edges of the pie.
Place the lid on top.
Weigh out ¼ lb of crust for the lid.
Keep the lid crust warm.
Trim the edges neatly with scissors.
Make a hole in the center of the lid.
Decorate as desired.
Tie a band of paper around the pie.
Bake and finish
Place the pie on a baking sheet.
Bake for about 2 hours.
Start with a hot oven for the first 10-15 minutes.
Reduce the heat to cook slowly until done.
Ensure the pork is thoroughly cooked.
Brush the pie with beaten egg about 10 minutes before it is done for a better appearance.
Once done, fill the pie with good gravy made from the bones.
When cold, serve garnished with parsley.
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.
-
Sage + peppertop 3% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together5,388 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
-
Pork + sagetop 12% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,527 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-hexenal (green, leafy).
-
Pork + peppertop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together22,121 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
- Pork
- Forms the main filling and provides the meaty texture and flavor of the pie.
- Hot crust
- Shapes the pie and holds the filling while it bakes into a sturdy, browned case.
- Salt
- Seasons the pork and helps draw out flavor from the meat.
The step that matters
Ensure the pork is thoroughly cooked. Raw pork must reach a safe internal temperature throughout, and a large filled pie can stay cool in the center if the heat is not controlled, so the slow reduced-heat bake matters.
Swap the sage
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (pork, pepper):
- Sagethe original
- Thymefits about as well
- Marjoramfits about as well
- Parsleyfits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against pork, 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.
More pork pie recipes
You might also like
Pork Cake107 recipes
Roast Pork82 recipes
Tomato Soup526 recipes
Brown Bread461 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.