Steak & Guinness Pie (AKA my fully customisable melt in ya mouth meat pie)
This is a luxurious pie. The flavour of Guinness is a harmony of sweet and bitter with prominent roasted coffee, and dark chocolate notes and sure —it isn’t for everyone. But I balance the bitterness of it here with honey and our Chocolate Chilli Salt. (A match made in heaven with Guinness’ chocolate notes).
The result? The meat falls apart, the crust is flaky, and the gravy is rich and luxurious, deep with flavour, with a hint of spicy. Drop dead delicious, if I may.
My man is from the UK so I love learning bangers from his motherland and bringing them out when he least expects. Food is my love language through and through. I served this with a simple side of mushy peas (overcooked peas, butter, salt, pepper, milk and mashed them like potatoes) and was pleasantly surprised with these as a quick side. Will be bringing them out more often.
THIS PIE RECIPE IS MY FULLY CUSTOMISABLE GO-TO MELT IN YOUR MOUTH MEAT PIE RECIPE.
How to use the below recipe to make any chunky beef pie you like
Sub Guinness for Shiraz/ any red, or just go all beef stock (with a dash of lemon or balsamic vinegar to give it some acid).
Sub veggies for more meat for an all meat pie.
Sub bay leaves for any other woody herbs. Thyme or sage is always great in pie.
The ingredients in black are the non negotiables.
The ingredients in red are your sub ingredients you can customise or leave out.
Steak & Guinness Pie
Makes a family pie - 23cm pie pan / feeds 5 hungry people.
SLOW COOKER FRIENDLY. You can make this pie filling in a slow cooker instead of oven in a crock pot.
You can make this filling in advance and freeze or refridgerate.
MEAT FILLING
700g chuck beef, cut into 3cm chunks
Good glug olive oil
Salt and pepper
1 cup veggies, chopped - ie potato, carrot, celery (or SUB for 200g more chuck if you want an all meat pie)
GRAVY
5 tbsp flour
2 bay leaves (SUB for any woody herbs)
1 brown onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, sliced fine
2 cups beef stock
2 cups Guinness (SUB for Shiraz or more beef stock with a dash of lemon/ balsamic vinegar)
1 heaped tbsp honey
1 tsp Crack Fox Chocolate Chilli salt (SUB for more salt and pepper)
PIE CRUST
1 sheet frozen puff pastry (pie top)
1 sheet frozen short crust pastry (bottom)
1 egg, whisked well for egg wash
Sesame Seeds on top (SUB for poppy seeds, pepitas, sunflower seeds or just keep the top nudey)
METHOD
Pie Filling and Gravy
Preheat oven to 150c. Or if using slow cooker - start heating it up.
Season chuck beef chunks well with salt and pepper. Add 1/3 to a searing hot oiled thick-based crock pot. Turn chunks to to brown all over. Then take out, pop on a plate. Repeat until all chuck is seared.
With all chuck on a plate, turn pan down to medium, then add your onion, cook until translucent. Add in your garlic, veg and bay leaves. Sprinkle in a little salt and pepper to season your veg and mix well.
Add in your flour, stir for a couple of minutes to toast it. Then pour in your beef stock. Keep stirring until sauce thickens, then add in your seared beef, and Chocolate Chilli salt.
Next add in your Guinness. Stir well and take off heat.Pop lid of crock pot on and pop it in the oven. If using slow cooker - transfer your filling into it.
Cook for 2-3 hours in oven. (This is my sweet spot for luxurious melt in ya mouth pie meat.) You can of course cook for less, you mightn’t get that tender result. Keep checking from about 1 hour cook time, flaking it with a fork.
Once tender to your liking its time to balance your flavours. Add in your honey and stir. Test seasoning - add in more salt if needed, a dash of vinegar or squeeze of lemon if it needs it. Let your pie filling cool. Some people say over night. (Who has that kind of time after cooking something for 2 hours?) I usually just pop it in the fridge for 20 minutes while I cook my pie base.
Pie Crust
Turn the oven up to 180c. In a pie tin lined with baking paper, pop in your sheet of short crust pastry. Press it down to create it’s shape. Trim the points so it’s even up the sides. If it sits to low in the tin, cut a couple of strips off another sheet and attach them by pressing your fingers around the pastry. Your goal is to have 1cm overhang for attaching it to the top. Pop a a few holes/ slits in the bottom let the moisture to escape.
Cook for 20 minutes or until golden.
Pie Assembly
Add your cooled pie filling to your pie base. Lay your sheet of puff pastry on top. Trim off the excess at the points. Then crimp your pie edges. This is one method of crimping I like https://youtube.com/shorts/-l0vv2OKZ8M?si=5YpkhPtGMfSl8YHN
Paint on your egg wash, sprinkle with seeds, make a couple of slits with a knife in the centre.
Bake for 30 minutes or until golden.
Serve with mashed peas (overcooked peas, butter, salt, pepper and a dash of milk and then mash like potato) and your favourite Crack Fox Hot Sauce.
