The Classic Beef Steak Pie

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Prep Time: 20

Cook Time: 3

Total Time: 3 20

Calories: 942kcal

Servings: Pies

Metric - Imperial

Ingredients

Short Crust Pastry

250 g Plain Flour All Purpose
140 g Unsalted Butter Diced & Chilled
37.5 ml Sparkling or Still Water Ice Cold
Salt To Taste

Beef Gravy

30 ml Olive Oil
1 kg Beef Chuck Steak Diced
1 Brown (Yellow) Onion Diced
1 Carrot Diced
1 rib Celery Diced
6 Garlic Cloves Minced
28 g Plain Flour All Purpose
2 Beef Stock Cubes Crushed
48 g Concentrated Tomato Paste
250 ml Beef Stock
500 ml Dry Red Wine
10 ml Worcestershire Sauce
5 Dried Bay Leaves Bouquet Garni
6 sprigs Sprigs Thyme Bouquet Garni
3 g Flat Leaf Parsley Bouquet Garni
Salt & Pepper To Taste

Pie Topping

4 Frozen Puff Pastry Sheets Thawed
2 Egg Yolk
Sea Salt Flakes
Cracked Black Pepper

Method

Short Crust Pastry

Add the flour and cold butter to a food processor and blitz on high speed until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. While running, slowly pour in the sparkling or regular water until the pastry comes together, adding more if needed. Remove from the processor and knead into a smooth ball. Wrap tightly and refrigerate for a minimum of 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Roll out the pastry and cut rounds about an inch bigger than the circumference of your pie tins — 8 rounds for small tins (~10cm/4in), 6 for medium (~12cm/5in), or 4 for large (~15cm/6in). Line the tins with the pastry and mould to shape.
Cut parchment paper to size, one sheet per pie, and fill with rice or blind-baking balls. Blind bake for 14–16 minutes (small), 18–20 minutes (medium), or 22–25 minutes (large), until the outside of the pastry is golden. Remove the weights and parchment, and return to the oven for a further 3–4 minutes (small), 4–6 minutes (medium), or 6–8 minutes (large), until the base is golden. Set aside.

Pie Filling & Top

Pat the beef chuck as dry as possible and place in a large bowl. Season generously with salt and pepper.
Place a pot over high heat and add half of the olive oil. Sear half of the beef for 5–6 minutes, until deeply browned. Remove and repeat with the remaining batches, then remove all the beef from the pot.
In the same pot over medium-high heat, add the onion, celery, carrot, and a pinch of salt. Sauté for 6 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Add the flour and stir to coat the vegetables, cooking for 1 minute to cook out the raw flour taste. Gradually pour in the beef stock, mixing well to prevent lumps.
Add the tomato paste, beef stock cubes, red wine, Worcestershire sauce, and bouquet garni. Season well with salt and pepper, mix, and bring to a boil.
Add the beef and any resting juices, mix well, and bring back to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and cook for 2 hours. Remove the lid and discard the bouquet garni. Check the seasoning and simmer for a further 20 minutes, or until the beef is falling apart. Remove from the heat and let cool — this is best done overnight, or in about 4 hours in the fridge until lukewarm.
Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F). Place the cooled beef mix into the blind-baked pastry shells to assemble the pies. Cut the puff pastry slightly larger than the pie moulds. Brush the edges of each pie mould with the beaten egg and place on the puff pastry lids. Brush the tops with the remaining egg and score if desired. Sprinkle with sea salt flakes and cracked black pepper.
Bake for 18–20 minutes (small pies), 25–28 minutes (medium pies), or 30–35 minutes (large pies), until golden brown — if making large pies and the pastry browns faster than the centre heats through, loosely tent with foil for the last 10 minutes. Remove and let cool for 15–20 minutes before serving.

Chef's Tips

Sear the beef in batches without crowding the pot — crowding drops the pot's temperature and steams the meat instead of browning it, and that deep colour is where most of the filling's flavour comes from.

Cool the filling properly before assembling the pies, ideally overnight — hot filling under a puff pastry lid will melt the butter in the pastry before it hits the oven, and you'll lose the flaky rise.

If making large pies, watch the pastry in the last 10 minutes and tent with foil if it's browning faster than the centre is heating through — this is the size most likely to need it.

Storage & Reheating

Refrigerate baked pies for up to 4 days, or freeze for up to 3 months, in an airtight container. The unbaked, cooled filling on its own also freezes well for up to 3 months if you'd rather assemble and bake fresh later.

To reheat, warm in the oven at 180°C (350°F) for 15–20 minutes, until piping hot through the centre — a microwave will make the pastry soggy rather than crisp. Thaw frozen pies in the fridge overnight before reheating.

Serving 1PieCalories 942kcalCarbohydrates 55gProtein 46gFat 47gSaturated Fat 16gPolyunsaturated Fat 1gCholesterol 180mgSodium 1058mgPotassium 766mgFiber 5gSugar 8gVitamin A 2233IUVitamin C 6mgCalcium 14mgIron 9mg