Go Back
–+ servings
A close-up of a savory meat pie in a metal pie dish, with a golden, flaky crust topped with black sesame seeds. A large wedge has been cut out, revealing the rich, saucy meat filling inside.

Steak And Onion Pie

This Aussie style meat pie is essentially a crispy base pie with gorgeous, deep flavored beef stew filling and a golden, crispy pastry lid!
Author: Nick Makrides
4.64 from 11 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep 30 minutes
Cook 2 hours 45 minutes
Total 3 hours 15 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Australian
Servings 6
Calories 1376 kcal

Ingredients

Steak And Onion Filling

  • 1 kg (2.2 lbs) chuck steak beef fat trimmed, cubed into 3cm pieces (see notes)
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp pepper
  • 1/4 cup (60 g) extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 garlic gloves minced
  • 2 large brown onions finely chopped
  • 1/4 cup (60 g) tomato paste
  • 1/4 cup (60 g) BBQ sauce
  • 2 tbsp (40 ml) Worcestershire sauce
  • 3 1/2 cups (750 g) vegetable or beef stock
  • 1 cup (250 g) dark ale (see notes)
  • 1 beef bouillon see notes
  • 1/4 cup (62 g) unsalted butter
  • 1 cup (95 g) mushrooms, washed, dried and sliced
  • 1/4 cup (40 g) all-purpose flour, plus extra to dust

Pastry

  • 2 sheets frozen short crust pastry partly thawed (see notes)
  • 2 sheets frozen puff pastry partially thawed (see notes)

Egg Wash

  • 1 egg lightly beaten
  • 1 tbsp (20 g) milk
  • 2 tbsp black sesame seeds optional

Instructions
 

  • Nicks note - I would recommend making your meat filling the day before making your pie to allow it to cool properly before putting the pie together otherwise it will melt your pastry. Plus it gives the ingredients in the pie time to get to know each other and meld their flavors.

Filling

  • Preheat a fan-forced oven to 180C / 350F (200C / 395F for no fan).
  • Season beef - Take the beef out of the fridge to come to room temperature 30 minutes before using. Add the beef into a large bowl and season with salt and pepper. Stir to coat.
  • Brown beef - Add half the oil to a large, heavy based oven proof pot on medium high heat. Add beef in three batches and cook until brown, about 3 minutes. Take out of the pot. If you have burnt bits at the bottom, you may want to wipe the pot with a paper towel.
  • Cook onions and garlic - Lower heat to medium. Add the remaining oil, onion and garlic and stir until onions brown slightly, about 1 minute.
  • Add sauce ingredients - Add the tomato paste, BBQ sauce and Worcestershire sauce, 2 1/2 cups (625ml) of the vegetable stock (reserve remaining for later), dark ale and the browned beef into the pot. Stir until combined. Crush the bouillon cube in your hands into the pot. Stir until mixed in.
  • Slow cook - Bring to a boil, then cover with the lid and place in the oven. Bake for 1 1/2 hours or until beef is tender.
  • Cook mushrooms and form sauce - To a medium skillet, add the butter and melt. Add the mushrooms and cook for 2 minutes until softened. Add the flour and stir, it will look dry. Add 1/4 of the remaining vegetable stock and stir. Then add another 1/4 and repeat until it’s all in. Stir until a thick and smooth sauce forms.
  • Add mushroom sauce to beef - Take the pot out of the oven and place on the stove on medium heat. Add the mushroom sauce and stir until well combined. Cook on the stove for 10 minutes, stirring until thickened. The beef should be fall apart tender.
  • Allow to cool - Take off the heat and allow to cool completely to room temperature. I would recommend making the filling the day before for two reasons. The filling needs to be cool when putting the pie together otherwise it will melt your pastry, and second, the flavors meld together and intensify after 24 hours. If you’re in a hurry, you can put it together after allowing the filling to cool completely for a couple hours.

Putting the pie together

  • If chilling in the fridge overnight, allow the filling to thaw at room temperature for 30 minutes before proceeding. Preheat a fan-forced oven to 180C / 350F (200C / 395F for no fan).
  • Prepare pie crust - Dust your workbench with a little flour. Place two sheets of short crust pastry on top of each other and use a rolling pin to roll out a couple times to help the sheets stick together. Roll over the rolling pin and then unroll over your 22cm / 9-inch pie dish. Add the filling and spread evenly.
  • Add puff pastry on top - Repeat the same rolling technique with the puff pastry and place over the top of your pie. Crinkle the edges of the pie using a fork. Use kitchen scissors to cut excess pastry off. Cut an X into the middle of the puff crust pastry with a sharp knife to allow steam to escape during cooking.
  • Bake - Brush with a whisked egg and milk and sprinkle with black sesame seeds (optional). Place the pie into the oven and bake for 1 hour or until pastry is golden and filling is hot. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before slicing and serving. Serve with tomato sauce for a truly authentico Australian experience!

Video

Notes

Storage
  • Storing The Baked Pie - Pie can be stored in a container in the fridge for up to three days.
  • To Freeze - You can wrap the pie in foil and then wrap in plastic and freeze for up to two months.
  • To Reheat - To reheat, simply remove from plastic and place in a fan forced oven for 20 minutes on 180C / 350F or until heated through.
  •  
  • Dark Ale
The dark ale in this recipe helps deepen the flavor of the sauce and melds really well with the beef. It also helps tenderize the beef. For those worried that the sauce will have alcohol in it, it cooks out in the recipe. For those who don’t want to or can’t have alcohol, you can simply replace it with more vegetable or beef stock.
Beef Bullion
Beef bouillon cubes are beef stock cubes that help add more flavor to the sauce in this recipe. If you don’t have access to or don’t want to use them, you can simply leave them out and replace with 1/2 tsp of salt.
Filling
Just a note: I would recommend making your meat filling the day before making your pie to allow it to cool properly before putting the pie together otherwise it will melt your pastry.
Browning the meat
Cook the meat in three batches to avoid overcrowding the pot. Overcrowding will make it difficult to brown the meat and will result in stewed meat that releases its juices and remains tough.
How to tell if the beef is tender
The beef in this recipe is slow cooked so that it becomes soft and tender. To see if it’s tender simply squash a piece against the side of the pot with a wooden spoon. If it comes apart, it’s ready. If it feels too hard to come apart continue cooking for about 20-30 minutes until it comes to this point.
Mushroom sauce
The mushroom sauce in this recipe is created for two reasons.
  1. It cooks the mushrooms to perfection so that they still have a bit of bite. Adding them in toward the end of cooking the filling prevents them from disintegrating and overcooking.
  2. It helps create a sauce that, when mixed into the sauce, will thicken the filling.
Cutting an X
Cutting an ‘X’ at the top of the pastry will allow steam to escape as the pie bakes, preventing the mixture from spilling out the sides as it bakes.
Serving Suggestion
Allow to cool for 10 minutes before slicing and serving. Serve with tomato sauce for a truly authentico Australian experience!
Nutrition
Is approximate and is based on each slice (minus the mounds of tomato sauce!

Nutrition

Calories:1376kcal | Carbohydrates:107g | Protein:51g | Fat:82g | Saturated Fat:27g | Polyunsaturated Fat:9g | Monounsaturated Fat:42g | Trans Fat:2g | Cholesterol:161mg | Sodium:1897mg | Potassium:1293mg | Fiber:5g | Sugar:10g | Vitamin A:506IU | Vitamin C:7mg | Calcium:118mg | Iron:11mg
Keyword Aussie, Beef, Meat, Pie
Have you tried this recipe?Tag me on instagram @thescranline!