Complete Guide on How to Make Meat Pie

January 29, 2023January 29, 2023 Globalinfo247

Meat Pie is a yummy snack readily found on street corners, eateries and even parties. This delicious snack can be enjoyed at home as it is very easy to prepare.

When you bite into the flour; your taste buds are stimulated by the appealing taste of seasoned meat lying inside of this treat-meat pie.

The best Nigerian Meat Pie is moist, yummy and has minced meat, potato and carrot filling. The filling is usually adequately seasoned and gives the meat pie its unique taste.

The Nigerian Meat Pie is a popular snack because it is tasty, moist and does not produce crumbs when it is being eaten, if it is well-prepared, that is. The recipe detailed here will help you make the best meat pie recipe.

Meat pies are tasty snack for all the carnivores and a great appetizer for parties and potlucks. Make a whole pie for the entire family or make individual pies, just for one! These meat pies are easy and fun to make, and create a great activity for the whole family.

Using hearty meat pie recipe and preparation ingredients such as potatoes, carrots, peas, and savory ground/minced beef to make amazing meat pies that your family and friends will love. Using a few everyday ingredients, you can create delicious meat pies for your next gathering or potluck event.

The West African Meat pie is an exotic snack that is made up of a pastry case with beef, Diced Potatoes, and diced Carrots filling. This wheat version provides a little healthier variation to the Meat pies I grew up with? Try these whole wheat Meat pie recipe. These pies have a rich nutty flavor. They are irresistibly delicious with a rich and tender crust.

Traditionally, white flour is used in making Meat pie. However, curiosity led me to the adventure of using wheat flour and since then, I’ve been glued. I never knew that Meat pies can still be enjoyed if the white flour is substituted for the whole wheat flour. This brings a non-negligible difference to the nutritional validity of the food.

As I stand right now, I don’t know which one I prefer between the Whole wheat Meat pie and the white flour meat pie, but I choose to follow what someone said on my Instagram page – why choose one when you can have the two.

The whole idea of this Whole Wheat Meat pie is to make a Meat pie that is more nutritionally superior so that I can enjoy the indulgence of eating Meat pies with little to no guilt feeling.

Though the quest began with me, however, I discovered myself and hubby got totally glued on it. Not just that, my picky eaters also joined in.

The word ”best” is a word I try to shy away from but these whole Meat pies are so good and the only word I can use is nothing but the best in this situation.

For some reasons, when it comes to making Meat pies, (Meat pies in general, not only the whole wheat meat pies), there is a feeling that it’s so hard to make because of the laid out instructions on how to make the meat pie crust, how to make the meat pie filling and how to put both together.

As hard as this may seem, believe me, it is not that hard. The crust takes only about 10 minutes to put together and the filling takes about 15 to 20 minutes.

Another fear that is often experienced is that we always want our pies to come out perfect. Hmm…. please, don’t wait for this time because it may never come. Practice, they say makes perfect.

Get your hands working, try the first time and learn from the mistake you made on your first attempt, then venture into a second attempt. Before you know it, that long-awaited perfection will come.

The process of making the whole wheat Meat pie is slightly different from the regular white flour Meat pie because the whole wheat flour can be a little hard to work with especially when making pies.

That is the reason why I added Egg in my recipe. This will help to give the sufficient moisture the wheat flour needs in order to come together properly without resulting into a fragile pastry.

If you really want your meat pie to turn out flaky, then ensure that you use your Butter/Margarine and Water are really cold.

While making the whole wheat meat pie, you discover your pastry dough cracks when rolling out. This means the dough is a bit too dry or too cold. You can try adding about an extra Tablespoon of water and if you feel it’s too Cold after bringing it out from the fridge, simply leave it to on the tabletop for a few minutes before working on it.

However, I want you to bear it in mind that the colder your dough is, the flakier your pie will be. Therefore, don’t leave the pastry dough to come to room temperature

Since the whole wheat meat pies are made with a hundred percent ground whole grain, lots of factors can affect the outcome. Please take time to read the notes provided below after the meat pie ingredients / recipe. They serve as good pointers to ensure that your whole wheat meat pies turn out perfect.

Aside from serving as a Nigerian meat pie recipe , the meat pie recipe (s) below can also be used as an Australian meat pie recipe , french meat pie recipe , Scottish meat pie , Italian meat pie and many more countries.

