Description
A hearty and flavorful family meat pie featuring tender chunks of chuck beef slow-cooked in a rich Guinness and beef stock gravy with mushrooms, bacon, and aromatic vegetables, all encased in a crisp shortcrust base topped with flaky puff pastry. Perfect for a comforting dinner served with ketchup or Aussie tomato sauce.
Ingredients
Scale
Beef
- 800g / 1.6lb chuck beef, 3.5cm / 1.4″ cubes
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 2 tbsp olive oil (plus more as needed)
Filling
- 30g / 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 200g / 7 oz mushrooms, smallish, halved (larger ones quartered)
- 125g / 4 oz streaky bacon, cut into 1 x 1.5cm / 0.4 / 0.6″ cubes
- 1 onion, cut into 2cm / 0.8″ cubes
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 celery stalk, cut into 1cm / 0.4″ slices (split wide end lengthwise)
- 1 carrot, halved, 1cm / 0.4″ slices (quartered if very thick)
- 330ml / 11 oz Guinness stout
- 2 cups beef stock, homemade or low sodium store bought
- 1 cup water
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 3/4 tsp coarsely crushed black pepper (plus more as desired)
Beurre Manié (Sauce Thickener)
- 4 tbsp flour
- 60g / 4 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
Pastry
- 1 quantity shortcrust pastry (homemade or store bought)
- 1 sheet puff pastry (for lid)
- 1 egg, lightly whisked (for egg wash)
Serving
- Ketchup or Aussie Tomato Sauce, for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the Oven: Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F) or 160°C (320°F) fan forced to prepare for slow cooking the meat filling.
- Brown the Beef: Season beef cubes with 3/4 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper. Heat olive oil in a large heavy-based pot over high heat. Brown the beef in 2 to 3 batches without crowding the pot to ensure proper caramelization, then transfer browned beef to a large bowl.
- Clean the Pot: Wipe the pot clean of any burnt bits after browning beef to prevent bitterness in the stew.
- Cook Bacon: Let the pot cool slightly, then add the cubed streaky bacon. Place back on medium heat, then increase to medium-high once fat starts to render. Cook bacon until golden and remove it to bowl with beef.
- Cook Mushrooms: Melt 30g unsalted butter in the pot, add mushrooms with a pinch of salt and pepper, cook until golden. Remove mushrooms with a slotted spoon into a separate bowl.
- Cook Vegetables: Add onion, minced garlic, carrot slices, and celery slices to the pot. Cook for about 5 minutes over medium heat until the onion is soft and sweet but not browned, adding oil if needed.
- Slow Cook in Oven (Part 1): Return beef and bacon to the pot along with Guinness, beef stock, water, 1/4 tsp salt, and 3/4 tsp crushed black pepper. Stir to combine and bring to a simmer on the stovetop. Cover with lid and transfer pot to the preheated oven. Cook for 1 hour.
- Slow Cook in Oven (Part 2): Remove the pot, stir in cooked mushrooms, cover and return to oven for an additional 1 hour, allowing the meat to become tender.
- Reduce Sauce on Stove: Remove the pot from the oven, uncover, and simmer over low heat on the stovetop for about 20 minutes to reduce the sauce until meat is fall-apart tender but still holding shape.
- Prepare Beurre Manié: Mix softened butter and flour together until smooth to prepare the sauce thickener.
- Thicken the Sauce: Stir in the beurre manié mixture into the simmering sauce, cooking for another 2 minutes until the sauce thickens to a honey-like consistency. Adjust seasoning as needed. Remember, sauce won’t thicken further in oven and some sauce absorbs into pastry later.
- Cool Filling: Cover pot with lid and let meat filling cool completely, preferably overnight in the refrigerator, to enhance flavors and set consistency.
- Blind Bake Shortcrust Pastry: Roll out your shortcrust pastry into a 23cm (9″) pie dish. Blind bake according to your preferred shortcrust recipe until crisp, then let it cool for at least 15 minutes to maintain its crispness.
- Preheat Oven for Baking Pie: Increase oven temperature to 200°C (390°F) or 180°C (fan forced) for baking the assembled pie.
- Fill Pie: Bring cooled filling to room temperature before use. Fill the blind-baked shortcrust base with the meat filling, packing evenly or mounded slightly.
- Prepare Puff Pastry Lid: Partially thaw the puff pastry sheet. Brush the edges of the shortcrust pastry with whisked egg. Place puff pastry sheet over filling, trim excess pastry, press to seal edges, and create crimps with fork for decoration and sealing.
- Egg Wash and Vent: Brush the puff pastry top with remaining whisked egg. Cut a 2.5cm (1″) X shaped incision in the center to allow steam to escape during baking, preventing doming.
- Bake the Pie: Bake in the preheated oven for 45 to 50 minutes until the pastry lid is deeply golden and puffed. Remove and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.
- Serve: Serve warm with ketchup or Aussie tomato sauce. Enjoy your magnificent homemade family meat pie!
Notes
- Do not overcrowd the pot when browning beef to ensure proper caramelization and avoid watery stew.
- Wiping the pot clean after browning beef removes burnt residues that can negatively affect flavor.
- Partially thaw puff pastry before using so it is pliable but not overly soft for easier handling and better puff.
- Beurre Manié is a dough of equal parts butter and flour used to thicken sauces; make sure it’s smooth before adding to sauce to avoid lumps.
- Allow filling to cool completely, preferably overnight, to let flavors meld and improve filling consistency.
- Bringing filling to room temperature before assembling pie prevents sogginess and ensures even baking.
- The sauce should be thicker than regular stew before assembling the pie because the filling will thicken more upon cooling and absorbs into the pastry.
- Blind baking the shortcrust base prevents sogginess once the filling is added and baked with the puff pastry lid.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice (approx. 1/6 of pie)
- Calories: 520 kcal
- Sugar: 4 g
- Sodium: 520 mg
- Fat: 28 g
- Saturated Fat: 12 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 14 g
- Trans Fat: 0.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 38 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 32 g
- Cholesterol: 85 mg
