Beef & beer pie

Beef & beer pie

A steak and ale pie is a comforting classic - this version has suet pastry and a dark rich gravy

Difficulty and servings

Moderately easy

Serves 4

Preparation and cooking times

Preparation time

Prep 1 hr

Cook time

Cook 4 hrs

Freezable

before baking

Method

  1. Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. Using a flameproof casserole dish with a lid, soften onion and celery in the butter. Stir in the flour until it has disappeared, then stir in the beef and Worcestershire sauce. Crumble in stock cubes and add thyme. Pour over ale, bring to a simmer, then cover and cook in the oven for 2½ hrs. Remove lid and cook for another 30 mins - this should thicken the sauce nicely.
  2. Increase oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. For the pastry, whizz the flour, suet and 1 tsp salt in a food processor until there are no suet lumps. Keeping the motor running, dribble in 1 tbsp water at a time until the pastry starts to come together, then tip onto a lightly floured surface and bring together with your hands.
  3. Roll out half the pastry and use to line a 20-22cm pie dish. Using a slotted spoon, spoon in all of the meat, then pour over some of the sauce until the meat is just coated. Put the rest of the sauce into a saucepan. Roll out the remaining pastry to cover the pie. Trim the edge with a small, sharp knife, then crimp or fork the edges to seal. Make a small heart from cuttings. Brush top of the pie and heart with beaten egg, then dip heart into poppy seeds and stick to top. Bake for 30-40 mins until golden brown and crisp. Reheat sauce and serve with the pie along with some mash and greens.
Try

MAKE-AHEAD TIP

To assemble the pie in advance, cool the beef filling before putting into the pie. Both the filling and pastry can be made up to 24 hrs in advance too, just keep chilled in the fridge before assembling.

PER SERVING

1356 kcalories, protein 56g, carbohydrate 111g, fat 75 g, saturated fat 36g, fibre 5g, sugar 8g, salt 3.2 g

Recipe from Good Food magazine, February 2012.

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Latest comments and suggestions

  • Binder photo dragonma5306

    30 January 2012

    dragonma5306 rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    This was easy and delicious. The meat was very tender and the gravy thick and flavoursome. I didn't have a pie dish as such, but instead used a fairly deep glass pyrex dish (about 20cm diameter). The suet pastry was crisp and delicious - I normally only put the pastry on the top of pies as I don't want it to be soggy underneath but this was perfect! Served 4 very generously.

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  • Binder photo Jaybob

    11 February 2012

    Jaybob commented on this recipe

    Very easy to make and delicious. The gravy was very tangy and even if you dont like beer (liker my wife) you will still enjoy this pie as it does not taste of alcohol at all but gives the pie that special taste. I didnt have any thyme so used rosemary instead, also added a pinch of pepper and 2 carrots, 1 large potato and a few peas, No celery.

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  • Binder photo Jaybob

    11 February 2012

    Jaybob rated this recipe

    5 stars

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  • Binder photo Tootipie

    12 February 2012

    Tootipie commented on this recipe

    I agree the meat was lovely and tender, but the gravy with the dark beer in was so bitter - I personally couldn't use it and for me spoiled it. Any suggestions please?

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  • Binder photo chocoholic

    16 February 2012

    chocoholic rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Absolutely beautiful - time consuming with the cooking but simple and so delicious. Made a great valentines dinner - thank you!

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  • Binder photo Lucy

    16 February 2012

    Lucy rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Absolutely delicious! Took a while to make the first time but turned out really tasty and I will be making this again, if I can resist the smell coming from my kitchen long enough to get the filling into the pie that is!!

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  • Binder photo julie

    24 February 2012

    julie rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    this pie was easy to make and tasted great,the whole family loved it-it had plenty of flavour.

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  • Binder photo Josie

    07 April 2012

    Josie rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Just finished this - my stomach is so happy and I have that lovely sleepy feeling only a good meal can produce. Somehow managed with a lid for my casserole dish (I used foil, topped with a baking tray), a pie dish (I used a deep cake tin) or a food processor (I just mixed the suet into the flour and added water). I also cut down the time by one hour because I started it too late - I turned the heat up to 150 fan for the first hour and then 155 fan for an extra half hour covered and the half hour uncovered - and the meat was still really tender and the sauce incredibly flavoursome without tasting like beer (which I personally don't like that much). I will definitely make this again at some point, completely following the instructions, as I'm sure it will be even nicer

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  • Binder photo Sarah

    20 May 2012

    Sarah rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Very easy to make and tasted lovely . I did make a few changes- adding baby mushrooms and a couple of tablespoons of honey, and I left the meat in all day before assembling the pie. The stout I used was very dark and the honey took away the bitterness, leaving a rich glossy sauce. It was a hit with the whole family- I will definitely be making it again .

