"The Main Ingredient" is the second album by Pete Rock & CL Smooth, released in 1994. Characterized by sultry soul and jazz samples, the album had a more polished sound than the duo's debut "Mecca And The Soul Brother" and built on the praise they had already received. "The Main Ingredient" is characterized by its crisp drums and extensive use of vocal scratches. It contains some of the duo's best-known work in the form of tracks such as the upbeat "In The House" and the catchy "Sun Won't Come Out", which features a lush vocal sample from the Harvey Scales song of the same name.

Following a theme introduced by "Mecca and the Soul Brother", short instrumental interludes are placed at the beginning and end of the songs. With the exception of a few tracks, this feature runs through the entire album. In addition, Rock further developed his signature production style on "The Main Ingredient", which is now known for often incorporating smooth bass lines, swirling horns, filtered samples and spacious grooves. The production of this album proved to be influential on a whole range of today's producers.

To celebrate its 30th anniversary, "The Main Ingredient" is available in a limited edition of 1500 individually numbered copies on Translucent Yellow Vinyl and includes an insert.