Meat pies have been part of my life for as long as I can remember. Meat pies are a Acadian French tradition, a
staple from the east coast of Canada. The Quebec version,
" tourtiere" , is a different version of the French pie as it uses ground pork , sometimes ground beef,
along with other ingredients. Some Acadian-
French make it with rabbit as well, the French I knew did anyway, I do
not, but, I have tried it with rabbit and it is good. Growing up in my Mother’s home, she used
turkey ( or chicken) beef and pork and that is what I use today.
Traditionally, Meat Pies are served around the holiday season. In my house growing up, it was custom to have
it for Christmas Eve or for breakfast on Christmas morning. Some eat the pie cold or warmed, with gravy,
cranberry sauce or even with molasses
over top. When making meat pies, you don’t simple make one pie,
you make several, 4-6 at a time and have them over the Winter months on chilly
Winter evenings. The amount of pies depend on how much meat you cook. It’s labor intensive
but very much worth all the work. I give
them out for gifts at Christmas time , along with homemade jarred cranberry
sauce, mustard pickles and harvest beets. Friends who have not heard of them before are pleasantly surprised and enjoy them very much.
Here is my version of Meat Pie. Nothing is measured, things are
approximate. Having a little more of
one thing is not going to make a difference.
This time, I was able to get four fully stuffed pies. For this recipe I used chickens.
2 - 3-5 lbs chickens or a turkey
1 - 5-6 lb beef, chuck roast
1 - 5lb pork, butt roast
In a large stock pot or pot, fill with water and submerge the chickens, you may need to do two separate pots if your pot is not large enough to hold the two chickens. I keep the chickens whole., you can cut them up if you choose. In the same pot, chopped up two onions, add sea salt and cracked black pepper and 1 Tb of Summer Savory. Summer Savory may be hard to come by where you live but try to find it. It's a unique herb, similar to savory, but better in taste. I order mine online from a Canadian food store. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer the chickens for about 2 hours. To check if done, twist a chicken leg back, if it resists breaking, it's not done, or if you see blood running from bone.. not done. The leg should break free from the rest of the chicken easily. this next step is important *** DO NOT THROW OUT THE CHICKEN STOCK/BROTH.*** you will need it for the pies.
Cook the beef and pork at the same time, place the pork and beef in a roasting pan, season with grey sea salt and cracked black pepper. I cover the bottom of the pan with beef stock. Cook the pork and beef on 375, for about 3 hours.
I put small chunks of potatoes in my meat pies, a chunky mash. Not a lot, maybe 3-4 potatoes for all the mixture. So get the potatoes cooked, when done, set aside.
I have said this before, in my other recipes - I DO NOT BAKE. I have made homemade pie crusts before, but quite frankly, I don't have the patience for dough and buying a good pie crust is more practical for me. But, have at it if you are inclined to make fresh pie crust.
When the meat is done. Let it cool before you start shredding and cutting up the meat. Any juices from the beef and pork pan, add to the chicken stock pot. With the chickens, remove the skin and bones . Do the same with the beef and pork. On a flat surface.. put all the meat in front of you and chop up all the meat. How big or small the pieces depends on how you like it. When all the meat in combined, place in a roasting pan or something big enough to hold all the meat, add about 2 tablespoons of Summer Savory ( I used dried). Start off with less if you want and taste the mixture to get it where you want it. Add sea salt and black pepper. Again, after adding, taste the mixture to the right consistency of saltiness. Start with a little, you can always add, but you can't take away.
Once you get the salt, pepper, summer savory mixed in.. add the potatoes. This is where you add the meat stock. There is no real way to measure this or to tell exactly how much to add. This is the way I can tell when I have added enough. With the meat all placed in pan/pot, start adding one cup of meat stock from the chicken pot. After adding one cup, toss the meat in the stock to see if you need more. The way I can tell when there is enough stock/liquid is a put a handful of meat in my hand and squeeze ( not too tight)... the liquid should not drip from your hand but should be visible when you squeeze. In the end... I think I used about 2 cups of broth.
In prepared pie start put the meat mixture into the trays. I like my pies full. Place the dough over top, seal edges.
The meat is fully cooked, so all you are doing is cooking the pie crust. Cook pies until golden brown. Approximately 30-45 minutes, in a 375 oven. Ovens vary, so keep an eye on it.
Serve how you want.. start a tradition of your own. Cranberry sauce is my favorite. I encourage you to try the molasses though :)
Enjoy ! Happy Holidays.
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