Aussie Classic Meat Pies: Slow-cooked beef, rich gravy & buttery crust. Family and game day favourite, perfect with a dollop of tomato sauce.
This recipe is for eight individual pot pies sturdy enough that you can eat them by hand. The meat filling is soft and tender with the right amount of gravy that is the perfect consistency. It’s rich and thick and won’t pour out of the pie when you take a bite.
This is a ‘proper’ pie with a double crust. It has pastry all the way around. Do you feel a bit cheated when the filling is in a dish with a pastry lid only? Maybe that's just me? 😆
You can use ready-made shortcrust pastry for the bases or make your own (recipe coming soon!). Absolutely buy your puff pastry for the tops though! Puff pastry is a step too far for the home cook (I think so anyway).
I wouldn’t lie to you – it’s taken me a long time to get this recipe right. There's a lot of detail so that, if you follow the directions carefully, you too can make wonderful pies!
👍🏼Why is this recipe so good?
I’ve done all the experimenting and perfecting so you don’t have to. Some things I’ve learned along the way…..
- Brown whole beef steaks then cut into bite-size pieces. This makes it easier to season evenly and makes browning quicker and simpler.
- Perfected the amount of liquid and thickener (cornflour) in the gravy. The meat is wonderfully succulent, the pastry stays crisp and the filling doesn’t pour out when you take a bite.
- Cooking the filling in a slow cooker makes this a breeze. Stovetop or oven cooking needs constant attention to maintain temperature and liquids. Instead, use a slow cooker for a hassle-free, reliable approach.
- No need to blind-bake (cook the pastry first before filling). When I took this extra (time-consuming) step, the pastry ended up too crisp and fragile. There’s a time and place for blind-baking, but this isn’t it. We can save the faff of blind-baking for tarts with very liquid fillings.
🥘 Ingredients
The photo below shows you everything you need to make the filling for meat pies, plus some important notes on the ingredients.
Shortcrust Pastry – make your own (recipe coming soon!) or buy ready-made sheets. Try to find one that made with butter and not oils – it will be a little more expensive, but for good reason. It tastes so much better!
Beef – for this recipe we want a ‘secondary cut’ of beef with the bone out. These muscles from the cow need more time to cook than the cuts you might use for steaks. Secondary cuts will break down and become gelatinous and ‘shreddy’. These are called lots of different names, depending on where you’re from. Confusing! Some good options:
Chuck (also known as blade)
Gravy beef (also known as stewing or braising steak)
Oyster blade (aka flat iron steak in the US or butler’s steak/feather blade steak in the UK). This is my cut of choice. You can remove any thick layer of fat on the outside easily. Don’t try and remove anything from the inner parts. This internal fat and connective tissue adds fantastic flavour and texture when slow-cooked. It adds to the ‘gumminess’ and unctuousness of the finished filling.
Salt – the only salt added to the filling is sprinkled on the meat. There’s salt in a couple of the other ingredients already – the tomato paste and soy sauce. Use a fine ‘cooking’ or kosher salt for this purpose. It’s a fine even-sized grain for consistent salt coverage without going overboard.
Cornflour – used to thicken the filling.
Peppercorns, Cinnamon stick & Bay Leaves – flavourings that complement beef.
Tomato Paste – adds a rich and savoury depth to the stew.
Red Wine – for flavour and colour. The wine’s acidity helps tenderise the meat too.
Thick Soy Sauce – this is a sweeter, thicker version of soy sauce. We use a small amount to add a touch of sweetness in a way that is a bit more interesting that pure sugar alone.
Puff Pastry – used for the lids. Sold in sheets or as a roll. You’ll need a couple of sheets or about 360g of pastry. You can roll it out a bit thinner if need be to fit your tins. Buy one made with butter, not oils, for the best flavour.
🔪 Instructions
In this section there are step-by-step photos with notes to guide you through making meat pies. The specifics of the ingredient amounts are in the recipe card below. If you’ve made this recipe before, feel free scroll to the detailed printable recipe card below. Or use the ‘Jump to Recipe’ button under the first photo at the beginning of this post.
Start at least a day ahead. The meat can go in the slow cooker overnight and needs to chill fully before going in the pastry shells.
Dry, Salt, Brown & Chop Meat – dab the steaks with paper towel to dry the outside until matte. Wet is the enemy of browning. Brown the whole steaks, then cut up. In this way, the meat loses less moisture. Salting and browning bigger bits of meat is far easier than small cubes. Salt immediately before browning or at least 45 minutes in advance.
Sprinkle generously with salt on all sides, from a height so that the salt is evenly spread. Brown the meat over high heat on the stovetop. This is to build great colour and flavour on the inside. It will get cooked through in the slow cooker later. Allow the meat to rest for a few minutes, then chop into bitesize pieces.
Dry Roast Spices– heat the whole black peppercorns and cinnamon stick until fragrant. Then grind up the peppercorns in a mortar to a fine powder.
