The great Australian Meat Pie!! Shortcrust pastry filled with slow cooked chunky pieces of beef in a rich gravy topped with golden puff pastry, this meat pie recipe requires patience but you will be regarded as a bloody legend by everybody fortunate enough to try one!
It’s way better than your everyday bakery and will rival some of the best meat pie makers in town – Bourke Street Bakery included! Bonus: old school beef mince meat pie recipe included. For a Family Size Meat Pie – see here!
Australian meat pie recipe!!
From midnight post-pub feasting to footy games, quick lunches on the run to essential road trip pit stops, Aussies never need an excuse to get stuck into meat pies!
That moment when you bite through the buttery, flaky golden puff pastry and the molten filling comes oozing out, and you frantically fan your mouth while mumbling “hot, hot, hot!!!”, cursing yourself for not letting it cool down but on the other hand you just don’t bloody care about third degree mouth burns because the pie is SO SO SO GOOD…..
That moment is something that every (non-vegetarian) Aussie is very familiar with.
And it’s a moment that Aussies who have moved abroad miss so much.
So today’s meat pie recipe is dedicated to all Aussies living overseas. Your hunt for a meat pie fix is officially over!!
How to make meat pies
It’s not the fastest recipe in the world – truthfully, it’s quite fiddly – but I absolutely promise it’s worth it. Here’s an overview – and the video below is quite helpful. 🙂
Pie crust base – shortcrust pastry (homemade or store bought) fitted into pie tins then blind baked so they don’t go soggy once filled. Don’t have pie tins? Use large muffin tins or ramekins, or make one giant pie! I got mine from Woolies.
Meat Pie Filling – just like making a beef stew, it’s cooked long and slow so the beef becomes ultra tender and the sauce develops incredible deep, rich flavours; and
Puff pastry pie topping – the crowning glory of the Aussie meat pie experience is that flaky golden puff pastry topping! Store bought, all the way for me. 🙂
Why two types of pastry?
I use shortcrust for the base because it won’t go soggy and has the strength so you can pick the pie up with your hands. Then puff pastry for that classic flaky meat pie lid we love and know so well!
Meat Pie Filling
Here’s what goes in the meat pie filling. This is for a chunky meat pie – pieces of beef slow cooked until fall apart tender which makes an intensely deep, rich flavoured gravy.
The old school version is made with beef mince (ground beef) but the flavour of chunky beef pies is better because you can brown the pieces beautifully which forms the flavour base for the sauce.
After an old school beef mince version?
For a beef mince version, just swap the chuck beef for beef mince and read the recipe notes for how to tweak the recipe. The sauce needs a flavour bump because it will be missing the flavour boost you get from browning cubes of beef – this step is key to a really great meat pie sauce!
Meat Pie pastry
The base of meat pies is made with shortcrust pastry and the lids are made with puff pastry. For convenience, use store bought for both if you wish. In Australia, shortcrust pastry comes frozen in square sheets. If you’re in the US or Canada, use refrigerated pie crusts (the rolled up type).
I like to make the shortcrust pastry because I feel like there’s high returns for small effort (using a food processor, it’s a 5 minute job).
But I always use store bought puff pastry – I’ve made it once, and it’s probably the only time I ever will in my life!
Meat Pie recipe tips
Brown the beef VERY well – this is key to ensure your filling has a rich complex flavour and is a deep dark brown colour. Brown in small batches – don’t crowd the pot otherwise the beef will stew in its own juices and will never brown! If this happens, just take some out.
Beef mince version – use recipe tweaks in the notes to give the sauce a flavour boost (because mince doesn’t brown like using cubes of beef)
Chunky vs beef mince – no question, chunky is superior in flavour and overall eating experience! Just can’t achieve the same sauce flavour using mince (but still so SO tasty!)
Start the day before – if you can. Firstly, it’s best for the filling to be fridge cold to ensure the meat pie base doesn’t go soggy. Secondly, as with all stews, the filling is even better the next day!
Don’t reduce the sauce too much. Some liquid evaporates while the filling is cooling and liquid gets absorbed by the pie crust. When you cut open the pie, you want the filling to ooze out and be nice and saucy, not dry.
Don’t make the pie crust too thin – if making your own shortcrust pastry, don’t make the base too thin otherwise it will break when the pie is picked up. Still tasty – but very messy!
To smear or not to smear?? To this day, I cannot believe there are people who eat meat pies without tomato sauce. I really try to respect personal preferences….. but I will never understand! 😂
Hands – or knife and fork? Knife and fork?? Shame on you! The Aussie meat pie is made for eating with your hands!!!🤣
Worth the effort!
It will take you the better part of a day to make homemade meat pies. It’s quite involved and they’re especially fiddly because we’re making individual pies rather than one large pie.
But you will be regarded as a bloody legend by everybody fortunate enough to put one of these pies in their pie-hole!