We are going to give out different meat pie recipe (s) and different procedures of making the ( easy meat pie recipe) best meat pie for personal consumption as well as for commercial business purposes:

General Meat pie ingredients

• Flour
• Minced meat
• Onions
• Chopped carrots
• Chopped Irish potatoes
• Seasoning cube
• Salt
• Vegetable oil
• Baking powder
• Eggs
• Butter

First Method: Nigerian Meat Pie Ingredients (Nigerian meat pie recipe )

The number of meat pies you will get depends on the diameter of the meat pie cutter you use. A cutter that is 8 inches (20cm) in diameter will give you about 10 meat pies with the following ingredients.

For the Nigerian Meat Pie dough recipe

1kg (8 cups) plain flour (All Purpose Flour)
2 teaspoons baking powder
500g (1.1 lbs) Margarine
2 pinches salt
½ cup / 125 ml / 4.2 oz cold water

For the Nigerian Meat Pie filling

2 medium Irish potatoes
2 medium carrots
500g (1.1 lbs) minced meat
1 medium onion
2 cooking spoons vegetable oil
2 Knorr cubes
1 teaspoon thyme
2 tablespoons plain flour
1 cup / 250 ml / 8.4 oz cold water
Salt to taste

Nigerian Meat Pie: Ornamental Ingredient

1 medium egg

Directions for preparing the Nigerian Meat Pie

The Nigerian Meat Pie Filling

Peel the Irish potatoes and scrape the carrots, wash and cut these two into tiny cubes.
Wash and slice the onions into tiny pieces.
With your cooker or stove set to medium heat, heat the vegetable oil in a pot, add the diced onions and stir for a bit, add the minced meat and stir vigorously till the minced meat turns pale.
Add 1 cup of water, Knorr cubes and thyme. Cover the pot and once the contents of the pot starts boiling, add the diced carrots and potatoes and cook till everything is well done.
Dissolve 2 tablespoons of plain flour in half cup of cold water and add to the meat pie filling. This tip is so that the meat pie filling does not dry up during baking. It is also what keeps the meat pie filling moist.
Add salt to taste, stir the contents and turn off the heat. Set the meat pie filling aside. Now is the time to prepare the dough for the meat pie.

The Nigerian Meat Pie dough

Put the 1 kg of flour in a sizeable bowl; add 2 teaspoons of baking powder and 2 pinches of salt. You really do not need a lot of salt for the meat pie dough. The meat pie will get most of its taste from the filling. Mix these dry ingredients very well.
Use a tablespoon to scoop the margarine in small bits into the bowl of flour. The smaller you make the bits of margarine, the easier it will be for you to rub them into the flour.
Use finger tips to rub the margarine into the flour till the mix becomes like crumbs. Note: In Nigeria, we also refer to margarine as butter but for my audience in the Western countries, please do NOT use butter for the meatpie dough because butter is too hard and this makes it difficult for you to mix it with the flour to achieve the crumbly look. So please use margarine. Also butter is quite heavy so it makes the dough very greasy which hinders the elasticity of the dough. Can I use melted butter? No, because it simply ruins the meat pie.
Now, start adding cold water in bits while at the same time folding the mix till a stiff ball of dough is formed. You will be surprised at how small quantity of water you need to get the dough stiff. At most, all you need for the 1 kg of flour is half a cup of water.
Knead the dough very well, put back in the bowl and leave to rest for 5 to 7 minutes. This makes the dough more elastic.

Cut, Fill, Fold and Close

Set your oven to 170°C (335°F) and leave to preheat while you continue with the meat pie.
Rub margarine on the insides of the oven tray and set aside. This is so that the undersides of the meat pies do not burn or stick to the tray during baking.
Break the egg, beat it and set aside, you will need it pretty soon.
Knead the dough some more, roll it out to achieve a 5mm thickness.
Use a cutter, be it the cover of a small pot or a meat pie cutter, to make round cuts on the rolled out dough.
Remove the excess dough, leaving behind the round cuts.
Scoop some meat pie filling into the center of the round cuts, the quantity should be such that you can comfortably close the dough without overflows. Don’t worry if you over-filled the first one, you have many meat pies to fill today so at some point you will know just the right quantity of meat pie filling to scoop into the dough.
Rub the egg on the inside edge of the cut meatpie dough. Watch the video to see how this is done. This is to ensure that your meat pie is perfectly sealed and does not open up while it is being baked.
Fold one part of the dough to meet the other end and use a fork to press the 2 edges together to close tightly. Place your work of art in the oven tray and repeat the previous step till all the cut out dough is exhausted.
Roll out more dough, cut, fill, close and place in the greased oven tray till all the dough is used.
Rub the egg on the meat pies. This gives the meat pie a golden brown look when done.
Set the tray in the preheated oven and bake for 30 to 40 minutes. This time will depend on the type and heating capacity of your oven. For some ovens, the meat pie will be done in half an hour, for some, it may take up to 50 mins. Whatever type of oven you have, the important thing to know is that the best meat pies are the ones baked at medium heat. You can confirm that the meat pie is done when it starts browning. It is alright to open the oven to check this.