Make a Cornflour Slurry
Combine the cornflour with some water in a small bowl and set aside. This will help thicken the sauce for the perfect pie filling consistency.
Make Sauce
Combine tomato paste, wine, soy sauce and water to the frying pan. Use a flat-ended wooden spatula to loosen any stuck-on bits and deglaze the pan. Stir through the cornflour slurry when simmering. Pour the hot thick sauce over the chopped meat in the slow-cooker bowl. Stir together well. Push in the cinnamon stick and bay leaves. Cover with a layer of baking paper, then the lid. Cook on ‘Low’ setting for a minimum of five hours or overnight (up to 8 hours).
Skim Fat
Chill the filling before using. This gives you the opportunity to skim off any excess fat. It will rise to the surface and solidify.
Line Tins
Roll out rounds of pastry and line each tin, aiming for 2-3mm thick. Use excess dough to make initials/other decorations and transfer these to a plate. Trim any pastry overhang. This is a forgiving pastry; use offcuts of pastry to patch up any gaps or thin areas. Press small pieces of dough to merge.
Assemble Pies
Cut squares of puff pastry to make the lids. Share the meat and its gravy evenly among the bases.
Place the puff pastry lid over the meat, press down firmly, and seal the edges with a floured thumb. Use a fork to crimp down the edges. Lightly brush the lid with whisked egg yolk. Place any pre-made pastry decorations on the top (off centre). These decorations will be more noticeable if not brushed with egg. They'll be a different colour.
Pierce the pastry in the middle of the lid to let out steam during cooking.
Put the fully assembled pie back in the fridge for at least an hour. This lets the pastry relax and prevents shrinkage while baking. It also keeps the butter firm, which results in crisp pastry. The hardened butter melts in the hot oven, creating steam and puffing the layers apart.
Do meat pies have to have a puff pastry top?
No. You can use more shortcrust, but all pastry’s good! Using puff pastry for the pie's base isn't practical due to the heavy, moist filling. It's perfect used on top of pies to add height, lightness, and flakiness.
Bake
Bake the pies for 20 minutes, until the top is puffy and deeply browned. Cool the pies for 10 minutes in the tins before turning out.
📖 Recipe
Equipment
- 8 small pie dishes These can be quite variable and that's OK. Mine measure 7.5cm (3 in) across the bottom, 11cm (4 in) across the top.
- Slow cooker
Ingredients
Filling
- 750 g stewing steak (note)
- cooking/kosher salt
- 40 g cornflour/cornstarch
- 145 g/ml water
- Teaspoon whole black peppercorns
- cinnamon stick
- olive oil
- 1 Tablespoon tomato paste
- 100 ml red wine
- 2 ½ Tablespoons thick soy sauce
- 400 ml water
- 2 bay leaves
- Shortcrust pastry for pie bases (note)
- Puff pastry for tops (note)
Instructions
Filling
- Baking Paper – using the lid of the slow-cooker as a template, cut out a piece of baking paper and set aside.
- Dry Roast Spices– preheat a frying pan over low-medium heat. Add the whole peppercorns, and cinnamon stick for a minute or two until fragrant. Pick out the cinnamon stick and set aside. Transfer the peppercorns to a pestle and mortar and grind to a fine powder.Teaspoon whole black peppercornscinnamon stick
- Dry & Salt Meat – remove any thick layers of fat around the outside of the meat. You might find it easier to use paper towel to get a good grip and pull it off. Lay the steaks on a chopping board and press with paper towel to dry the outside until matte. Sprinkle generously with salt on all sides, from a height so that the salt is evenly spread.750 g stewing steakcooking/kosher salt
- Brown Meat – Preheat a frying pan (or two) with about a tablespoon of oil each over high heat. Sprinkle generously with salt on both sides. Brown the meat in batches on all surfaces. Top up the oil from time to time between batches if the pan starts looking a little dry. Transfer browned steaks to a chopping board to rest before you cut them into bitesize cubes. Place these in the slow cooker bowl.olive oil
- Cornflour Slurry - combine the cornflour with 145g/ml water in a small bowl and set aside.40 g cornflour/cornstarch145 g/ml water
- Tomato Paste & Wine - when you have browned and transferred all the meat, take the pan off the heat. Add the tomato paste and fry very briefly, continuously stirring. A flexible silicone spatula is handy for smearing the paste onto the base of the pan. Next, pour in the wine and stir occasionally for a couple of minutes. Use a flat wooden spatula to help 'deglaze' the pan ie loosen any bits stuck to the pan. There is wonderful flavour in these stuck on meaty bits.1 Tablespoon tomato paste100 ml red wine
- Finish Sauce - add the soy sauce to 400ml water and pour the liquid into the pan. Bring to a simmer.2 ½ Tablespoons thick soy sauce400 ml water
- Thicken Sauce – give the cornflour slurry a good stir first, then pour it into the sauce. Stir constantly. The mixture will get quite thick, quite quickly. Keep it on the move. Move onto the next step without delay.
