Why it works: Meat and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 34% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,866 recipes. Both carry guaiacol, which smells smoky, sweet. The science ↓
Salted Meats
Ingredients
Directions
Ensure the meat is fresh and remove any blood and moisture.
Hang the meat for a day or two in cool weather, avoiding drying or tainting.
Rub the brine thoroughly into every part of the meat, including between muscles and any holes.
Examine the meat regularly; cut off any moldy parts and apply fresh salt.
If the meat is slimy, rub it with dry, warm salt and let it drain before salting.
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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Meat + sugartop 34% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together2,866 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
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