Pork Pie - Ethnic Foods R Us

Nothing is more deliciously and uniquely British than this Pork Pie. There are many meat pies, found in lots of ethnic cuisines around the world. But this traditional British Pork Pie is a truly remarkable and distinctive culinary experience.

(Photo Attributed to Author: Palladian)

Pork Pie Recipe-

Ingredients:

For the Pork Pie Filling-

1 tbsp. unsalted butter
2 tsp. kosher salt
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1 small yellow onion,peeled and chopped into 1/4″ dices
1/2 Granny Smith green apple, peeled and chopped into 1/4″ dices
4 large cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 pound boneless pork butt, chopped into 1/4″ dices
4 oz. (about 6 sliced) thick-cut hickory smoked bacon, chopped fine
2 tsp. finely chopped fresh sage
1/4 tsp. ground mace
1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 tsp. freshly ground white peppercorns
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black peppercorns

For the Pork Pie Dough-

4 cups all-purpose flour
6 tbsp. unsalted butter
6 tbsp. lard (I know, I know, many people don’t like to use lard, for health reasons. But just this once won’t hurt you, and it is essential for authentic British cuisine flavor and texture for your Pork Pie, trust me)
1-1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1 egg yolk, beaten with 1 teaspoon water

For Condiment-

English hot mustard (a must-have ingredient, this English-style mustard is unique, unlike regular mustards)

You will need-

6) 3-3/4″ diameter ramekins

Directions:

For the Pork Pie Filling-

In a medium sized skillet over medium flame, heat and melt the butter.
Add in 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, the thyme, apples and onions, and cook about 5 minutes, or until the apples and onions soften.
Add and stir in the garlic and continue cooking for another 2 minutes. Take the skillet off of the burner, remove and discard the thyme, and then let the mixture cool down completely.
In a large mixing bowl, mix and toss together the cooled apple-onion mixture, bacon, pork butt, sage, black and white pepper, nutmeg, mace, and the remaining 1-1/2 teaspoons of salt. Take half of this combined mixture and place it into an electric blender or a food processor and pulse it about 10 times, or until it starts to forms a paste.
Return the pasty mixture to the mixing bowl, and stir and mix it well with the chunkier mixture.
Place the bowl in the refrigerate while you make the dough.

For the Pork Pie Dough-

Place the flour in a large mixing bowl.
Heat the lard, butter and salt with 2/3 cup water in a small skillet until the lard and butter melt, stir them together well, and then add into the bowl with the flour. Mix and blend until a smooth dough forms.
While still warm, create pie shells with the dough. Press 1/4 cup of the dough into each ramekin in such a way that it covers the bottoms and sides and spreads all the way up and beyond the top. Take care that there are no holes in the dough, and that it is the same (about 1/8″) thickness everywhere.Gently fold the “overage” down the outsides of the ramekins.
Now separate the remaining dough into 6 equal pieces; roll out each piece to create circles a bit larger than the circumference of the ramekins – about 4 inches in diameter – to cover the pies. Slice a small vent slit, or cut a small hole, in the middle of each pie cap.

To Assemble and Bake the Pork Pies-

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit
Place a baking sheet on the bottom rack of the oven right away, before the oven gets too hot.
Fill each ramekin with about 1/2 cup of the meaty filling mixture. Brush the beaten egg yolk on the top of the dough overhang on the edges of the ramekins, taking care to not to get egg-wash on the ramekin itself.
Brush egg-wash on the edges of the dough circle caps, and then cover the ramekins with the caps, with the egg-wash-side down.
Trim off any excess dough with kitchen scissors, and crimp the edges sealed with a fork, sealing and creating an attractive pattern at the same time. Brush the tops of the caps with more egg wash.
Place the filled and capped ramekins on the hot baking sheet in the oven. Bake for 20 minutes, and then reduce the heat to 375 degrees and continue baking until they are slightly puffed and a pleasing golden brown color. Usually 25 to 30 minutes will be long enough.
Allow the pies to cool to nearly room temperature before popping them out of the ramekins. Serve your Pork Pies either while still a little warm, or at room temperature.