That’s how the Nigerian Meat Pie is made. It may seem like a long process just because the procedure as explained here is very detailed and includes lots of tips that are often over-looked. You will see that it is an easy and straight-forward recipe when you actually do it. But why worry about the time it will take? Just think of all the yummy meat pies you will be eating.

Feel free to use half the quantity of the stated ingredients if you do not want to make as many meat pies.

Second Method: Ingredients for the whole Meat Pie Dough

1.5 Cup Butter
1/2 Tbsp Sugar
1/4 Tsp Salt
1/2 Tbsp Baking Powder
6 Tbsp Water
1/2 Tsp Nutmeg
4 Cups Wheat flour

Ingredients For Meat Pie Filling

2 Tbsp Olive oil
1 Onion Medium
1 Habanero minced
1 lb ground beef
2 Tsp Thyme
1 Tsp Curry Powder
1/2 Tsp Nutmeg
2 Stock Cubes
Salt To Taste
White & Black Pepper To Taste
3 Potatoes diced
2 Carrots diced

Thickener

Corn Starch & Water

Egg Wash

1 Egg
2 Tsp Water

Crust

1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1/3 cup shortening or butter
4 tbsp. cold water

Filling

1 cup chopped potato
1/2 cup chopped onion
3 tbs. margarine or butter
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp dried thyme or sage, crushed
1 1/4 cup beef broth
1 1/2 cup chopped carrots and peas
2 cups ground beef

Method

1. Heat up the oil. Add the minced meat and onions to the oil. Ensure to fry the minced meat properly.
2. Boil the minced meat with seasoning cube for about 10 minutes. Add the chopped carrots and Irish potatoes to the pot then leave it to boil together with the meat.
3. Add water to the flour, baking powder, butter and mix properly.
4. Knead the dough then place the dough on a flat surface. Use a rolling pin to flatten the dough.
5. Add the meat pie filling inside the dough then close it up. You can use a fork to press the edges of the flour when closing it up. Ensure you paint the edges of the dough with egg so it does not reopen while baking.
6. Paint the entire meat pie with the egg in order to achieve that rich brown colour. Grease the pan and then put your meat pie on the baking pan.
7. Bake the meat pie for at least 30-40 minutes until it’s rich brown.
Bite and enjoy the taste of the meat pie.

How to make the Meat Pie filling

In a large pan, preheat the Oil then add the diced Onion. Stir-fry till the Onions becomes translucent and limp.
Add the minced Habanero pepper to give it some heat and aroma then you stir-fry for a few seconds. Then add the ground beef. Try to break the meat apart as you don’t want clumps forming in the filling.
Once the beef is well browned, add your spices and the diced potatoes plus enough water to cook the potatoes till it becomes tender.
Stir in the diced Carrot and cook again for another 5 minutes. Add the cornstarch and water mixture to slightly thicken up the filling and leave to simmer for about 2-3 minutes.
Take it off the heat and let it cool down while you prepare the pastry dough.

How to make the Whole wheat Meat pie pastry dough

In a large bowl with estimated size to contain your dough, bring together flour, baking powder, nutmeg, salt, brown sugar, and whisk together.
Add the cubed butter or margarine, to the dry ingredients and work the butter/Margarine into the flour with your hands until it becomes crumbly.
Add the Egg and mix it into the flour until it is well incorporated, then, begin to introduce the cold water a little at a time and use your hand to toss the flour into the Water until it’s fully absorbed. Once the dough is formed, cover it up with a plastic wrap and put it in the fridge for at least 20 minutes.
After 20 minutes, take the dough out from the fridge, and roll it out on a lightly floured work surface. Then use the medium size pie cutter to cut out your circles. If you happen to not have a pie cutter, you can use any circular object around the house to cut out your dough.
Place the cut-out dough on your pie cutter. Fill it with about 2 tablespoons of filling brush the circular edge of the pie with the Egg wash and close it up with the pie cutter (Seal the pie). See note
Remove the pie from the pie cutter and place it on a parchment lined baking sheet. Brush the surface of the pie with the Egg wash and use a fork to poke a few holes on the surface of the pie. See note
Place the pies in a 350°F preheated oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes till the surface of the pie becomes golden.
It is best served while still hot Serve as breakfast with a Cup of Tea, for brunch or evening snack with a chilled drink.

