Perfect Pairings & Recipes for
Braising Steak

Discover the best flavour pairings for braising steak based on data analysis of thousands of recipes. Find perfect ingredient matches & delicious recipes.

Braising steak immediately conjures the embrace of glutamate and the kiss of caramel, yet its initial umaminess is only the opening gambit. Beneath lies a tapestry of delicate protease, hints of iron, and the beefy meatiness of beef that contribute remarkable depth. The key to finding the perfect pairing for braising steak is understanding how these notes harmonise.

To map these harmonies, we analysed thousands of ingredients, breaking each one down across 150 flavour dimensions, identifying which notes complement and contrast. Our exploration reveals, for instance, how the herbal, warm thymol in thyme can awaken braising steak, and how bay leaf's laurelled notes forge a beautiful synergy with its savoury richness.

An ingredient's flavour stems from its core characteristics, such as maillard, carnal, or woody, combined with layers of subtle flavour notes (outer bars). For a balanced dish, pair ingredients with a variety of core flavours, and choose complementary aroma notes for harmony.

The Secret Language of Flavour

To understand exactly which flavours harmonise, we compiled a database of over 50,000 ingredient pairings commonly used in cooking. We then analysed these pairings, identifying the specific flavour notes that frequently appear together.

The Flavours That Harmonise With Glutamic Notes

Our analysis shows that the flavour of glutamate is strongly associated with the flavour of bay leaf. This suggests we should look for ingredients with a bay leaf flavour when pairing with the glutamic aroma notes of braising steak.

The recipes below provide inspiration for pairing braising steak with bay leaf.

Harmonious Flavours Of Braising Steak

Just as our ingredient analysis revealed that glutamate and bay leaf flavour accents are often used together, we can identify the full profile of flavours that harmonise with each of the notes present in braising steak. For instance, the caramel notes of braising steak are strongly associated with cabbagy and peppery flavours.

The aroma accents associated with the various aromas of braising steak can be seen highlighted in the pink bars below.

Matching Flavour Profiles

The flavour profile of thyme offers many of the aromas complementary to braising steak, including thyme and rosemary notes. Because the flavour profile of thyme has many of the of the features that are complementary to braising steak, they are likely to pair very well together.

The chart above shows the unique profile of thyme across 150 dimensions of flavour, while the recipes below offer inspiration for bringing these flavours together with braising steak.

Recipes That Pair Braising Steak With Thyme

Linked Flavour Notes

Looking at the aromas that are most strongly associated with the various flavours of braising steak, we can identify other ingredients that are likely to pair well.

The left side of the chart above highlights the aroma notes of braising steak, along with the complementary aromas associated with each note. While the right side shows some of the ingredients that share many of the aroma notes complementary to braising steak.

What To Drink With Braising Steak

The thyme notes in côtes catalanes make it a perfect pairing with braising steak. Likewise, the bay leaf flavours in rasteau create a match made in heaven. Explore a variety of ingredients below that beautifully complement the unique character of braising steak below.

How Flavonomics Works

We've pioneered a unique, data-driven approach to decode the intricate art of flavour pairing. Our goal is to move beyond intuition and uncover the science of why certain ingredients harmonise beautifully. This rigorous methodology allows us to provide you with insightful and reliable pairing recommendations.

Our analysis begins with over 50,000 carefully selected recipes from acclaimed chefs like Galton Blackiston, Marcello Tully, and Pierre Lambinon. This premium dataset ensures our model distils genuine culinary excellence and creativity.

Each ingredient from these recipes is deconstructed across 150 distinct flavour dimensions, creating a unique numerical "flavour fingerprint." This quantification allows us to apply advanced analytical methods to identify complex patterns between flavour notes.

We identify popular ingredient combinations that frequently appear in our recipe database. Regression analysis is then performed on these pairings to statistically validate and pinpoint truly harmonious flavours.

These insights drive our predictive model, which allows us to take any ingredient (e.g., Braising steak), analyse its detailed flavour profile, and accurately reveal its complementary flavours and perfect ingredient partners.