John Kirwood (from YouTube)

Recipe URL
YT - Video Recipe

Ingredients

The filling:

• 750g / 26½oz Minced/Ground Beef: 5 to 15% fat content
• 1 Onion (medium size: diced)
• 200g / 200mls Beef Stock
• 2tsp Corn flour/starch
• 20g / 20mls Cold water
• 30g / 2tbls Olive oil
• Salt & Black pepper to taste
• The hot water crust pastry:
• 500g / 18oz Plain or all-purpose flour
• 215g / 215mls Water
• 115g / 4oz Butter
• 125 / 4½ oz Lard or solid vegetable fat
• 8g / 1tsp Salt
• 1 Large Egg (Egg-wash)

Method
Making the Pie Filling:

• Place a Large frying pan or wok on a high heat.
• Add the oil to the pan, and get it hot, but not smoking.
• Add the diced onions to the pan, fry until they are soft and just starting to colour.
• Once the onions are soft, add the ground/minced beef to the pan.
• Stir fry the ground beef until it separates and turns a light brown in colour.
• Once the meat starts releasing its juices, you can have a taste, then season with salt & black pepper.
• You can now add the beef stock to the pan.
• Time to thicken the pie filling with the corn flour/starch and the cold water.
• Once the pie filling has thickened, remove it from the heat, transfer it to a suitable container, allow it to completely cool before using it in the pies.
• Making the hot water crust pastry:
• Place the water on a low heat, add the butter and lard to the pan, heat it until all the fats have melted.
• Mix the salt and flour together, form a well in the middle of the flour.
• Soon as the fats have melted, pour the hot liquid onto the flour in the bowl, and bring it all together.
• Tip the contents of the bowl out onto a non-floured surface.
• Gently knead the dough until it all comes together, the pastry should be cool enough to handle by now, but always check first.
• Cut the pastry onto 2 pieces, 550g for the bases of the pies, 400g for the lids of the pies.
• Cover them in plastic wrap or food bags, and place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before using.
• Assembling the Pies:
• Roll out your pastry to approx., 3mm / 1/8in, thick, and cut out 4, 17cm / 6½in circles for the bases, and 4, 12cm / 5in circles for the lids of the pies.
• Place the pastry bases in the pie tins, using a small piece of waste pastry, gently press the pastry right down into the corners of the tin, where the base meets the sides, make sure to leave some pastry sticking over the rim of the pie tin.
• Add the now cold minced beef filling to each of the pastry cases, level or just below the top of the pie tin, the filling does expand some in the oven, so do not over-fill.
• At this point, preheat your oven to, 170°C / 340°F / Gas mark 3.
• Brush egg wash all around the edge of the pastry in the tin, and some around the edge of the pie lid.
• Place the lids on the top of the pie bases, and gently press it down, using your thumbs and forefingers, crimp the 2 pastries together, try not to get egg wash between the pastry and the tin, as this will stick when baking.
• Trim any excess pastry from around the edge of the tins with a small dull knife.
• Quickly re-crimp all around again, basically tidy up the pie.
• Place all 4 pies on a baking tray.
• Cut 2 or 3 vent slits in the top of each pie.
• Give each pie a good coat of the egg wash.
• Place the tray on the lowest part of the preheated oven, and use the bottom element in your oven if you have one, if you don’t have separate elements in your oven, bake these in the middle of the oven.
• Now set your timer for 45 minutes.
• Remove from the oven, and place the 4 tins on a wire rack, allow them to settle and cool for 10 minutes.
• While they are still hot, carefully remove each pie from their tin.
• Serve piping hot with mashed potatoes or chips/fries and peas, traditionally served with a thick rich beefy gravy too.
• Enjoy.