Hot Water Crust Meat Pies Recipe

There are plenty of ways to serve pies, but most involve a sweet filling and are eaten for dessert. These hot water crust meat pies take your average pie to a whole new level with the addition of minced pork and a wonderful pastry shell. Recipe Developer Ting Dalton of Cook Simply came up with this fun dish that is sure to please your guests. "These meat pies make for a wonderful snack at home. The hot water crust pastry is relatively simple to make and easily pliable," Dalton shares. "This is why you don't need to brush the muffin tin with butter or grease." 

As for her favorite part about the recipe? "It's so satisfying making the hot crust dough come together, and then the smells coming from the oven are unbelievable," Dalton raves. "People may be a little wary of trying this hot crust pastry but really it's pretty simple. Plus very satisfying when you have these mini meat pies that look cute and rustic." If you're sold on these pies, keep scrolling to find out how to make them! 

Let's get right down to business! The first step in order to make this recipe is to compile a list of ingredients required to throw it together. Start with minced pork and a few spices like dried thyme, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Then, swing by the baking aisle and grab some all-purpose flour. Moving down the list, be sure to pick up some eggs. You will be using one yolk and another egg for the glaze. The recipe also calls for a bit of water, which you should already have at home. Then, grab some vegetable lard, a few gelatin leaves, and a cube of chicken stock. That's it! 

This recipe requires the use of your oven, so it's best to preheat it right away. Set the temperature to 320 F and let it get nice and hot so that it's ready when you need to use it. In the meantime, take out a bowl and start making the pie filling. First, toss in the pork, followed by the dried thyme. Then, add 1 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. "You can add another seasoning — including Italian seasoning, or even sausage meat as an alternative to pork mince," Dalton shares.

Now, it's time to make the pastry. Take out another bowl and dump in the flour and add 1 teaspoon of salt. Then, make a well in the middle of the flour and drop the egg yolk into the hole. Meanwhile, pour ⅔ cups of water into a pan and add the vegetable lard. Place the pan over low heat and stir until the fat melts. Increase the heat until the mixture starts to boil and you see bubbles reach the surface. Then, pour the boiling mixture into the flour and use a wooden spoon to stir for about 2 minutes until the mix is lump-free. Be sure to scrape the flour from the sides.

Now that you are done mixing the pastry, dump it out onto a flat surface and knead it lightly until it forms into a ball. Then, cut off about ⅓ of the pastry and wrap it in plastic wrap. Set it to the side because you will need it shortly for the pie lids. Then, divide the remaining pastry into six pieces. Flatten each piece out and use them to line the holes in a muffin tin. Stretch the pastry to just above the top of the tin.

Now, it's time to add the meat filling to each pastry. Simply divide the filling into six equal parts and fill in the muffin holes. Then, take the reserved pastry into six parts and flatten each out to a circle just larger than the top of the pies to make the lids. Brush a little bit of egg around the top edge of the pastry in the tins, and then place the lids on top. Press the edges together well, then make a hole in the center of each pie. The last thing you will need to do is brush the beaten egg over the top.

Pop the pies in the center rack of the oven to bake and set your timer for 20 minutes to start. Once the timer goes off, reduce the temperature to 300 F and cook for another 20 minutes. Using oven mitts, remove the pies first from the oven and then from the muffin tin and place them on a baking tray. Brush the tops and sides with the egg glaze and then put them back in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes until they turn golden.

Once you remove the pies from the oven the second time, transfer them to a wire rack to cool. You may need to use a small palette knife to ease them out gently. Then, pop the pies in the fridge and chill them for at least 3 hours or overnight.

While the pies chill in the fridge, make the jelly. First, soak the gelatin leaves in 1 cup of cold water until they get soft. Then, pour 1 ¾ cups of boiling water over the cube of chicken stock in a pot and stir until it has dissolved. Allow the stock to cool down a bit before pouring it into the pies. If needed, you can use a syringe to fill the pies. Then, return the pies to the fridge and let the gelatin set for around 2 hours. "The gelatin is a step that is part of a traditional cold meat pie to keep the filling moist. However, if you want to skip this step and just eat the pies straight out of the oven, you can do this too," Dalton notes. "With refrigerators, the pies should keep moist for a few days without the jelly."

Once you let the pies chill for a few hours, you can take them out to enjoy. These are great by themselves, but Dalton shares a few ways to spruce them up. "[They are] great for the holidays. You can serve this with cranberry sauce," she says. They are also, "great with some pickles, dips including some mustard, or mayonnaise and alongside other picnic food like sandwiches, and salads. In fact these are perfect to take on a picnic," Dalton adds. 

Anything leftover? Don't sweat it. "You can freeze these pies for up to 3 months. Make sure to wrap [them] carefully, then make sure to defrost thoroughly for 24 hours in the refrigerator and then leave at room temperature for 1 hour before eating," Dalton says.