Perfect Pairings & Recipes for
Smoked Bacon
Unlock the perfect flavour pairings for smoked bacon according to data science. Explore unique recipes and discover the hidden mathematics of flavour.
Smoky depths and porcine notes are at the forefront of smoked bacon's flavour profile, but identifying its perfect partner requires exploring its subtle nuances. We must examine the complex interplay of notes within its bouquet, like hickory, char, and hints of butyric acid. We need to understand how these notes affect each other and which complementary flavors they harmonise with.
To map these harmonies, we analysed thousands of ingredients, breaking each one down across 150 flavour dimensions, identifying which notes complement and contrast. Our findings reveal, for instance, how truffle paste's petrichor tones can ground smoked bacon, or how garlic's allicin notes create an unexpectedly harmonious bridge with the smoky depths.
Flavour Profile Of Smoked Bacon Across 150 Dimensions Of Flavour
Flavour wheel chart showing the dominant flavour notes of Smoked bacon: Smoky, Porcine, Hickory, Charred, Butyric, Peaty, Adipose, Proteolytic, Burnt, Resinous, Rosemary, Allicin, Sage, Pine, Saline, Iron, Ovine, Glutamic, Brassica, Asparagus, Toasted, Bovine, Clove, Porcini, Maple, Mustard, Corn, Oleic, Maltol, Poultry, Thyme, Bay leaf, Tomatoey, Tobacco, Chestnut, Oaky, Onion
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.
Flavour Pairing Method
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 Smoky Notes
Strength of Association Between Flavours
The flavours most associated with smoky notes are: Garlic, Brassica, Bay leaf, Petrichor, Balsam, Hay, Penicillium, Sage, Sulfurous, Mustard, Eucalyptus, Basil, Camphor, Onion, Pine.
Our analysis shows that the flavour of smoke is strongly associated with the flavour of garlic. This suggests we should look for ingredients with a garlicy flavour when pairing with the smoky aroma notes of smoked bacon.
The recipes below provide inspiration for pairing smoked bacon with garlic.
Harmonious Flavours Of Smoked Bacon
Just as our analysis showed that smoke and garlicy flavours are commonly paired, we can identify the full profile of flavours that harmonise with each of the flavours present in smoked bacon. For instance, the porky notes of smoked bacon are strongly associated with brettanomycine and chanterelle flavours.
The aroma notes complementing the various aromas of smoked bacon can be seen highlighted in the pink bars below.
Flavour Profile Of Smoked Bacon And Its Complementary Flavour Notes
Flavour wheel chart showing the dominant flavour notes of Smoked bacon: Smoky, Porcine, Hickory, Charred, Butyric, Peaty, Adipose, Proteolytic, Burnt, Resinous, Rosemary, Allicin, Sage, Pine, Saline, Iron, Ovine, Glutamic, Brassica, Asparagus, Toasted, Bovine, Clove, Porcini, Maple, Mustard, Corn, Oleic, Maltol, Poultry, Thyme, Bay leaf, Tomatoey, Tobacco, Chestnut, Oaky, Onion
Matching Flavour Profiles
The flavour profile of truffle paste offers many of the accents complementary to smoked bacon, including petrichor and chanterelle aromas. Because the flavour profile of truffle paste has many of the of the features that are complementary to smoked bacon, they are likely to pair very well together.
Prominent Flavour Notes Of Truffle Paste Are Represented By Longer Bars
Flavour wheel chart showing the dominant flavour notes of Truffle paste: Petrichor, Fungus, Allicin, Mossy, Porcini, Musky, Asparagus, Brassica, Mouldy, Parsnip, Corn, Sulfurous, Leather, Oyster, Spinach, Walnut, Flint, Elderflower, Bean, Hay, Proteolytic, Glutamic, Rosemary, Sesame, Grassy, Saline, Potato, Olivey
The chart above shows the unique profile of truffle paste across 150 dimensions of flavour, while the recipes below offer inspiration for bringing these flavours together with smoked bacon.
Recipes That Pair Smoked Bacon With Truffle Paste
Linked Flavour Notes
Looking at the notes that are most strongly associated with the various flavours of smoked bacon, we can identify other ingredients that are likely to pair well.
Smoked Bacon's Harmonious Flavours And Complementary Ingredients
Smoked bacon's Strongest Flavours
Complementary Flavours
Ingredients with Complementary Flavours
Flavour groups:
Nectarous
Acidic
Floral
Herbal
Spice
Vegetal
Maillard
Earthy
Woody
Carnal
The left side of the chart above highlights the aroma notes of smoked bacon, along with the complementary aromas associated with each note. While the right side shows some of the ingredients that share many of the aromas complementary to smoked bacon.
What To Drink With Smoked Bacon
The petrichor notes in tuscany make it a perfect pairing with smoked bacon. Likewise, the petrichor flavours in bull's blood create a match made in heaven. Explore a variety of ingredients below that beautifully complement the unique character of smoked bacon below.
Which Fruit Go With Smoked Bacon?
Choose fruit that anchor its savoryness or resonate with its pungent aroma. Avocado offers vibrant, clean counterpoints, its verdant freshness lifting the palate. Red bell pepper add a gentle, oniony brightness, while pumpkin introduces a sophisticated, anise-tinged elegance.
Alternatively, embrace fruit that harmonise with smoked bacon's toastiness. The addition of cherry tomato, with its subtle solanum notes, can complement the toast beautifully. Granny Smith apple bridges earthiness and citrus zest, while green apple lends a fresh aroma.
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., Smoked bacon), analyse its detailed flavour profile, and accurately reveal its complementary flavours and perfect ingredient partners.
The content on our analysis blog is semi-automated. All of the words were manually written by a human, but the content is updated dynamically based on the data.