Australian Meat Pies
Thank you to gourmettraveler.com for the inspiration behind this recipe!
Watch the recipe video here
Prep Time: 1 hour
Cook Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
Bake Time: 35 to 50 minutes
Serves: 12
For the Enriched Beef Stock
♦ 1 to 1 ¼ pounds beef stew chunks or other beef scraps
♦ 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
♦ 4 pieces thick cut bacon, cut into 2 inch pieces
♦ 1 large onion with the skin on, cut in large pieces
♦ 5 to 6 cloves of garlic with the skin on, cut in half
♦ 6 sprigs fresh thyme
♦ 2 large or 3 small bay leaves
♦ 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
♦ ¼ cup brandy
♦ ¼ cup Worcestershire Sauce
♦ 6 cups high quality chicken stock
For the Meat Pie Filling
♦ 1 to 1 ¼ pounds 80/20 ground beef
♦ 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
♦ 1 onion, finely chopped
♦ 2 garlic cloves, smashed or finely chopped
♦ 1 ¼ cups Enriched Beef Stock (from above recipe)
♦ 1 Tablespoon of corn starch mixed with enough water to make a thin slurry
♦ salt, to taste
For the Pie Assembly
♦ 1 “The Gambling Chef’s Pie Crust” (without the sugar) or other deep dish pie crust recipe, or box of puff pastry
♦ Meat Pie Filling (from above recipe)
♦ 3 to 4 ounces of shredded English Cheddar cheese (optional)
♦ 1 egg beaten with 2 teaspoons of water
To make the enriched beef stock, heat 2 Tablespoons of vegetable oil in a large, high sided skillet or stock pot over medium high to high heat. Add the beef scraps and bacon and brown thoroughly, which will take about 8 to 10 minutes. Make sure to scrape the bottom and sides of the pan to prevent burning.
Lower the heat slightly and add the onion, garlic, thyme, bay leaves, peppercorns and cook until the onions are translucent, which will take about 6 to 8 minutes. Continue scraping the bottom and sides of the pan during this process. Once the onions are translucent, deglaze the pan with the brandy and Worcestershire, making sure to scrape all of the brown bits from the bottom and sides of the pan. Cook until the liquid has evaporated.
Raise the heat back to high/medium high and add 1 cup of chicken stock. Cook until the liquid has evaporated, which will take around 10 minutes. Add another 1 cup of chicken stock and repeat this process. Add the remaining 4 cups of stock and bring the mixture to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 45 to 50 minutes.
Strain the beef stock mixture through a fine mesh sieve set over a large heat proof bowl, pressing the chunks of meat and vegetables down with a spoon to release all of the liquid. Return the liquid to the pan and reduce until it is about 1 ½ cups. Some of this liquid will be fat, which you can strain from the top of a measuring cup once the stock has cooled slightly. You are aiming for about 1 ¼ cups of enriched beef stock.
To make the beef pie filling, heat one Tablespoon of vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the ground beef, sprinkle lightly with salt, and cook until the beef is no longer pink. Put the ground beef into a fine mesh strainer set over a heat proof bowl to remove the excess fat. Add about 1 ½ Tablespoons of the fat back to your skillet, add the finely chopped onions and smashed garlic. Sprinkle with salt and cook over medium heat until the onions are soft and translucent. Return the ground beef to the pan and add the enriched beef stock. Bring the mixture to a boil and add some of the corn starch slurry (about half), stirring constantly to prevent clumping. If the sauce is thick enough you do not need to add the entire amount. If the sauce is too thin, then add the remainder of the slurry. Once the mixture has thickened continue to cook it for an additional minute, taste for seasoning and add salt if necessary, and then turn off the heat. Set aside to cool to room temperature. You can make this mixture several days in advance and keep it in the refrigerator or freezer.
To assemble the meat pies, make sure you have a muffin tin that holds 12. Roll out your pie dough until it is around ¼ inches thick or slightly thinner. Find a cutter that is a bit larger than the circumference of your muffin cups (I use a plastic food container), dip it in flour and cut out 12 circles. Set the extra dough aside. Lightly stretch the circles and place them into the muffin cups, using your knuckles to gently press the dough into the bottom and up the sides of the tins. There should be a slight overhang. Place the muffin tin in the freezer while you roll out the dough for the lids.
Find a cutter that is about the circumference of your muffin tins. Reroll your pie dough, dip the cutter in flour, and cut out 12 circles for the pie lids. Place them on a wire rack and put them into the freezer.
Preheat your oven to 355 degrees and make sure one of your oven racks is on the bottom third of the oven. Take the muffin tin out of the freezer. Add a few Tablespoons of room temperature meat pie filling to each dough lined cup, stopping just shy of the top. If desired, sprinkle a few teaspoons of grated cheese over the top of each one (this is more of a New Zealand addition and is not traditional in Australia). If you do not add the cheese, then make sure the meat mixture comes all the way to the top of the cups. Remove the dough lids from the freezer. Stretch each one slightly and place them over the top of the filled cups, pressing the edges down firmly. You can use a spoon to press any dough overhang gently back into the muffin cups. Brush each one with egg wash and use a knife and poke a small slit in the top of each pie. Place your muffin tin on a baking sheet and bake the pies on a lower oven rack for 35 to 50 minutes until golden brown on the top (some leakage and oil drippage is normal, which is why it is critical to use a baking sheet under the muffin tin). The bottoms of the pies can take longer to brown because of the baking sheet, so err on the side of more cook time versus less time. If the tops get too brown you can gently place a piece of aluminum foil over them.
Remove the pies from the oven and place the muffin tin on a wire rack to cool for at least 20 minutes before attempting to unmold. Gently run a knife around the outside of each pie and lift them out of the tins.
