Aussie Beef Pot Pie, just what the comfort food doctor ordered! I have never been to the land “down under,” but friends that live there rave about beef pot pies. From what I have heard there are folks walking around eating these hand-size meat pies. Dang, I love this place already. I have done my best to channel Jaime Oliver in creating a fabulously delicious Beef Pot Pie!
In making the filling, after the steak is coated in seasoned flour and seared in a little butter. The veggies are sauteed in skillet after the steak and then the dark ale, broth and seasonings are added. Then the braising begins.
What is Braising?
The filling is states to braise for about 1-1/2 hours. Braising is another form of simmering; the contents are nearly covered in broth and seasonings, covered with a lid and long-simmered. This is braising.
The result is an earthy umami savory beef filling. If this is what all Aussie pies taste like, I would be walking around eating them every day too. Sorry, there is no taste-a-vision. This filling will make four 5-inch pot pies or one 9-inch pie, plus a couple of hand pies.
If chicken is more to your liking click on over to Chicken Pot Pie, same tender flaky crust, fabulous chicken & vegetable filling.
While your filling is simmering make the English Wig pie dough. (See recipe below.) Roll out the crust and use the 5-inch pie plate as a guide to cut the crusts about 1/2-inch larger than the perimeter.
Fill the prepared bottom crusts with the beef filling, add the top crust, seal crimp, and brush with egg wash. Bake @ 375 for 45 minutes. (Yes, you can do gluten free with Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 baking flour.)
Tip: This makes 12 hand pies. I froze half of the filling and made six hand pies for serving.
Right side up, or upside down (my favorite) these are the most tasty pies beef pot pies.
I used the same recipe for a fun Halloween pie, click Macabre Meat Pot Pie. Warning: It’s a little on the creepy side. Same gorgeous tasty filling, just a twist on presentation. If chicken is more your style, by all means try Chicken Pot Pie, same crust, different filling.
As this recipe makes a lot of filling, and you are not feeding a family, freeze the extra filling, dough, or completed unbaked pies. For heating/baking instructions click Baking & Reheating Pies for instructions.
Have a fabulous week pie peeps! Let me know how you like this pie once you give it a try!
Aussie Beef Pot Pie
Ingredients
Aussie Steak Filling
- 2-1/2 pounds sirloin, London Broil, or skirt steak, cut across grain into bite size pies (about 1/2 inch)
- 4 slices bacon
- 1/3 cup flour or cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg (optional)
- 8 ounces dark ale beer or beef stock
- 1 teaspoon umami seasoning (or mushroom powder)
- 4 sprigs rosemary, strip leaves from stems and chop (may substitute 1 teaspoon dried thyme)
- 2 stalks celery, chopped
- 2-1/2 cups rough chopped carrots (about 5 carrots, depending on size)
- 1-1/2 cups rough chopped onion (about 1 medium onion)
- 4 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1-1/2 pound rough chopped mushrooms
- 3 cups beef or vegetable stock
Pot Pie Crust (English Wig) – makes SIX (6) 5-inch 6-oz capacity pot pies***
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1-1/2 cups butter (or 50/50 of each)
- 1 large egg
- 1/3 cup cold water
- 1 tablespoon vinegar
Instructions
Aussie Beef Filling
- On a large platter, toss the flour with the salt and pepper and nutmeg. Add the cut up steak and stir until coated with mixture, set aside.
- Place bacon in skillet over medium-high heat and cook until starting to crisp. Remove bacon and leave drippings in skillet.
- Add the steak to the skillet with bacon drippings and sear the steak for about about 3 to 4 minutes.
- Place seared steak and chop the bacon into a large dutch oven, set aside.
- In the same skillet over medium high heat, add the carrots and celery, cook and stir for 5 to 6 minutes, add to dutch oven with steak.
- Add the onions and mushrooms to the skillet, if no oil is left add in 1 tablespoon olive oil. Cook and stir over medium-high heat until onions just start to brown on edges and mushrooms are starting to release liquid (about 3 to 4 minutes). Also add this to the dutch oven.
- Add the remaining ingredients to dutch oven, beer, broth, umami seasoning, and tomato paste. If there are any browned bits in skillet, swirl a couple of tablespoons of broth to deglaze and add to dutch oven.
- Reduce heat to very low, just enough for a small simmer, cover dutch oven with lid and let simmer (braise) for 1 to 1-1/2 hours. Cool and chill the filling before filling pot pies.
Crust and Assembly:
- Preheat oven to 375 F.
- Place all dry ingredients into a large bowl and mix thoroughly.
- Add the shortening/butter and cut in with a large fork until crumbly with pea-sized pieces, be careful not to over mix.
- In separate small bowl beat the egg, cold water, and vinegar
- Add egg mixture all at once to the dry ingredients and stir just enough to form a ball.
- Roll out have the dough about 1/8 to 1/4-inch thick, cutting each pot pie bottom crust into a circle about 1 inch larger circumference to fit into pot pie tin (4 tins about five-inches in diameter).
- Divide filling equally into the four prepared bottom crusts.
- Roll our top crusts. Brush the edge of the bottom crust egg wash to adhere, and use fork to crimp edges of pies. Brush the top with egg wash.
- Bake @ 375 degrees for 45 minutes. Best served warm.
