One of the most intriguing menu items that combines the fine art of pastry and the world of different savory ingredients you can add inside is a meat pie. The pastry is critical to create the shape but also to add crunch. The filling is often simple but always has an element of including a “gravy”. In this recipe, which has a few steps to craft, the goal was to create a traditional British meat pie that had a BBQ twist to it. The outcome is a BBQ Pork and Mushroom Meat Pie.

What’s the Secret to Pastry?

If you are eating an apple pie or if you are crafting a pot pie, there is a common element – pastry. The traditional meat pie is wrapped in pastry however has a savory element to it rather than sweet. It is not necessarily salty or over-seasoned but definitely has a savory flavour. A good meat pie needs structure or a pastry that is a little flaky but provides plenty of structure to hold it all together. The last thing you want is to go in for big bite of a handheld meat pie and it all falls apart.

So with couple of goals in mind we really like this pastry recipe. It is easy to do and has a couple of key elements to it that provide a really tasty and structured pastry for this BBQ meat pie.

The first tip is that the butter is cold and then grated with a cheese grater. Adding this grated butter to the flour will allow even distribution throughout the dough. If you use a food processor or knife cutters when you make pastry dough you can either overwork the butter (melting it) or leave larger pieces of butter throughout the dough. A good pastry will have the fat evenly spread throughout the dough. Grating accomplishes this task.

The second important element is to keep it cold! Work with the ingredients for the step you want to do then get it all in the fridge to chill. This keeps the fat bound to the flour and evenly spread though the dough. Even when you are kneading the dough or taking a piece to roll out a portion, return the remaining dough to the fridge to keep cold.

Lastly, there is one tablespoon of vinegar in this recipe. This adds both a savory element to the pastry dough but also seemingly helps with the texture. There are plenty of articles to be found with a web search arguing the beneficial use of vinegar in a pie dough with positive declarations in one article then easily another article indicating there is no proof or benefit. For us, vinegar is used and we like it. So let’s just chalk it up to be optional but we encouraged for you to try it. We’re going to argue you’re going to like it!

Forming a Meat Pie

Being creative and making a tasty pie filling can be easy to do. Making a pastry dough that is workable and really tasty is also fairly easy to do too. But how do you form a fully encrusted traditional British meat pie?

Once the dough is well chilled and formed, take a portion of the dough and roll it out on a floured surface. Rotate the dough and even flip it over as you roll it out so there is even thickness. Once rolled out use a ramekin or a round form and cut out the lids for your pie. Set them aside, covered and even chilled.

Next is to create the “body” for each pie. Roll out a portion of the dough to the same thickness as the lids and again using a ramekin or small bowl place it in the center of the dough. Add on each side the height of the bowl. This might adding one and a half more inches in all directions. Cut the dough removing the excess. Turn the ramekin over from the dough and place the dough on top it so it drapes over the bowl. This upside down ramekin is helpful to form each pie and to create a bowl shape.

Once draped over the ramekin, the dough needs help staying in form. We like using a strip of parchment paper and some kitchen string to help hold it in place. Start by wrapping a strip of parchment around the body of the dough bowl and tie iot in place with some kitchen string. This parchment and string wrap will remain in place as the pie is filled, lid added and then cooked. It will provide the structure for the pie to cook and remain in the desired, formed shape. The pictures in the recipe below might help to understand how to form the pies.

An alternate method is to use a large sized muffin pan. The dough “bowl” can be formed in the muffin pan and the lid then placed on top. Whichever you choose as your method, make sure the lid is pinched onto the bowl so it seals the pie.

BBQ Pork and Mushroom Meat Pies

Print Recipe

Course Main Course

Cuisine Grill, Oven, Smoker

HoQ Product Backyard Classic (Rock’n Red) BBQ Sauce, Competition Beef Rub

Prep Time 2 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr

Servings 6

Author House of Q

Ingredients

• 4 cups Flour
• 2 ts Salt
• 2 cups Butter, cold, grated
• 2 tbsp White vinegar
• 1/2-2/3 cup ice water
• 1 lb Pork belly, cubed
• 1 lb Pork loin, cubed
• 4-6 Mushrooms, large dice
• 1/2-3/4 Onion, diced
• 3 tbsp House of Q Beef Rub
• 3 tbsp Butter
• 2 tbsp Flour
• 1 cup Beef stock
• 1 cup House of Q Backyard Classic BBQ Sauce
• 2 Eggs

Instructions

• To make the pastry, mix the flour and salt in a bowl. Grate the shilled butter into the flour and mix so each piece of butter is coated with flour. Add the vinegar and water together then add to the flour mixture. Mix with your hand to combine and then start to press the dough to form. It will feel loose at first then as the butter melts a little, it will mix with the flour. Once combined and "solid", wrap in shrink wrap and place in the refrigerator for a couple of hours.
• To make the pork filling, warm a skillet to medium heat. Add the pork belly and half of the Beef Rub. Stir to coat each piece and cook stirring every few minutes. Once the pork belly has started to get some colour and become brown, add the pork loin cubes and the remainder of the Beef Rub.
  
• Stir to combine. Cook all the meat pieces stirring often for about 10-15 minutes. Add the diced onion and mushrooms to cook for the last few minutes. Once the meat and vegetables are cooked, use a slotted spoon to remove the meat and vegetables to a bowl.
  
• In the skillet add the butter and then the 2 tablespoons of flour. Mix and cook for a few minutes stirring the entire time. Add the beef stock and whisk to create a 'gravy'.
  
• Once warmed through, add the Backyard Classic BBQ Sauce and mix again to combine. Add the reserved meat, vegetables and any juices as they rested. Mix, turn off the heat and transfer to a bowl. Cover and refrigerate so the mixture completely cools.
  
• 
• To roll out the pastry, start with a 250-270 gram piece. Roll to 1/4" thickness and using a ramekin or a 3" round cutter, cut out 6 "lids" for the pies. Set the lids aside and cover with a tea towel. (It is best to keep pastry cold so placing these back in the refrigerator is best.)
• To form the bottom bowls of pastry, take a 150 – 165 gram portion of dough and roll to 1/4" thickness. Use an upside down ramekin to drape the dough over and to form into a bowl. Wrap the bowl with parchment and use kitchen string to tie the bowl so it holds shape. This step can also be done in a large muffin pan.
  
• Once the dough bowl is formed, remove the ramekin add about 1 cup of the cold meat filling. Place a pastry lid on top and crimp the bowl onto the lid sealing the pastry. Use a sharp knife and cut a hole into the center of the lid so it can vent as it cooks. Again, as you form the pies, these can return to the refrigerator to keep cold. Continue to form the remainder of the pies.
• To cook the pastries, preheat an oven or grill to medium-high heat – about 385 F. Place the pies on a cookie sheet and brush all sides with the whisked eggs. Cook for about 40-45 minutes rotating half way through. The pastry should be nice and brown. Remove from the oven and let cool for 10-15 minutes. Serve warm.
  

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