Meat Pies

This week we're making crispy meat pies, fried with that good crust. Through the years meat pies, also known as pasties, have fed a lot of miners, sailors and cowboys, depending on what part of the country you're in. You'd better read on 'cause it's going to be some fine dining.

You know, people have been wondering where I come up with all these recipes. Well, today is your lucky day 'cause you can find this recipe and a heap of others in our Taste of Cowboy cookbook you that you can order right here.

We'll Start with the Filling

I took one of our Griswold cast iron skillets, got it pretty good and warm, then I'm throwing in one pound of 80/20 Certified Angus Beef ground meat. While that gets started, I'll add some oregano, cumin, smoked paprika and chili powder and mix it all in with the meat. Then, I'll take some cabbage, one Anaheim pepper, and one jalapeno pepper, lay them out there on a cutting board with a half an onion and mince them all with my handy hash knife.

 Chop the veggies finely.

After the vegetables are tender, take the skillet off the heat, add about two tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce, stir well and set the meat mixture aside.

 Fry the beef and veggies until they are tender, also add some Worcestershire sauce.

Fixin' Up the Dough

We're going to start with some all-purpose flour, and to that, we're going to add some salt and baking powder. Get a stick of chilled butter and chop it into little chunks.

We appreciate you sharing our recipes with your friends and family!

Another way to incorporate the butter into the flour mixture is to grate it in, which will make crumbling easier.

We're going to take one of them crumb-cutter pastry-masher deals (also known as a pastry knife) and cut the butter chunks into that flour until it gets to a cracker crumb consistency. Be sure to get the bigger chunks all mashed up in the flour mixture. Traditionally, this was done with lard, but I prefer the taste of butter in my pie dough.

 Mash the chilled butter into the flour.

Add one cup of regular tap water to the flour mixture, then just fold it with a spoon and roll it around to get things a little incorporated. Then we can get our hands up on it. Now, if it's a little wet, you can always add some more flour to it, but make sure it's not getting too dry. If the dough is too dry, that's a catastrophe. Now, we'll get to kneading a little.

Fold the dough and incorporate everything well together.

Roll the Dough and Fold the Pies

So, make sure your surface is floured really well. Put the dough down, mash it one more time. If it's still sticky, add a little more flour on it and then knead it a some more. We're going to work that moisture and that stickiness out of there.

 Cut out 5" circles.

To make our pie circles, we're going to need what we call a "husband trainer" to roll the dough out. Get you a rolling pin and roll the dough to about 1/8 of an inch thick, then cut that dough into 5" circles. I'm using a 5" flower pot to cut the dough.

 Put the filing in the middle.

Now, we're going to place about 2 tablespoons of the meat filling right in the dead center of a dough circle. Don't overload the boat; the lid won't shut. So, let's get these rascals folded over and get them sealed up. You can give them a little egg wash on the edges, so they seal better, then we're going to crimp them with a fork.

Be sure to crimp the edges of the dough well together. This will prevent the contents of the pie falling out when frying.

 Fold and seal the meat pies.

Fry or Bake the Meat Pies

These pies can be baked, but I do like them fried. But you can do whatever you like and think is better. We've got about 2" of oil in a deep skillet. Today we're using a good peanut oil. Just make sure you use an oil that will reach a temperature of 340 F to 350 F before it ever starts to smoke. Gently place the pies into the oil. It will take about 2 minutes a side. You'll have to flip them over and roll them around in that skillet, being careful not to damage the pies.

When the meat pies are done, let them cool, put them on a wire rack or a paper towel. They will be fried up golden crispy brown.

Folks, our meat pies are done and it's time to enjoy them. Be sure to check out the video recipe below for a step by step cooking deal in action. And surely share the food and the recipe with your neighbors and friends. Enjoy!