Beef and ale pie
Slow-braised beef in dark ale under puff pastry
BritishBeef and ale pie is the pub supper of Yorkshire and the Midlands, where brewing towns like Burton upon Trent made a dark ale gravy part of the region's cooking. Chuck steak is braised slowly in ale with onions and mushrooms until tender, then topped with flaky pastry. This recipe contains alcohol, most of which cooks off; for an alcohol-free pie use the same amount of beef stock with 1 tablespoon of malt vinegar and a teaspoon of brown sugar. Chef's tip: let the filling cool before topping, so the pastry stays crisp and puffy.
- Total time
- 210 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ lb beef chuckin 4 cm cubes
- 3 tbsp plain flour
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 onionschopped
- 9 oz chestnut mushroomshalved
- 2 cloves garliccrushed
- 1 cup beef stock
- 1 tbsp tomato purée
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 13 oz puff pastry
- 1 eggbeaten
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Toss the 2 ¼ lb beef chuck with the 3 tbsp plain flour, 1 ½ tsp salt and 1 tsp black pepper and brown in batches in the 3 tbsp vegetable oil in a heavy pot, 4 minutes a batch. Lift out.
16 minStep 2: Fry the 2 onions and 9 oz chestnut mushrooms for 8 minutes, add the 2 cloves garlic and 1 tbsp tomato purée for 1 minute, then pour in the 2 cups dark ale (or extra beef stock for alcohol-free), scraping up the brown bits.
10 minStep 3: Return the beef with the 1 cup beef stock, 4 sprigs fresh thyme and 2 bay leaves, cover and simmer very gently (or in a 325°F oven) for 2–2½ hours until the beef is tender and the gravy thick.
140 minStep 4: Tip into a 1.5 litre pie dish, remove the bay and thyme stalks and cool for at least 30 minutes. Heat the oven to 400°F (350°F fan).
30 minStep 5: Cover with the rolled 13 oz puff pastry, trim, crimp, cut a steam hole and brush with 1 egg. A common mistake is laying pastry on a hot filling, which melts the butter layers.
5 minStep 6: Bake for 30–35 minutes until the pastry is puffed and deep golden and the filling bubbles.
35 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 620 kcal
- Protein
- 40 g
- Carbs
- 38 g
- Fat
- 30 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does beef and ale pie take?
- About 210 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 180 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of onions?
- 2 shallots per onion.
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