Pub-Style Steak and Ale Pie | America's Test Kitchen 7/1/18, 7'14 AM

Pub-Style Steak
and Ale Pie
WH Y TH I S REC I PE WO RKS
Intensely savory steak pie is a classic British comfort food, but
making it can be a tedious multistep procedure. Our streamlined
version has all the flavor and texture of the authentic article
with less work. We skipped the traditional browning of the
meat, which requires working in batches, and browned the
mushrooms and onion instead, building a flavorful fond at the
same time. Adding flour early in the process and limiting the
amount of stock we added to the pot meant that the gravy
formed as the meat cooked so we could bypass the usual sauce-
building steps. To make sure the limited moisture didn’t mean
limited flavor, we added bacon, garlic, and thyme. We
substituted beer for some of the stock and boosted browning
with the addition of a small amount of baking soda. Our unusual
pastry dough includes an egg for added structure, which
together with sour cream also contributed fat, allowing us to
decrease the amount of butter. The resulting dough was sturdy
enough to go over the filling while it was hot, but it baked up
flaky and substantial, the perfect complement to the rich filling.

I N GR ED I EN TS I N STR UCT I ON S SE RVES 6

FILLING Don’t substitute bone-in short ribs; their yield is too variable.
Instead, use a 4-pound chuck-eye roast, well trimmed of fat. Use a
3 tablespoons water
good-quality beef broth for this recipe; the test kitchen’s favorite is
½ teaspoon baking soda Better Than Bouillon Roasted Beef Base. If you don’t have a deep-
3 pounds boneless beef dish pie plate, use an 8 by 8-inch baking dish and roll the pie dough
short ribs, trimmed and into a 10-inch square. We prefer pale and brown ales for this recipe.

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Pub-Style Steak and Ale Pie | America's Test Kitchen 7/1/18, 7'14 AM

cut into 3/4-inch chunks 1. FOR THE FILLING: Combine water and baking soda in large bowl.
Add beef, salt, and pepper and toss to combine. Adjust oven rack to
½ teaspoon Salt
lower-middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees.
½ teaspoon pepper

2 slices bacon, chopped 2. Cook bacon in large Dutch oven over high heat, stirring
occasionally, until partially rendered but not browned, about 3
1 pound cremini
minutes. Add mushrooms and 1/4 cup broth and stir to coat. Cover
mushroom, trimmed and
and cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are reduced to
halved if medium or
about half their original volume, about 5 minutes. Add onion, garlic,
quartered if large
and thyme and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until onion is
1½ cups beef broth
softened and fond begins to form on bottom of pot, 3 to 5 minutes.
1 large onion, chopped Sprinkle flour over mushroom mixture and stir until all flour is
moistened. Cook, stirring occasionally, until fond is deep brown, 2
1 garlic clove, minced
to 4 minutes. Stir in beer and remaining 1 1/4 cups broth, scraping
½ teaspoon dried thyme up any browned bits. Stir in beef and bring to simmer, pressing as
¼ cup all-purpose flour much beef as possible below surface of liquid. Cover pot tightly with
aluminum foil, then lid; transfer to oven. Cook for 1 hour.
¾ cup beer

CRUST 3. Remove lid and discard foil. Stir filling, cover, return to oven, and
continue to cook until beef is tender and liquid is thick enough to
1 large egg, lightly beaten
coat beef, 15 to 30 minutes longer. Transfer filling to deep-dish pie
¼ cup sour cream, chilled plate. (Once cool, filling can be covered with plastic wrap and
1¼ cups (6 1/4 ounces) all- refrigerated for up to 2 days.) Increase oven temperature to 400
purpose flour degrees.

½ teaspoon Salt
4. FOR THE CRUST: While filling is cooking, measure out 2
6 tablespoons unsalted tablespoons beaten egg and set aside. Whisk remaining egg and sour
butter, cut into 1/2-inch cream together in bowl. Process flour and salt in food processor
pieces and chilled until combined, about 3 seconds. Add butter and pulse until only
pea-size pieces remain, about 10 pulses. Add half of sour cream
mixture and pulse until combined, about 5 pulses. Add remaining
sour cream mixture and pulse until dough begins to form, about 10
pulses. Transfer mixture to lightly floured counter and knead briefly
until dough comes together. Form into 4-inch disk, wrap in plastic,
and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 2 days.

5. Roll dough into 11-inch round on lightly floured counter. Using

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Pub-Style Steak and Ale Pie | America's Test Kitchen 7/1/18, 7'14 AM

knife or 1-inch round biscuit cutter, cut round from center of dough.
Drape dough over filling (it’s OK if filling is hot). Trim overhang to
1/2 inch beyond lip of plate. Tuck overhang under itself; folded edge
should be flush with edge of plate. Crimp dough evenly around edge
of plate using your fingers or press with tines of fork to seal. Brush
crust with reserved egg. Place pie on rimmed baking sheet. Bake
until filling is bubbling and crust is deep golden brown and crisp, 25
to 30 minutes. (If filling has been refrigerated, increase baking time
by 15 minutes and cover with foil for last 15 minutes to prevent
overbrowning.) Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

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