Natchitoches Meat Pies
Served in a Louisiana town, I visited for their Christmas celebration. Spicy, moist meat pies. Fantastic!
Served in a Louisiana town, I visited for their Christmas celebration. Spicy, moist meat pies. Fantastic!
- 1 egg beaten
- fresh ground black pepper to taste
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1/2 lb lean ground beef
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 1 tbsp canola oil
- 1/2 cup diced onions
- 1/4 cup diced green bell peppers
- 1/4 cup diced red bell peppers
- 1/2 cup diced celery
- 1/2 lb ground pork
- beef stock or broth as needed
- kosher salt to taste
- hot pepper sauce or cayenne pepper to taste
- 2 pie crusts homemade or store bought
- a bit water added to egg to make egg wash
- cooking oil if frying
- Carbohydrate 54.2584287514049 g
- Cholesterol 135.503760112096 mg
- Fat 46.9870004951531 g
- Fiber 2.75212496016926 g
- Protein 28.91218975022 g
- Saturated Fat 18.3965332155707 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (414g)
- Sodium 1051.95086601615 mg
- Sugar 51.5063037912357 g
- Trans Fat 4.40543750129063 g
- Calories 759 calories
Step-by-step
- In a heavy bottomed pan, sauté oil and butter over medium high heat.
- Add onions, bell peppers, and celery, sauté about 5 minutes or until softened.
- Add garlic during last minute.
- Add beef and pork and sauté until cooked through and liquid has cooked down.
- Reduce to low simmer and cook about 60 minutes add broth as needed to prevent sticking.
- Season to taste with salt, pepper, hot sauce or cayenne.
- Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.
- Too hot will make a soggy crust.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Cut crust in half and spoon generous amount in middle.
- Prepare egg wash by whisking egg and water together.
- Brush around edges of each half, fold over and press edges together with a fork.
- Place in greased cookie sheets.
- Make a couple small slits in dough so steam can escape.
- Brush egg wash over pie and bake in 400 degree oven about 30 minutes until golden brown.
- Preheat fryer to 375 degrees and cut pies into 3-5 inch rounds.
- Proceed as above except don't put egg wash on top.
- Fry until golden brown, drain and serve hot.
Operating within a tight one-hour timeframe requires deliberate management of heat and moisture, particularly when rendering fat from a dual-protein filling of beef and pork. Heavy-bottomed cast iron or enameled steel distributes thermal energy evenly, preventing scorching while the aromatics sweat down. Cooking the filling down until all accumulated liquid evaporates is critical; trapping excess moisture inside pastry dough generates steam pockets that rupture the crust during baking or frying. Allowing the meat mixture to cool completely to room temperature before assembly prevents the fats within the crust from melting prematurely, which would otherwise yield a tough rather than flaky texture.
Scaling the Filling and Dough
Doubling or halving this recipe requires attention to the aromatic base and the fat-to-lean ratios of the ground meats. When scaling up past two pounds of meat, use a wider pan rather than a deeper one to ensure the moisture evaporates efficiently within the initial window. Excess liquid left in a doubled batch will prolong the simmering phase well beyond the standard sixty-minute mark, overcooking the vegetables. Conversely, when halving the quantities, monitor the liquid additions closely because smaller volumes of beef stock reduce much faster and risk scorching against the pan base.Evaluating Doneness Without a Thermometer
Visual and textural cues replace internal probes when tracking doneness for handheld pastries. Baked pies require a full thirty minutes in a 400-degree Fahrenheit oven, developing a deep golden-brown exterior and steady steam venting cleanly from the top slits. Fried versions submerged in 375-degree oil signal readiness when the pastry shell turns an even amber color and floats firmly to the surface. Removing the fried pies promptly prevents oil absorption, ensuring the crust remains crisp rather than greasy.
