Description
A classic Aussie Meat Pie featuring tender, slow-cooked beef in a rich red wine gravy encased in crispy shortcrust and puff pastry. Perfectly browned beef simmered with onions, garlic, and robust seasoning creates a hearty filling that is then baked inside homemade or store-bought shortcrust pastry bases topped with flaky puff pastry lids. A comforting, iconic Australian dish ideal for a satisfying meal.
Ingredients
Scale
Pastry
- 1 1/2 batches homemade shortcrust pastry or 3 frozen shortcrust pastry sheets, thawed (300g/10oz) or 2 refrigerated pie crusts (US/Can)
- 3 frozen puff pastry sheets, just thawed (300g/10oz)
- 1 egg, lightly whisked
Filling
- 1.25 kg / 2.5lb beef chuck, cut into 2.5cm / 1″ cubes
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 2–3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 5 tbsp plain/all purpose flour
- 1 1/4 cups (315 ml) low sodium beef stock
- 3 cups (750 ml) dry, full-bodied red wine
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
- 2 bay leaves
Instructions
- Season the beef: Sprinkle the beef cubes with salt and pepper evenly to ensure even seasoning in every bite.
- Brown the beef: Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large heavy-based pot over high heat. Add one-third of the beef cubes and brown aggressively on all sides to develop a rich flavor. Remove browned beef and repeat with remaining beef, adding more oil if needed.
- Sauté aromatics: Reduce heat to medium-high. Add minced garlic and diced onion to the pot and cook for 3 minutes until softened and fragrant.
- Add flour: Stir in the flour thoroughly to coat the onions and garlic, cooking for a minute to eliminate raw flour taste.
- Add liquids and seasoning: Slowly pour in the beef stock while constantly stirring to prevent lumps. Once the flour dissolves, add the red wine, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, black pepper, and bay leaves, stirring to combine.
- Simmer the filling: Return the browned beef to the pot. Cover with a lid and adjust heat to maintain a gentle simmer.
- Cook until tender: Simmer covered for 1 hour and 45 minutes. Remove the lid, increase heat slightly, and simmer an additional 30-45 minutes, stirring often. The beef should be fork tender and the liquid reduced to a thick gravy that just covers the beef.
- Cool the filling: Remove the pot from heat, cover, and allow the filling to cool completely, ideally overnight for best flavor development.
- Preheat oven: Set oven temperature to 180°C (350°F).
- Prepare pastry bases: Cut out 6 rounds from shortcrust pastry and gently drape them into pie tins without stretching to avoid shrinkage.
- Blind bake crusts: Place pies on a tray, cover with parchment paper, and fill with pie weights. Bake for 20 minutes, then carefully remove weights and parchment using the paper overhang.
- Dry bake bases: Return crusts to oven for 5 minutes until light golden and dry. Remove from oven.
- Fill pies: Spoon the cooled beef filling into the pastry bases, slightly mounding to fill fully.
- Prepare pastry lids: Cut rounds from partially thawed puff pastry slightly larger than the pie bases to allow for sealing.
- Seal pies: Brush edges of the shortcrust pastry with whisked egg. Place puff pastry lids on top and press edges firmly to seal.
- Vent pies: Brush the puff pastry lids with egg wash. Cut a 1cm (0.5 inch) incision in the center of each pie to allow steam to escape.
- Bake pies: Bake for 30 minutes or until the tops are deep golden and puffed.
- Serve: Enjoy the meat pies hot and fresh, topped with tomato sauce or ketchup if desired.
Notes
- Use homemade shortcrust pastry for best texture, or quality store-bought for convenience.
- Red wine should be dry and full-bodied to enrich the gravy without sweetness.
- Do not over-reduce the filling liquid; it will thicken further as it cools and bakes inside the pie.
- Blind baking the shortcrust ensures a crisp bottom and prevents sogginess.
- Allow the filling to cool completely before assembling pies to prevent soggy pastry.
- Avoid stretching the pastry when lining the tins to prevent shrinkage during baking.
- Pie weights can be ceramic beads or dried beans used to keep pastry shape when blind baking.
- The optional 5-minute dry bake after removing pie weights helps ensure a crisp base but can be skipped.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Baking, Simmering
- Cuisine: Australian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 pie (approx. 230g)
- Calories: 520 kcal
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 480 mg
- Fat: 28 g
- Saturated Fat: 10 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 15 g
- Trans Fat: 0.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 38 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 28 g
- Cholesterol: 85 mg
Keywords: Aussie meat pie, beef pie, Australian recipe, shortcrust pastry, puff pastry, meat pie filling, classic Aussie pie
