An Australian meat pie is a savory, hand-held pastry, with a hearty beef filling, topped with puff pastry that is comfort food at its best! You don’t have to travel “Down Under” to enjoy this national culinary icon.
Widely known as the fast food of Australia, the Australian meat pie, also known as meat pie or just pie is the equivalent of America’s hamburger or hot dog.
This short crust pastry, filled with a meaty sauce and a flaky, buttery top, often topped with ketchup and a side of creamy mashed potatoes will satisfy any appetite!
THE PIE CRUST
Every great pie starts with a great crust. They make great store-bought pie crusts now, but for best results I would suggest making an all-butter pie crust from scratch.
It’s super easy, and it is definitely worth the extra effort. If you want to take a short cut, no problem. Use store-bought pie crust.
HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE PIE CRUST
- Cube one stick of butter and put in the freezer for 10 minutes
- Add 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour to a food processor
- Add the frozen butter and 1/2 tsp salt to the food processor
- Pulse until the flour mixture resembles coarse sand
- Mix 1 1/2 tsp vinegar with 4 tbsp ice water
- Add the vinegar and water mixture to the food processor 1 tbsp at a time, pulsing 4-5 times between each addition until the mixture forms clumps and begins to pull away from the sides (the dough should hold together when pinched between your fingers)
- Pour the mixture on a work surface and form a disc
- Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate 30 minutes and up to 3 days
- Let the dough rest at room temperature about 5 minutes so that it will be easier to roll out
- Lightly flour your work surface and rolling pin
- Roll out the disc from the center moving outward until it is approximately 1/8″ thick
- Using a 3 1/2″ biscuit cutter, cut out 8 rounds of dough
- Spray a muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray
- Gently press each round of dough into the muffin tin and poke a few holes in the bottom and sides of the crust with a fork
PRO TIP: For the flakiest crust, it is important to use cold ingredients. Keeping the dough as cold as possible helps prevent the butter from melting.
When baked, the buttery chunks will melt and their steam creates pockets of air which helps to separate the crust into multiple flaky layers.
In an effort to keep the dough as cold as possible, use frozen butter and ice water.
HOW TO MAKE THE MEAT FILLING
To a sautee pan, add 1/2 pound of lean ground beef, 1 clove minced garlic and 1/4 of a medium diced onion and cook over medium heat until the ground beef is browned.
Drain off some of the fat if desired and season with 3/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper.
Sprinkle in 1 tbsp flour and cook 2 more minutes. Increase the heat to medium high and deglaze with 1/4 cup red wine.
(Deglaze is just a culinary term that means to add liquid to a hot pan to get any browned bits to release from the bottom.) Cook another 1-2 minutes to allow the wine to cook out.
Lower the heat to medium and add 2 tbsp tomato paste, 1 tsp worcestershire sauce and 1/4 cup beef broth. Cook another 3-5 minutes until everything is combined and the sauce is thickened.
ASSEMBLING THE PIES
Evenly divide the meat mixture between the 8 muffin tins. Roll out the thawed puff pastry sheet enough to press the seams together.
Using a 2 1/2″ biscuit cutter, cut 8 discs from the puff pastry sheet. Top each muffin tin with the puff pastry and pinch the edges together with a fork.
Mix one egg with 1 tsp water and brush the top of each pie with the egg mixture. Cut a few slits in the top of each pie to allow the steam to escape.
Bake for 20 minutes at 400 degrees.
Typically, an Australian meat pie is topped with a bit of ketchup, but that’s completely optional. Add a side of delicious, mashed potatoes and enjoy!
CAN AUSTRALIAN MEAT PIES BE FROZEN?
Yes! Meat pies can be frozen either before or after baking. To freeze prior to baking, put the muffin tin in the freezer until the pies are frozen, then pop them out and put in a freezer safe container. After baking, wrap them tightly in a freezer safe container. They will keep for 3 months.
To serve, thaw unbaked pies in the refrigerator overnight. Then bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. For baked pies that have been frozen, thaw in the refrigerator overnight, cover the top with aluminum foil to keep the top from burning and reheat at 350 degrees until warm.
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Australian Meat Pie
Ingredients
For the Crust
- 1 1/4 cups flour
- 1 stick butter cubed
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 4 tbsp ice water
- 1 1/2 tsp vinegar
- nonstick spray
- 1 sheet puff pastry thawed
- 1 egg
For the Meat Filling
- 1/2 pound lean ground beef
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1/4 medium onion diced
- 3/4 tsp salt or to taste
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1 tbsp flour
- 1/4 cup red wine
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tsp worchestershire sauce
- 1/4 cup beef broth
- ketchup for serving optional
Instructions
For the Crust
- Cube the stick of butter and put it in the freezer for 10 minutes
- In a food processor, add the cold butter, flour, and salt and pulse until it resembles coarse sand
- Add the vinegar to the water
- Add 1 tbsp of ice water at a time, pulsing 4 to 5 times after each addition until the mixture forms clumps and begins to pull away from the sides
- Pour the mixture on to a work surface and form a disc
- Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 30 minutes and up to 3 days
- Let the dough rest at room temperature about 5 minutes so that it will be easier to roll out
- Lightly flour your work surface and rolling pin
- Roll out the disc from the center moving outward until it is approximately 1/8" thick
- Using a 3 1/2" biscuit cutter, cut out 8 rounds of dough
- Spray a muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray
- Gently press each round of dough into the muffin tin and poke a few holes in the bottom and sides of the crust with a fork
For the Meat Filling
- Set the puff pastry out at room temperature to thaw
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees
- To a sautee pan, add the ground beef, garlic and onion and cook over medium heat until the ground beef is browned
- Drain some of the fat, if desired
- Season with salt and pepper
- Add the flour and cook about 2 minutes
- Increase the heat to medium high and deglaze with the red wine
- Allow most of the wine to cook out (approximately 1-2 minutes), lower the heat to medium, then add the tomato paste, worcestershire sauce and beef broth and continue cooking until the mixture is combined and thickened (approximately 3-5 minutes)
- Evenly divide the meat mixture between each of the 8 muffin tins
- Roll the puff pastry out enough to press the seams together
- Using a 2 1/2" biscuit cutter, cut 8 discs from the puff pastry sheet
- Top each muffin tin with the puff pastry and pinch the edges together with a fork
- Mix the egg with 1 tsp of water and brush the top of each pie with the egg wash
- Cut a few slits in the top of the puff pastry to allow the steam to escape
- Bake for 20 minutes
- Serve with ketchup, if desired
Notes
- For the flakiest crust, it is important to use cold ingredients. Keeping the dough as cold as possible helps prevent the butter from melting. When baked, the buttery chunks will melt and their steam creates pockets of air which helps to separate the crust into multiple flaky layers. In an effort to keep the dough as cold as possible, use frozen butter and ice water. (For a short cut, use a store-bought crust.)
- Deglaze is just a culinary term that means to add liquid to a hot pan to get any browned bits to release from the bottom.
2 Responses
These were great! I was skeptical about the ketchup, but I actually liked it.
Thanks, John. I’m so glad you like them.