Are they as good as what you can buy? YES. Better than your everyday bakery by a long shot, even using store bought pastry. Way WAY better than the average frozen meat pies from the supermarket.
That moment when you pull these golden beauties out of the oven – you’ll feel both excited AND smug (as you should……)
But then, you smear the still-hot-from-the-oven meat pie with some tomato sauce, and take a huge bite….
O.M.G.
There are no words. (But I shall try)
You’ve got a mouthful of buttery shortcrust pastry that literally melts in your mouth, juicy fall apart beef smothered in a rich gravy with flavour money can’t buy, and the flaky crispy puff pastry…..
Be still my beating heart.
There is simply no question. It’s one of the best food experiences in the world! – Nagi x
🇦🇺More Aussie fare🇦🇺
Family Size Aussie Meat Pie – The giant form of these hand held meat pies!
Party Pies (Aussie Mini Beef Pies) – Mini meat pies!
Sausage Rolls – Seasoned pork mixture rolled up in puff pastry. We believe this rivals Bourke St Bakery too!😂
Lamingtons – Vanilla sponge cubes dipped in chocolate and coated with coconut
Anzac biscuits – Crispy, buttery, toffee flavoured oatmeal cookies
Pavlova!! – Crispy meringue on the outside, marshmallow on the inside, piled high with cream and fruit
Scones – Plus magic 3 ingredient Lemonade Scones (3 ingredients)
Watch how to make it
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Aussie Meat Pie recipe
Ingredients
Pie Base – Choose ONE (Note 1):
- 1 1/2 batches homemade shortcrust pastry
- 3 frozen shortcrust pastry sheets, thawed (300g/10oz)
- 2 refrigerated pie crusts (US/Can)
Pie Lid:
- 3 frozen puff pastry sheets, just thawed (300g/10oz) (Note 2)
- 1 egg , lightly whisked
Filling:
- 1.25 kg / 2.5lb beef chuck , 2.5cm/1″ cubes (Note 3)
- 1/2 tsp each salt & pepper
- 2 – 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion , diced
- 4 garlic cloves , minced
- 5 tbsp flour , plain/all purpose
- 1 1/4 cups (315 ml) beef stock, low sodium (Note 4)
- 3 cups (750 ml) red wine , dry full bodied (Note 5)
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tsp black pepper , coarsely ground
- 2 bay leaves
Instructions
Filling:
- Sprinkle beef with 1/2 tsp salt and pepper.
- Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large heavy based pot over high heat. Add 1/3 of the beef and brown aggressively all over, then remove. Repeat with remaining beef, adding more oil if needed.
- Turn stove down to medium high. Add garlic and onion, cook 3 minutes.
- Add flour, stir through.
- Slowly add beef stock while stirring constantly. Once flour is dissolved, add wine, tomato paste, Worcestershire, pepper and bay leaves.
- Return beef into pot, cover with lid, adjust heat so it’s simmering gently.
- Simmer 1 hr 45 minutes. Remove lid, increase heat slightly and simmer 30 – 45 minutes, stirring regularly, or until beef is fork tender and liquid reduces down to a thickish gravy, just about covering beef (see video). Do not reduce liquid too much – thickens more as it cools & in pie.
- Remove from stove, cover and cool filling (I usually leave overnight).
Pastry:
- Preheat oven to 180C/350F.
- Cut out 6 rounds from the shortcrust pastry, then drape pastry into pie tins – don’t stretch and pull pastry, causes shrinkage. (Notes 1 & 6)
- Place pies on tray. Top each pie with large sheets of parchment / baking paper and fill with pie weights (Note 7).
- Bake 20 minutes, remove, then use paper overhang to carefully remove pie weights.
- Return crusts into oven for 5 minutes or until base is light golden and dry (can skip, Note 8). Remove from oven.
Assemble pies:
- Fill pies with cooled filling, push down to fill. Should be slightly mounded.
- Cut rounds from partially thawed puff pastry – cut them slightly larger than the edge of the cooked pastry bases.
- Brush edge of pie crusts with egg, then place lid on filling, pressing edges to seal puff pastry to the shortcrust pastry.
- Brush lids with egg, then cut a 1cm / 0.5″ incision in the middle using a small knife.
- Bake 30 minutes or until deep golden and puffed.
- Devour hot and fresh, topped with tomato sauce or ketchup if desired!
Recipe Notes:
- Brush with melted butter, sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar, cut sticks/shapes bake until golden. Try garlic butter, sprinkle with parmesan and pepper, or dukkdah or zaatar. Or just bake sticks plain and use as dippers with soups or stews.
- Cook onion and garlic, then add 1.3 kg / 2.6lb beef mince (ground beef) and brown
- Add flour and remaining ingredients per recipe including pepper but DO NOT ADD SALT
- Add 1 beef cube, crumbled
- Simmer gently, covered, for 1 hr 20 minutes
- Uncover and reduce for 20 minutes
- Add up to 1 tsp dark soy sauce to make the sauce colour a nice brown and add flavour (soy has more flavour than plain salt), simmer for 5 min. Add normal salt if you want it saltier.