- Cook - pour the hot liquid over the meat and stir through, pushing the meat down. Push in the bay leaves. Add the ground pepper. Push in the cinnamon stick. Cover with the layer of baking paper and put on the lid. Cook on LOW for a minimum of 5 hours or overnight (up to eight hours).2 bay leaves
- Chill - remove the slow cooker bowl from the base. Allow to cool a little. Pick out and discard the bay leaves and cinnamon stick. Transfer to the fridge. Allow to chill overnight.
Pie Assembly
- Rolling Out - work with enough shortcrust pastry for four pie bases at a time. This will help prevent the dough getting to warm and sticky as you work with it. It will also keep the pastry a manageable size to work with. Use a tape measure to measure from edge to edge of pie tin. Measure down a side, across the bottom and up the opposite side. Find something round to trace around that has this diameter. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface. Dust the top and underside of the dough and the rolling pin with more flour as needed to stop sticking. You’re aiming for 2-3mm thick. If the sheet you’ve rolled is a bit ragged at the edges and not quite the right dimensions, don't stress. Cut a strip from elsewhere, lay it down to overlap with the dough sheet. Roll to press together. Use this technique to reuse dough scraps too. This is better than gathering them up into a ball and re-rolling because it limits the working of the dough. We want to keep clumps of butter in the pastry rather than smooshing them together.Shortcrust pastry for pie bases
- Line Tins – transfer each pastry round to the tins. Ensure the pastry is lying flush with the tin all the way around and that there’s no air pockets. Drape and gently push in, do not stretch and pull pastry (this will cause pastry to shrink when it bakes). Don’t worry if there’s a touch of pleating in the dough. Trim any pastry overhang. This is a forgiving pastry; use offcuts of pastry to patch up any gaps or thin areas. Press small pieces of dough to merge.
- Decorations - use dough scraps to make decorations for the tops of the pies. Transfer these to a plate.
- Cut Lids – take the puff pastry out of the freezer. Cut out squares for each pie top. Leave the pastry on the plastic sheet it came packaged with for easier handling.Puff pastry for tops
- Fill Pies - Stir the meat filling well and share out half of it between the four bases. With a light touch, use a fork to distribute the chunks of meat evenly.
- Top – drape a puff pastry lid over the meat. Press down firmly to seal the two types of pastry edges together with a floured thumb. Use a fork to crimp down the edges. Lightly brush the lid with egg yolk. Place any pre-made pastry decorations on the top (off centre). Pierce the pastry twice in the middle of the lid. Put the fully assembled pie back in the fridge for at least an hour. This allows the pastry to relax again after being worked. This reduces shrinkage on baking. It also keeps the butter in the dough firm so that we get nice crisp pastry as it melts in a hot oven. Melting butter creates steam and creates puffy layers. You can preheat the oven in this time. Repeat the steps in ‘Final Pie Assembly’ with more pastry to make the remaining four pies.
Bake
- Preheat oven - 200°C.
- Bake – put the pies on a baking sheet (not a refrigerated one). Cook for 20 minutes, until the top puffy and deeply browned. Cool the pies for 10 minutes in the tins before turning out. Twist (rotate) the pies within the tins first, to check that any filling leakage has not stuck it to the tin. If it doesn’t spin, run a knife gently under the lip of pastry to loosen it.
Notes
oyster blade (aka flat iron steak in the US or butler’s steak/feather blade steak in the UK) – my personal favourite. Shortcrust Pastry - sold in sheets or as a roll. You'll need about 400g. Try to buy an all-butter one, rather than one made with vegetable oils. Puff Pastry - sold in sheets or as a roll. You’ll need a couple of sheets or about 360g of pastry. You can roll it out a bit thinner if need be. Try to buy an all-butter one, rather than one made with vegetable oils. Make Ahead/Freeze Maybe you want to get the filling prepared ready for an overnight slow cook. If you want prepare the filling in advance, complete up to (and including) the ‘Finish Sauce’ step. When ready; reheat the sauce to a simmer and proceed. Don’t add the cornflour in advance. The sauce needs to be hot when you pour it over the meat and start the slow cooking. You can make the meat filling and shortcrust pastry in advance. Either refrigerate for up to three days or freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost in the fridge overnight before proceeding. You can assemble the pies completely (even down to the egg wash) in advance. Freeze in their tins in a well-sealed container. Cook for 40 minutes (don't defrost first) at 200°C. Cooked too many pies? When I wrote this post I cooked all eight pies. We ate four that day. I allowed the remaining four pies to cool completely, then popped them in the freezer. They reheated well. I put them back in the pie tins, put the tins in a baking dish and covered with foil (I didn't want the pastry to brown any more). 40 minutes at 200°C. Allow them to rest in the tins for 10 minutes before turning out.
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