Notes:

Don’t overwork the butter/Margarine otherwise, it will become warm. If that happens, just pause and let it cool in the fridge until the butter hardens up before proceeding.
You can either use butter alone or Margarine alone or the combination of both in any ratio you want but bear it in mind that the more butter in the pie, the flakier the pie will be.
Do not let your dough come back to room temperature as it will ruin the crust. You can now knead the dough for a couple of seconds to get it relaxed.
If you find the dough a little hard after removing it from the fridge, simply leave it on the table top (still covered) for a few minutes until it becomes workable but don’t allow it to come to room temperature if you really want a flaky pie.
The extent to which you roll out your dough is dependent on your personal preference. If you want it thick roll it out thick and if you want it thin, simply roll it out thin.
The cut out circles tends to shrink a bit when left alone. If you choose to use the pie cutter to close up your pies then use your rolling pin to roll it out give it a little stretch so that it can fit the pie cutter Try not to overfill the pie otherwise, it might leak or burst open while in the oven.
The egg wash that was used before sealing the pie serves as a ”glue” to bond the sides of the pie together.
Brushing the surface of the Meat pies with the Egg wash helps in acquiring a more golden and shining crust.
The fork pricked holes on the surface of the pie serves as a breathing space for the pies while still in the oven.
Though this should be unnecessary if your pie is not overfilled except you want it just for aesthetics like moi.:)
This recipe yielded 12 medium-size pie both in the American standard cup measurement and the Metric measurement. You can calculate the quantity of ingredients you will need if you need more or less.

Nutrition

Third Method: Method 1

Use a food processor. The easiest way to cut the butter is to use a food processor, pulsing the flour mixture for a minute or two, until the butter is chopped up to the appropriate size.
Use a pastry cutter for butter or shortening. A pastry cutter is a great way of chopping up the butter in a good uniform mixture, quickly and without much effort. Roll the pastry cutter through the flour mixture, clearing out the butter from behind the tines after you make each pass around the bowl, if necessary. It shouldn’t take more than a few minutes.
Use a fork or two knives. If you don’t have a pastry cutter or a food processor, don’t worry. You can cut up the butter with the flat side of a table fork, or use two knives to slice the butter in opposite directions, or even just use the end of a metal spatula.
Just use your fingers with shortening. Shortening won’t be greatly affected by the heat from your hands or from the room temperature, making it easy to crumble using your fingers.
Be very gentle. The key to a flaky crust is to make sure you don’t overwork the dough. If you overwork the dough, the crust will become tough and difficult to handle.
Your mixture will form soft lumps. These lumps should be moist enough that they will hold together if you gently press them between your fingers.
It’s usually a good idea to chill the dough in the refrigerator until you’re ready to roll it out and bake with it. If you’ve already got the oven pre-heated and you’re anxious to get started, putting it in the freezer can be a good way to get the temperature down quickly.
If you want to save the dough for a longer period of time, freeze it in a self-sealing freezer bag. When you’re ready to use it, let it defrost in the fridge overnight and roll it out normally.

Third Method: Method 2

1. Making the Filling

Cook your meat. In a large skillet over medium heat, add 2 cups ground beef and 1/2 cup chopped onions. Season with thyme, cloves, chopped garlic (if desired) and salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring to crumble the meat and mix in the spices, until the meat is evenly browned.

If you’d like a more flavourful pie, you can also use a dash of cinnamon and nutmeg as seasoning.

Discard the grease or fat. Once your meat is cooked through, use a wooden spoon or spatula to push your meat to one side of the pan and tilt the pan away, letting the grease pool on the other side.

Spoon it grease out, or carefully tilt your pan over a grease safe container to dispose of it. Place your cooled grease into a sealed non-recyclable container and discard it into your regular trash can.

Do not dump grease into the kitchen sink or toilet bowl or even use hot water to wash it down the drain. This allows grease to get into the sewage system or harden in your pipes.

Be careful whenever handling hot grease.

Add the vegetables and beef broth. Chop 1 potato into small pieces and add it to the skillet with 1 1/4 cup beef broth to start. Pour in 1 1/2 cup carrots and peas. The beef broth will keep your filling moist once the grease has been drained out.

You can peel your potato if desired.
If you want something different, try using a sweet potato instead.
You can also add more or less beef broth as needed, but don’t let your filling get too soupy.

