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 3½ tablespoons baking soda added.
Drain the beans.
Add fresh boiling water.
Cook until the skins curl when exposed to air.
Drain.
Prepare the pork
Scald and scrape the rind of the pork.
Assemble and bake
Place a thin slice of pork in the bottom of a crock.
Add the beans.
Bury the remaining pork on top.
Mix molasses, brown sugar, pepper, mustard, and 1 cup boiling water.
Pour over the beans.
Add enough boiling water to cover them.
Cover and bake in a slow oven at 300°F (150°C) for 6 to 8 hours.
Uncover 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).
-
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).
-
Beans + porktop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,000 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
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 become tender and creamy during the long bake.
- Fat salt pork
- Adds fat and savory flavor that melts into the beans during the slow cook.
- Molasses
- Adds dark sweetness and color, and helps the beans brown on top.
- Brown sugar
- Adds sweetness and helps the top caramelize during baking.
- Baking soda (in the method)
- Raises the soaking water's alkalinity to soften the bean skins.
The step that matters
Cover and bake slowly, then uncover for the last hour. A low, long bake lets beans soften without bursting while the sauce thickens. Uncovering only at the end lets surface liquid evaporate so the top browns instead of staying wet.
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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