Old Fashioned Beef and Guiness Jamie Oliver

Classic Meat Pies with a chunky beef and Guinness filling. A delicious meat pie recipe with step-by-step photos.

Meat Pies

For many Australians, a meat pie at lunch with a good squirt of tomato sauce (ketchup) is almost a daily ritual.

You can find meat pies at nearly all Australian cafés and bakeries, corner shops and supermarkets, but making your own at home from scratch can be very satisfying.

And if, like me, you are an expat living in a country where meat pies do not exist, homemade meat pies can be a real joy.

Meat Pie Recipe

An Australian meat pie is essentially a meat filling in a thick gravy, fully encased in pastry; they typically have a base made from shortcrust pastry to give structure to the pie, and a soft and flaky puff pastry lid.

There are many variations on how beef stews can be made, some using tomatoes as a base, perhaps red wine for something fancy, or an ale for a rich, dark flavour.

A typical Aussie Meat Pie contains a minced beef filling, which are fairly quick and economical to make.

Beef and Guinness Pie

For something a bit more upmarket, I like to make my pies with chunky pieces of beef which have been slowly simmered in a rich gravy, and this Beef and Guinness Pie is a real treat.

The meat pie recipe below uses stout (Guinness) to produce a rich, dark, full-bodied gravy.

The stout gives a classic flavour which reminds me of the meat pies of my childhood (you know, the ones from the corner shop which you ate with a small carton of chocolate milk to go with …).

I also love to add mushrooms in my pies for their flavour and contrast in texture, as well as a generous amount of black pepper for some heat.

How to Make Meat Pies

Step 1

Make the pie filling. I recommend making it the day before so that it has had a chance to cool down properly and set. This sort of beef stew also tends to improve in flavour after a day.

Step 2

Cut out the shortcrust pastry to fit each pie tin.

Cut out small sheets of baking paper to fit each pie tin. Scrunch up the baking paper and then flatten it out again – this step will help to make the baking paper more manageable.

Place the baking paper on top of the shortcrust pastry, and fill each pie tin with a small handful of ceramic baking beans (you could also use uncooked rice or dried beans).

Bake the pastries for 10 minutes at 200°C (390°F), or until they are lightly golden.

Remove the baking paper and ceramic baking beans from each pie tin, and return the pastries to the oven to bake for a further 10 minutes, or until they are nicely golden all over.

Step 3

Fill each pastry with some of the beef filling, taking care to not overfill the pastry cases.

Step 4

Cut out rounds from the puff pastry to to fit as lids on the pies.

Brush the rims of each pastry case with some egg wash, and place the lids on the pies.

Use a fork to seal the edges of the pies together.

Brush with egg wash, and use a knife or scissor to cut a vent in each pie.

Step 5

Bake the pies for 20-30 minutes, or until they are golden brown all over.

What Type of Pie Tins to Use

During my last trip to Australia, I picked up a few sets of non-stick pie dishes with fluted edges (which I have used in the photos above). You can also find pie dishes with flat edges, oval-shaped pie moulds … you can find quite a variety in most specialty kitchen stores.

At a pinch, you could also use a standard muffin pan to make mini meat pies.

I highly recommend using non-stick pans, though, for the obvious reasons.

Tips For Making Meat Pies

• Make the filling the day before so that it can cool down completely and also improve in flavour overnight.
• The pastry should be as cold as possible before baking, otherwise it will shrink in the oven. Hence, when handling the pastry, try to work as quickly as possible. If you think the pastry has become too soft and warm, simply place the pastry (or uncooked but assembled pies) in the fridge to chill for 15-30 minutes.
• When it comes to meat pies, it's all about the pastry. Choose the best quality pastry you can afford, preferably organic and with all butter.
• When cutting the puff pastry, use a sharp knife and cut the pastry cleanly and without dragging the pastry. This will help the pastry to puff nicely in the oven and show off all of the layers in the pastry.
• Use non-stick pie dishes for easy removal.

More Australian Recipes

For more Australian recipes, you might also like:

Chocolate Caramel Slice

Pavlova with Cream and Passionfruit

Pork & Sage Sausage Rolls

Print

Classic Meat Pies

• Prep Time: 1 hour
• Cook Time: 3 hours
• Total Time: 4 hours
• Yield: Makes at least 12 small pies
• Category: Savoury Pies
• Method: Stove Top, Oven
• Cuisine: Australian

Classic Meat Pies with a chunky beef and Guinness filling. A delicious meat pie recipe with step-by-step photos.