Thicken your pie filling (optional). You may need to thicken your filling if it gets too runny. This can be done in a number of ways. Here are some things to consider:

Mix two tsp. of flour with 1/4 cup cold water or 1 tbsp. cornstarch with 1/4 cup cold water before stirring it into your mixture
Thicken with flour. For each cup of filling, use about 2 tbsp. of flour. Add the flour in increments of 1 tbsp. Add the flour slowly and stir in each addition. This will help prevent lumps from forming in your filling. Cook and stir for 1 additional minute until your sauce is thickened and bubbly.
Thicken with cornstarch. For each cup of sauce, use 1 tbsp. of cornstarch. Add the cornstarch in increments of 1 tbsp. and stir until thickened and bubbly. Add 2 minutes to your cooking time for cornstarch.

Third Method: Method 3

Making a Whole Meat Pie

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Assemble a whole pie. Roll your pie crust around the rolling pin. Start from one edge and carefully wrap your crust around the pin. Transfer your crust to your pie dish by carefully unrolling it from your pin and laying it down into the dish.

Avoid stretching the pastry.

Trim the crust. Trim to about 1/2 inch beyond the edge of the pie plate and fold the extra pastry under to create a thicker crust on the rim.

Fill your pie. To assemble your pie, slowly pour the filling into the pastry-lined pie dish. Level it off and don’t overfill your dish.

Cover your pie. Roll out an additional circle of dough or pastry and carefully place it over your pie. Pinch the edges of the bottom layer and top layer of dough together and create the knuckle-like pie edge ridges. Trim off any excess using a sharp knife.

Make a few slits in the top. Use a sharp knife to cut some vents into the top crust to allow the steam to escape when cooking.

Brush the top of your crust with egg or melted butter. This will help keep the crust moist and prevent cracking.

Bake your whole pie. Place your pie onto an oven rack in the center of your oven and cook for about 45 minutes or until the top of the pie is golden brown.

When your pie comes out of the oven, it will be hot! Make sure to let it cool on the countertop before serving.

Third Method: Method 4

Making Individual Meat Pies:

Cut your dough. Roll out your dough and cut it into 6 even pieces, about 5 ounces each.

Roll the pieces into 6 individual balls

Dust your workstation with flour to prevent dough from sticking.

Roll out your dough. Roll your pieces into about 8-inch flat circles. If your dough is very warm, it may be difficult to handle, cool it in the refrigerator for about 5-10 minutes if necessary.

Fill your individual pies. Evenly divide your filling into about 3/4 cup per individual pie and scoop it onto half of each dough circle. Carefully fold the dough over to cover the filling and use your fingers or a fork to press the edges together.

Slice slits into the tops of each pocket. Use a sharp knife to cut a few slits into the top of your pies. This allows steam to escape when baking and helps to prevent the pie from cracking or bursting in the oven.

Brush the top of your pockets with egg or melted butter to keep the top moist.

Bake your pies. Bake your pies on a lightly oiled or non-stick baking sheet in the oven for about 45 minutes to 1 hour or until the crust is golden brown and flakey.

Enjoy with a side of ketchup.

Third Method: Method 5

Trying Creative Variations

Try different types of meat. Use ground pork, chicken, turkey, or any meat you prefer. You can also mix meats for a more creative pie. Try cooking bacon and mixing it into your ground meat. Buy your favorite Italian sausage and cut it out of the casting to mix into your pie filling. You can try lamb, veal, or even tuna flakes.

Make sure your meat is fully cooked before adding it to your filling.

Make mincemeat sweet pie. If you are looking for a sweet and savory pie, try adding some additional ingredients to your filling recipe. Add:

8 ounces of raisins.
4 ounces of dried figs (chopped).
2 ounces dried cherries (chopped)
2 apples, peeled, cored, and chopped.
1 lemon zested and juiced.
1 orange zested and juiced.
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground clove
6 ounces dark brown sugar

Make a spicy meat pie. Bring some heat to your meat pie with the addition of a few ingredients and seasonings. Try mincing 1 jalapeño chili and 2 garlic cloves for your filling. Add 4 tsp of curry powder, 1/2 tsp turmeric and 1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper. Use these seasonings when cooking your ground beef to create a delicious spicy meat pie.

Get creative. Use your favorite ingredients and flavors to influence your own version of a meat pie. For a Mexican influenced meat pie, add refried beans and cheddar cheese to your filling. If you are looking for a vegetarian meat pie, substitute 1/2 cup (90 g) brown lentils for ground meat. You can also try adding artichoke hearts. Get as creative as you’d like!

Complete Guide on How to Make Meat Pie

General Meat pie ingredients