Why it works: Beans and mustard match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 4% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 852 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓
Baked Beans
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a slow oven”. The 300°F (150°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare the beans
Pick over and wash the beans.
Soak the beans overnight in cold water with 1 teaspoon baking soda added.
Drain the beans.
Add fresh boiling water and cook until the skins curl when exposed to air.
Drain again.
Prepare the pork
Scald and scrape the rind of the fat salt pork.
Bake and serve
Place a thin slice of pork in the bottom of a crock, add the beans, and bury the remaining pork on top.
Mix the molasses, brown sugar, salt, pepper, mustard, and 1 cup of boiling water; pour over the beans and add enough boiling water to cover them.
Cover and bake in a slow oven at 300°F (150°C) for 6 to 8 hours, uncovering the last hour to brown the top.
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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Beans + mustardtop 4% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together852 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Pepper + mustardtop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together15,430 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Beans + peppertop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,733 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Beans + porktop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,000 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Molasses + sugartop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together9,225 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Small white beans
- Form the bulk of the dish and soften into a tender, creamy texture during long baking.
- Fat salt pork
- Adds fat and savory flavor that moistens the beans as it renders during slow baking.
- Molasses
- Contributes dark color, sweetness and a deep flavor that helps the sauce thicken and brown.
- Brown sugar
- Adds sweetness and caramel notes, and helps the top darken during baking.
- Mustard
- Adds a sharp tang that balances the sweetness of the molasses and sugar.
The step that matters
Soaking the beans with baking soda. Soaking softens the dried beans so they cook evenly, and baking soda raises the pH, which helps the skins soften. Drain well before adding fresh water so the beans cook in clean liquid.
Swap the beans
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (pork, molasses, sugar, pepper, mustard):
- Beansthe original
- Chestnutfits about as well
- Sesamefits less well
- Lentilsfits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against pork, molasses, sugar, pepper, mustard. 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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