Why it works: Beef and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 37% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 5,435 recipes. Both carry beta-damascenone, which smells apple, rose. The science ↓
Corned Beef
Ingredients
Directions
Make the brine
Mix the soft water, coarse sea salt, sugar, saltpetre, and baking soda in a large container.
Let the mixture stand until cold, then skim off any impurities that rise to the surface.
Cure the beef
Pour the brine over the beef and let it stand for 8 to 10 days.
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.
Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it
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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Beef + sugartop 37% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together5,435 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Beef
- Main protein that absorbs the brine and becomes tender and sliceable as it cures.
- Coarse sea salt
- Draws moisture out and carries seasoning into the meat, preserving it during the cure.
- Saltpetre
- Curing agent that gives cured meat its pink colour and characteristic flavour.
- Sugar
- Balances the sharpness of the salt and adds mild sweetness to the finished meat.
- Baking soda
- Raises the brine's alkalinity, which helps the meat stay tender during the long cure.
The step that matters
Let the brine cool completely before pouring it over the beef. Warm brine can partly cook the meat's surface and let bacteria multiply, so it must be cold before it touches the beef.
“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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