Meat Pie Recipe: An Aussie Favorite!

Our Meat Pie recipe pulls out all the stops! Caramelized meat and vegetables in a luscious gravy, under a crispy golden crust. The entire family is sure to love this hearty meal!

When it comes to delectable comfort food, the Australians really know where it’s at! Meat pies are flavorful and satisfying. A classic street food, hand-held pies wrapped in paper and topped with ketchup are often sold hot from food trucks in Australia.

Inspired by the land down under, our meat pies include all of the delicious meat and gravy goodness of an Aussie pie, but we bake ours in individual ramekins to be served alongside our favorite side dishes at dinnertime.

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The key to this Meat Pie recipe is in the flavor-seared, slow-simmered, caramelized meat which infuses each pie with deliciousness. While it does take some time to make these pies, the payoff of savory meat and flaky crust in every bite is worth every minute of the wait.

Why You’ll Love Our Meat Pies!

• All that flavor. That slow-cooked meat really satisfies the taste buds.
• The flaky crust. Between the homemade bottom crust, and the puff pastry topping – you won’t be able to get enough!
• You can prepare the meat pie ahead of time. Since this meat takes a while to cook, you can easily prepare it ahead of time and then just reheat it when you’re ready to load up your ramekins.

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Key Ingredients and Substitutions

• The Filling

• Beef Sirloin – Any sirloin cut can be used for this recipe. We used choice sirloin tips for its flavor, and because it stews up well. You’ll be dredging it in flour and caramelizing all that great flavor.
• Vegetables – We included carrots, onions, and mushrooms. The key is to dice them up finely. You can add or omit whichever veggies according to your preference – in fact, some Aussie pies simply have beef and onions in the filling.
• Stock and Seasonings – A mixture of beef stock, Worcestershire sauce, and seasonings, this blend is designed to bring out the best in the meat.

• The Crusts

• Homemade Pie Crust – This is a quick and simple crust used for the bottom of the meat pie. You can use a premade store-bought crust, but you may need to ‘blind bake’ it to prevent sogginess.
• Premade Puff Pastry – We used frozen Pepperidge Farms puff pastry for the top crusts. (If you’re in the mood for a project, feel free to make some homemade puff pastry – but premade is much easier.)

Special Supplies Needed

• A food processor – you’ll use this to break down any big chunks of meat after cooking.
• Seven* 8-ounce ramekins (ours measure 2” deep and 4 ¼” wide). *You will be making six pies – the seventh ramekin is to use as a guide for cutting out the puff pastry tops.
• One 8” circle for cutting out the bottom crusts. We used an 8-inch serving bowl.

How Do I Make Meat Pies?

1. Prepare – After cubing the meat and coating it in flour, let it rest while you dice up your veggies and prepare your other ingredients.
2. Sear – In a large Dutch oven, the meat will be seared in hot oil for a few minutes on all sides. Be sure not to overcrowd the pan as you want the meat to caramelize at this point and putting too much in at once will result in a stew.
3. Saute and Simmer – After sauteing the veggies and other ingredients, you’ll add the seared meat back to the pot and slow-boil or high simmer for an hour and a half. (See Chef’s Tip below.)
4. Prepare the Crust – While the vegetables cook, prep and chill your bottom pie crust pastry. If you’re using frozen puff pastry for top, remove from the freezer to thaw.
5. Process – After the meat mixture is cooked to perfection, place any big chunks of beef into your food processor bowl. Give it a few pulses just to break things down into small shreds. Don’t over-process. You could fork shred the bigger pieces instead, if you prefer.
6. Assemble – Rollout, cut, and press the bottom crust into the ramekins. Fill each one to the brim with the meat mixture, and top with circles of the puff pastry. Brush the tops with beaten egg and water and be sure the edges of the pastry are pressed and sealed into the bottom crust.
7. Bake – In a preheated oven, bake the pies for a bit and then lower the heat and bake some more, until the tops are golden.
8. Serve – Serve hot straight out of the oven with some ketchup on the side.

Chef’s Tip

Keep an eye on the meat mixture while it simmers and add more water as needed to prevent it from sticking or scorching.

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Frequently Asked Questions

• Can I make one big meat pie instead of individual ones? Yes, you certainly can, but you will need to adjust the baking time accordingly.
• Can I prepare this recipe a day ahead of time? This recipe can easily be prepared ahead of time. Just refrigerate the dough and the meat filling until ready to use. We recommend reheating the filling before assembling for even cooking.
• How long do meat pies keep in the fridge? You can store baked meat pies in the fridge, just be sure to allow them to cool before wrapping them up to prevent sogginess. They’ll keep fresh for 3-5 days.
• Can I freeze any leftover pies? You can. Let them cool completely before wrapping them up in plastic. Reheat right from freezing (don’t thaw) in a hot oven.

This recipe originally appeared on A Family Feast in October 2018. We’ve updated the post but the delicious recipe remains the same.

You may enjoy these other delicious Comfort Food recipes:

• Cheddar Topped Shepherd’s Pie
• Oatmeal Stout Beef Pot Pie
• Country Baked Chicken
• Turkey Pot Pie
• Lamb Shepherd’s Pie

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