Why it works: Mutton and pepper are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 16% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 5,442 recipes. Both carry trans-2-nonenal, which smells cardboard, fatty. The science ↓
Chops of Mutton
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Cut the chops from a well-hung, tender loin of mutton and trim them into a nice shape.
Slightly beat and level the chops.
Preheat a grill over a bright fire.
Rub the bars with a little fat.
Grill and serve
Lay the chops on the grill.
Frequently turn the chops while broiling.
Cook for about 8 minutes until done.
Season the chops with pepper and coarse sea salt.
Place the chops on a hot dish.
Rub a small piece of butter on each chop.
Serve immediately.
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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Mutton + peppertop 16% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together5,442 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
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Mutton + buttertop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,781 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
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Butter + peppertop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together85,593 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Loin of mutton
- Forms the meat of the dish; a well-hung, tender cut gives juicier, more flavourful chops.
- Butter
- Rubbed on the hot chops to add richness and a glossy, savoury finish.
The step that matters
Turning the chops while broiling. Frequent turning over a bright fire lets the surface brown evenly without burning, while the inside cooks through gently, keeping the chops juicy.
“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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