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  • Binder photo Charlie

    05 August 2012

    Charlie rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    A great recipe, would recommend to all. We always use Newcastle Brown Ale and it never tastes bitter. We also cheat and use ready made shortcrust pastry. A firm family favourite. Thank you for sharing Sarah Cook!

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  • Binder photo clare66uk

    13 September 2012

    clare66uk rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    YUM!!! This really is good! As suggested in other reviews I used Newcastle Brown Ale and squeezed in a tiny but of honey too just to make sure it wasn't bitter. I made the filling two days in advance and kept in fridge, plus I don't have food processor so I cheated and had a puff pastry lid instead. However, so easy to make! I served this with baked rosemary new potatoes and sea salt - delicious.

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  • Binder photo JennyAlice

    30 September 2012

    JennyAlice rated and commented on this recipe

    4 stars

    Really enjoyed cooking and eating this pie its proper nice for a Sunday. Tip: buy an extra bottle of beer as boyfriend was sad there wasn't any left for him to drink. I will definitely try with honey next time as suggested.

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  • Binder photo Roy

    09 November 2012

    Roy commented on this recipe

    As a recently diagnosed Coeliac I cant use beer, would red wine or cider be a suitable substitute?

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  • Binder photo hannahyusufgeorge

    19 November 2012

    hannahyusufgeorge rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Roy, we cooked this for a dinner party, and made a smaller gluten free version for a wheat intolerant friend. We managed to find gluten free beer (made by Green's, I think) in Sainsbury's. Instead of the Worcestershire sauce, we used red wine vinegar and celery salt, and it still tasted delicious!

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  • Binder photo Rayven

    26 November 2012

    Rayven commented on this recipe

    This was so easy to follow and it was fantastic! The slow simmer brought out they best in the meat and it was so tender it just melted in your mouth. My husband who is a Brit thought it was "Lovely" which is a compliment in itself! Thank you!! :)

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  • Binder photo Bella0307

    02 January 2013

    Bella0307 rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    This was my first time making a steak pie and I chose this recipe over the others listed on my search, because of its relative simplicity. I made it yesterday and it was absolutely delicious - rich and flavourful, and amazingly straightforward even though of course you do have to allow several hours of overall cooking/prep time. I used a middling-brown ale, not bitter but with a robust aroma, and I toyed with the idea of using a sheet of frozen puff pastry that I had on hand, but in the end decided to have a go at suet pastry, using some shredded suet that I'd got in to make a clootie dumpling ( but hadn't done:) The pastry was tender and golden, the filling glossy and melt-in-the-mouth, and my husband really enjoyed the extra sauce which he could help himself to...truly this pie was a hit with us all. I loved the heart detail, too, it made it a bit special and I was so proud when I presented it to the family! This recipe will now be among my favourites.

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  • Binder photo Yvonne49

    06 January 2013

    Yvonne49 rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Yummy, scrummy and delicious. Used light ale and puff pastry but everyone loved this pie. Try the blueberry cheesecake for pud - also delicious!

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  • Binder photo Susie

    05 February 2013

    Susie commented on this recipe

    Used the filling for pasties added a few chopped carrots and drained the sauce to use as a gravy. Very tasty.

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  • Binder photo tartar

    06 February 2013

    tartar commented on this recipe

    This recipe is quite bitter with the dark ale. The recipe for the beef and veg casserole is a much better recipe for a pie. It's a very similar recipe only with no ale and the gravy is gorgeous.

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  • Binder photo AlmightyDan

    25 March 2013

    AlmightyDan rated this recipe

    5 stars

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Difficulty and servings

Moderately easy

Serves 4

Preparation and cooking times

Preparation time

Prep 1 hr

Cook time

Cook 4 hrs

Freezable

before baking

Ingredients

  • 1 onion , chopped
  • 1 small celery stick, chopped
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 2 tbsp plain flour
  • 700g beef shin, featherblade or stewing steak, cut into large chunks
  • 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 beef stock cubes
  • 2 sprigs thyme
  • 540ml can dark ale or beer
  • 1 egg , beaten
  • a few pinches poppy seeds

FOR THE PASTRY

  • 500g plain flour , plus a little extra
  • 250g vegetarian suet
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PER SERVING

1356 kcalories, protein 56g, carbohydrate 111g, fat 75 g, saturated fat 36g, fibre 5g, sugar 8g, salt 3.2 g

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