Perfect Pairings & Recipes for
Hanger Steak

Top flavour pairings and hanger steak recipes, revealed through the hidden methmatics of flavour.

Hanger steak is defined by the distinctive flavours of char and glutamate. But look beneath its obvious umaminess and you'll discover a captivating symphony of softer notes, a whisper of iron, a hint of beef, and subtle accents reminiscent of toast, contributing remarkable depth. The key to finding the perfect pairing for hanger 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 analysis reveals, for example, how red bell pepper's saccharine tones lift hanger steak, and how steamed rice's oryzan notes create a surprising synergy with its aromatic bitterness.

An ingredient's flavour comes from its core characteristics, like carnal, maillard, and woody, combined with its unique aroma notes (outer bars). When pairing ingredients, aim to include a broad variety of core characteristics for a balanced dish. And choose aroma notes that complement each other for a harmonious combination.

The Art of Flavour Pairing

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 Charred Notes

Our analysis shows that the flavour of char is strongly associated with the flavour of rice. This suggests we should look for ingredients with a rice-like flavour, such as steamed rice, when pairing with the charred aromas of hanger steak.

The recipe below provides inspiration for pairing hanger steak with steamed rice.

Harmonious Flavours Of Hanger Steak

Just as our analysis revealed that char and rice-like flavours are harmonious, we can identify the full profile of flavours that harmonise with each of the flavour accents present in hanger steak. For instance, the ironny notes of hanger steak are strongly associated with violic and tomatoey flavours.

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

Matching Flavour Profiles

The flavour profile of red bell pepper offers many of the aromas complementary to hanger steak, including sugary and capsicum aroma notes. Because the flavour profile of red bell pepper has many of the of the features that are complementary to hanger steak, they are likely to pair very well together.

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

Recipes That Pair Hanger Steak With Red Bell Pepper

Linked Flavour Notes

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

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

What To Drink With Hanger Steak

The violet notes in margaux (bordeaux) make it a perfect pairing with hanger steak. Likewise, the graphite flavours in bourgueil create a match made in heaven. Explore a variety of ingredients below that beautifully complement the unique character of hanger 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., Hanger steak), analyse its detailed flavour profile, and accurately reveal its complementary flavours and perfect ingredient partners.