Traditional British Hand Raised Pork Pie
A Pork Pie is a grand English staple, and no picnic or buffet table is complete without one!
There is one undeniable truth about being a migrant, and that is 'there are always foods that you miss'. This pork pie recipe goes a long way to fill that gap.
Over a period of time, I have found that those desires do wane a little. However, as a cook, many hours were spent trying to fill those gaps!
A pork pie is a grand English staple that no picnic or buffet table is complete without!
The debate of whether you like the jelly will forever rumble on, but it is something that both my wife and I love. The first time I attempted to make my own was in our second year here, and I made a large one with a candle in it instead of a birthday cake for my wife.
Now that may sound a little harsh and not very glamorous! But neither of us has a sweet tooth, and any cakes we do make tend to go to waste.
As a result, the Pork Pie was very much appreciated. Having said that, it was not the greatest; however, as time has progressed, I have honed my recipe, and my 'hand raising' technique has improved greatly. My jelly has also got a lot better, although I sometimes still struggle to get it completely surrounding the meat.
Technically, this pork pie recipe is probably the most time-consuming thing that I make. You need at least 2 days to get it right, and then you cannot eat until day 3, and it gets even better on days 4 & 5.
But if you are blessed with good-quality pork as we are, give it a try. Taste-wise, it wipes the floor with anything you get from anywhere but the finest of butchers. And achievement-wise it will have you feeling smug and very proud of yourself for weeks!
Bonus Sausages!!!
I can understand if you do not want to go to the time and effort to make your own Pork Pies, let's face it, I only spent the time required to learn how to do it, as shipping them from the UK really was not an enviable or viable option...
However, there is a wee bonus with this recipe, if you take the filling for the pi,e add a further 200g of pork belly or other fatty pork and 180g of bread crumbs or crushed rolled oats, you end up with a really great sausage mix.
Ok, I am assuming you own a meat grinder, but mince up all of the meat on the large, mix in the breadcrumbs, herbs, salt and pepper.
Then use your meat grinder to push the meat into sausage skins. If you can't get sausage skins, form into patties. Either way, they are very, very tasty!
So there you go, who knew you could take a pork pie recipe and turn it into a breakfast sausage?
Hand Raised Pork Pie Recipe
Ingredients
For the Jelly
- 1 Pigs trotter (split in two)
- 1 kg Pork bones 2.2lb
- 2 Medium Onions 350g total
- 2 Medium Carrots 350g total
- 2 Medium Celery Stalks 100g total
- 2 Bay Leaves
- 6 Pepper Corns
- 1½ teaspoon Salt
For the Pastry
- 50 g Lard 3 tablespoon +1 Tsp
- 50 g Butter 3 tablespoon +1 Tsp
- 100 ml Water ⅓ Cup + 2 Tbsp
- 250 g Plain flour 2 Cups
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 Large Egg Yolk
For the Filling
- 500 g Pork Blade 1.1lb
- 150 g Pork Shoulder 5oz
- 150 g Smoked cured pork 5oz (ham or bacon is fine)
- 10 Sage Leaves
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
- ½ teaspoon Ground Mace
- ¼ teaspoon Hot Paprika
- ¼ teaspoon Sweet Paprika
- 1 teaspoon Powdered English Mustard
- 1 Large Egg
Instructions
Day 1:
- Roughly chop the carrots and celery into 2.5-3cm chunks.
- Cut the onions into quarters.
- Add the pork bones and pig's trotter to a roasting tin.
- Add in the vegetables and roast at 200°C or 400°F for 30 minutes.
- Place the butter, lard and water for the pastry into a pan and heat until the butter and lard have just melted, do not boil.
- Add the flour, salt and egg to the bowl of a stand mixer and mix with a dough hook.
- Pour in the warm water and fat mix whilst still mixing, and mix for 5 minutes. This should form a pretty sticky dough that should just pull away from your fingers.Wrap this dough in cling film and refrigerate overnight.
- Transfer the bones and vegetables to a large pan, and push them down. Pour over just enough water to cover.Add a generous sprinkling of salt, the peppercorns and the bay leaves. Simmer for 4 hours on low.
- Drain the stock and pass it through a fine-mesh sieve. Have a taste and add more salt if required.Cover with cling film and place in the fridge overnight.
Day 2:
- Dice all of the pork into a 5-6mm (¼") dice.
- Mix all of the ingredients for the filling together.
- Remove a quarter to one-third of the dough, roll it into a ball and then roll into a circle about 7-8mm (just over ¼") thick..
- Take the other piece of dough, roll it into a circle about 7-8mm (just over ¼") thick.Use your fist as a mould to form the pie base, pulling up the sides.
- Gather pork filling and throw it into the bowl of pastry, the pressure of 'throwing' in the pork mix should give you the flat bottom and bowed side look.
- Brush the top and inside of the dough with beaten egg and add the lid, crimping as you go.
- Pierce the lid in the centre with the tip of a knife and make a second hole at the side near the crimp. This will allow the jelly to flow through the pie when it is cooked.
- Place into the oven and bake at 180°C or 350°F for 30 minutes. Then reduce the temperature to 150°C or 300°F and bake for another 90 hours.
- Take the pie out of the oven, brush with the beaten egg and return for a final 15 minutes. Then remove from the oven and allow to cool for 30 minutes.
- Whilst the pie is cooling, heat the jellified stock until it becomes liquid. Pour the stock into the hole in the centre of the pie until it will take no more. You will have more than enough stock!
- Cool completely and then transfer to the fridge and be patient, peak taste is after 3 days!
I have never heard of this before. It sounds very interesting. I would love to try it!
I love a good pork pie - they're such an English staple. Will definitely have to give this a try
This pie looks so decadent! I never had pork pie before, but it really makes me wanna try as it looks simply delicious and comforting.
I miss pork pies from my one year in London, this is fabulous! And I have made my own sausage, but only pattie style, I need to go the whole way and try the casings, they look incredible.
Sausages are definitely not as difficult to make as people make them out to be... Take your time and they are real simple.
I have never heard of this before. It sounds very interesting. I would love to try it!
A real British staple 🙂
I love a good pork pie - they're such an English staple. Will definitely have to give this a try
Thank you.
This pie looks so decadent! I never had pork pie before, but it really makes me wanna try as it looks simply delicious and comforting.
Thanks Natalie.
My husband's family is from England and I was lucky enough to get his grandmother's recipe for pork pie. I can hardly wait to make the sausage for him. Thank you for the recipe.
You are welcome Laurie, hope you enjoy 🙂
I want a pork pie with a candle on my next birthday. Period.
That sounds like an heirloom recipe Brian. I am going to save this for the next time I wanna show off!
Nobody knows I buy pie base ;p
Thanks Roy... My wife was delighted to when she found out why she was barred from the kitchen and refrigerator for best part of 2 days 🙂
Not really an heirloom recipe but I do come from a long lineage of butchers and tried to approximate some of the best aspects of the pork pies my Uncle and Grandad used to bring home 🙂
Pork pie... Heck yeah! Although haven't made pastry since I was a 4th year apprentice chef. Absolutely loving the filling mixture. Perfect for the crappy cold weather we are about to live. Sigh!
I love the filling to this and it is very similar to my go to Pork Sausage recipe as I mentioned, pastry is definitely not my forte though 🙂