Ingredients

To make the filling

• 1 kg (2 lb) chuck steak or blade steak, cut into 5 cm (2 inch) pieces
• 60 ml (1/4 cup) olive oil
• 2 brown onions, sliced thickly
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 250 ml (1 cup) Guinness, stout, pale ale, or beef stock
• 500 ml (2 cups) beef stock
• 5 sprigs of fresh thyme
• 2 fresh bay leaves
• sea salt
• freshly ground pepper
• 500 g (1/2 lb) mushrooms, sliced thickly
• 2–3 tablespoons cornflour (cornstarch), mixed with some water
• 2–3 tablespoons parsley, finely chopped

To assemble the meat pies

• shortcrust pastry sheets
• puff pastry sheets
• 1 egg, lightly beaten

Instructions

To make the beef filling

1. Heat some oil in a large pan. I like to use a cast-iron pan with a tight-fitting lid.
2. Season the beef generously with sea salt and freshly ground pepper.
3. Brown the beef in small batches, and use a slotted spoon to remove the browned meat to a large bowl. Try not to over-crowd the pan, otherwise the meat will steam instead of brown; it is the caramelisation on the meat which gives a lot of flavour to the stew.
4. Add the onions and garlic, and cook for 1-2 minutes.
5. Add the Guinness and let everything bubble away.
6. Use a wooden spoon to scrape off any caramelised bits on the pan.
7. Add the beef stock, thyme and bay leaves.
8. Return the beef to the pan, together with any meat juices which have collected in the bowl.
9. Turn the heat down to low, and cook gently on a low simmer for about 2 hours, or until the beef is tender. See Kitchen Notes below for instructions using a pressure cooker.
10. Once the beef is tender, add the mushrooms.
11. Simmer gently for a few minutes until the mushrooms have softened slightly.
12. During this time, try to remove the thyme and bay leaves.
13. Turn up the heat to medium-high, and slowly add the cornflour slurry. You may not need all of it – just add enough until you have a fairly thick consistency.
14. Taste the sauce for seasoning.
15. Add the parsley.
16. Set the mixture aside to cool completely.

To blind-bake the pastry

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C (390°F).
2. Cut out rounds from the shortcrust pastry to fit the pie tins.
3. Place the shortcrust pastry rounds into each pie tin.
4. Place the pie tins on a baking tray lined with baking paper.
5. Cut some sheets of baking paper which are large enough to sit inside the pie tins.
6. Scrunch up the baking paper and then flatten it out again – this will make it easier to handle to the baking paper.
7. Place the pieces of baking paper on top of the shortcrust pastry bottoms.
8. Place a small handful of ceramic baking beans (or uncooked rice or dried beans) on top of the baking paper.
9. Place the tray of pie tins into the oven and bake for about 10 minutes, or until the pastry looks lightly golden.
10. Carefully remove the baking paper and baking beans from each pie tin.
11. Place the tray of pie tins back into the oven, and bake for another 10 minutes, or until the pastry looks a nice, lightly golden colour all over.

To assemble the pies

1. Fill each pie tin with some of the beef filling, taking care to not over-fill the pies.
2. Cut out rounds from the puff pastry to fit as lids on the pies.
3. Lightly brush the rim of the pastry bottoms with some egg wash.
4. Place the lids on top of each pie.
5. Use a fork to seal the edges of the pie together.
6. Brush the tops of the pies with some egg wash.
7. Use a knife or scissors to cut a vent in each pie.
8. Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until the pastry is golden brown.

Kitchen Notes

IDEAS FOR LEFTOVERS
* This recipe produces more filling than you will need to make the pies.
* I haven't specified the amounts of pastry needed as much depends on the size of your pie dishes, and how many pies you intend to make.
* The filling is essentially a beef stew which is delicious eaten as it is with some mashed potatoes or roast potatoes.
* I also like to use the leftover filling to make a large pie in an oven-proof dish with just a pastry lid.

VARIATIONS
* Feel free to omit the mushrooms.
* Add carrots instead of the mushrooms. In which case, add them in Step 8 with the beef.
* Substitute the Guinness with a good red wine. In which case, I would also add 1-2 tablespoons of tomato paste in Step 7.

FREEZER TIPS
* To freeze the pies, ready for a quick snack or lunch at a later time, make the pies as per the recipe. Once you have covered each pie with some pastry, place the uncooked pies (in the pie tins) into the freezer. When the pies are frozen, remove them from the tins and place them in a zip-lock freezer bag.
* You can bake the pies when they are frozen (no need to defrost), brushing them with some egg-wash before popping them into the oven. They will need an extra 5 to 10 minutes of baking time.

USING THE PRESSURE COOKER
If you are short on time, I recommend using a pressure cooker to make the filling. Follow Steps 1 to 8 as per the instructions above, but add only 1 cup of beef stock. Cook on high pressure for 30 minutes, and then quickly release the pressure. Remove the lid, add the mushrooms, and proceed with the rest of the recipe. If the stew needs more liquid, add some more beef stock or boiling water.

OVEN TEMPERATURES
All recipes on this website state temperatures for a regular oven (i.e. a conventional oven without fan). If you have a convection oven with a fan, please consult the manufacturer's handbook on how to adjust the temperature and baking time accordingly.

CONVERSIONS
To convert from cups to grams, and vice-versa, please see this handy Conversion Chart for Basic Ingredients.

Update

This recipe was first published on 11 September 2012. It has been updated with new photos and more comprehensive recipe notes.

colecriew2001.blogspot.com

Source: https://eatlittlebird.com/beef-onion-guinness-pie/

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