- Cool then use as filling per recipe.
Nutrition Information:
Life of Dozer
Ironclad grip on both Dozer and coffee (equally important at early morning beach sessions)
Wow! Another great recipe from you Nagi, I made this many times and the family love it much. I personally loved your work also.
I’ve made these meat pies several times now. The only problem I have with them is stopping my kids stealing them out of my freezer before I can eat them. Lol.
Can pie be made ahead and frozen for later
Hi Nagi, I am very sorry to burst your bubble, but I honestly cannot and absolutely will not spoil an Aussie meat pie by smothering it with tomato sauce – yuk, yuk & double yuk!!!
can you also cook this in a slow cooker instead of hob?
how can anyone like this? spent hours making it. one bite, spat it out waste of time and money
Hi Nagi, its me again your avid fan. I always give you 5 stars you deserve it.
Australian living in Canada…i remember back in the day, laughing at reports of people driving into lakes, because satnav told them too…clearly, this is God’s revenge, for me laughing at people for trusting what the internet tells them. I added the 3 cups of wine that this recipe called for, because the internet told me. I can still taste the wine, and I made these pies 3 months ago!!!
Additionally, I was pulled over by the police, and blew .4 million on the breathalyzer. What a waste of good wine!!!
I tried to cook this but after adding the wine and flour it was still very watery. The gravy didnt thicken up.
Could you replace the wine in this recipe with beer to make a beef and ale pie or would it not be the same?
Hello. I just started looking at your fb page. I must try some of these recipes myself. I tried to cook the meat pie last week. I found it was very watery and thin. I couldnt get it to thicken up like in you picture. Should I add the flour with a bit of water
This meat pie recipe was a huge hit with my family. I was worried they wouldn’t like the amount of wine in it. My three late teens/early twenties boys were “blown away”, absolutely loved it! Thanks Nagi
I used a Shiraz and I can still taste the wine a bit. I’ve cooked the filling already but is there anything I can do before I cook the pies assembled to get rid of the wine taste??
Another great recipe from you Nagi, I made this a couple of times, a huge hit in the family not to mention I live with foodies. Thank you so much for sharing! LOVE your work, xxxx
Hello Nagi, I’ve been a fan of yours for years & love your recipes! I really want to find a wine I can cook with. I don’t care for the taste of wine period is there any way you can email me a recommendation for the wine? When I’ve cooked with wine before it was so pungent & literally ruined the dish. I never know what kind to buy. PLEASE help me figure this out. Thanks!!!
Hi, as a sometime cook, my partner doesn’t like alcohol so I don’t put it in. I would put more stock and bit more of the other flavourings. Its maybe not quite the same, but he will love it 😊
I’m going to try the meat pies for Sunday
Hi and quick help!
I am so keen on making these as a winter regular . I’m trying to get my production cranking and wondered is it feasible to make filling in advance and freeze it ? Or does that change consistency? And does it mean If I make them from using frozen filling I can’t re freeze the assembled pies again?
Hi Michelle – you can batch cook the filling and freeze it (I like to divide it into the correct size for one pie). Then you thaw the meat, fill the pastry and bake. You can also assemble the entire pie whole and freeze it unbaked then bake from frozen when you need it. N x
I have leftover bbq pulled pork- from one of your other amazing recipes- bbq pulled pork Sandwiches.
Wondering if I could substitute this for the beef and reduce the cooking time? Or any other tips? Just struggl to find a yum pulled pork pie recipe😁
Hi Kylie. Have you ever tried making a cottage pie with pulled pork? It’s delicious and our favourite way of using up leftovers. Just add a few veggies – we use carrot and peas.
Hey Nagi another great video !
It’s definitely meat pie weather in Adelaide and I’m going to try the mince version of this recipe as that’s what I’ve got in the fridge. Also I have only puff pastry in the freezer so wondering if I can get away with using it on the bottom as well as the top?
Thanks !
Hey Nagi. Long time fan, first time poster 😁. I have made this recipe twice now with extraordinary results (we take 20 or so small pies camping and watch the face melting ecstasy of my mates). I am a hard believer in the slow cooked chuck or brisket, but am going to try the mince option in the coming days, hoping I can replicate the magic 😁, any last minute secret tips?
I agree with you Chris – the low and slow cooks are PACKED with flavour but the mince version is also good! Just follow my tips in Note 9 under the recipe and your mince will RULE!! N x
Recipe looks delicious, I really want to try it.
What can I substitute red wine with.
My husband is allergic to alcohol. Although the wine cooks away, I dont want to take a chance.
Your pies deserve 5 stars just by the looks of them. And with the ketchup too. I’m not really into messing with pie dough but since these are small I’m going to give it a shot. Just ordered a set of 4″ non stick pie pans from Amazon for cheap just to make these. Thanks Nagi.