Curtis Stone's slowcooked Beef Shin, Stout & Onion Pie

Inspired by the superb beef produced in Melbourne and Victoria while filming "Field Trip with Curtis Stone" Season Two, Chef Curtis Stone shares his version of an Aussie classic: beef shin, stout & onion pie (aka slow-cooked beef carbonnade pie). Share the buttery, flaky crust and flavorful, aromatic filling with your family or enjoy it all to yourself. 

Beef Shin, Stout & Onion Pies (AKA Slow-Cooked Beef Carbonnade Pies)

MAKES: 1 pie

PREP TIME

• 10 minutes, plus 30 minutes chilling time for dough
  30 minutes, plus cooling time for pie
• Cook Time: about 7 hours

INGREDIENTS

• Buttery Pastry Dough:
• 2 1/2 cups plain flour
• 3 teaspoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt or table salt
• 250g cold unsalted butter, cut into 1cm cubes
• About 1/3 cup ice water

Filling:

• 2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
• 5 lb bone-in beef shin (about 2 large shins)
• All-purpose flour, for dusting
• 8 ounces diced lardons
• 2 onions, thinly sliced
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary
• 1 large sprig fresh sage
• 1 large sprig fresh thyme
• 2 fresh bay leaves
• 2 juniper berries
• 1 whole clove
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 6 cups (3 pints) stout
• 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup dry red wine
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

Pie:

• All-purpose flour, for dusting
• Buttery Pastry Dough (recipe follows), shaped into 2 disks and chilled
• 1 large egg
• 1 tablespoon whole milk
• Sesame seeds, for garnish

METHOD

To make dough:

Step 1

In a food processor, combine the flour, sugar and salt and pulse to blend. Add the butter and pulse about 10 times, or until the butter is in pea-size pieces; do not overprocess. While pulsing the processor, add 1⁄3 cup of the ice water, then pulse just until moist clumps of dough form, adding more water 1 tablespoon at a time if necessary.

Step 2

Transfer the dough to a work surface and divide it in half. Take each piece of dough and shape it into a disc. Wrap individually in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before rolling out.

To make filling:

Step 1

In heavy large wide pot, heat oil over medium-high heat. Season beef with salt and pepper. Lightly dust beef with flour. Add beef to hot oil in pot and cook until lightly browned all over, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer beef to bowl.

Step 2

Add lardons and cook until lardons release fat and become golden, about 5 minutes. Transfer lardons to bowl and set aside. Add onions to lardon renderings and sauté for about 5 minutes, or until tender without any color.

Step 3

Form bouquet garni from rosemary, sage, thyme and bay leaves. Form sachet with juniper berries and cloves. Add sachet, bouquet, sugar, and garlic to onion mixture. Return beef to pot, add stout, wine, and vinegar and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat and simmer until liquid is reduced by half, about 45 minutes. Strain and reserve onions with lardons, beef and jus separately; discard bouquet and sachet.

Step 4

Return beef and strained jus to pot. Cover and braise in 275 degrees F for about 4 hours, or until meat begins to fall off bone.

Step 5

Strain and reserve braising liquid; discard fat. Remove any bones and cartilage from meat.

Step 6

In large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Whisk in flour and cook, stirring often until mixture has the texture of sand and is golden brown. Gradually whisk in strained reserved braising liquid. Stir in meat, reserved onions, and lardons. Bring to a simmer. Simmer until mixture thickens slightly. Season with salt and pepper and a splash of vinegar, if desired. Cool completely.

To assemble and bake pie:

Step 7

Position rack on lowest rung of oven and set baking sheet on rack. Preheat oven to 400°F. (Being close to source of heat will help bottom crusts bake and brown properly.)

Step 8

Unwrap larger disk of dough, set it on a floured surface, and lightly dust top of dough. Roll out dough into a 13-inch round, occasionally rotating dough and dusting it with flour to prevent sticking. Brush away excess flour and transfer dough to a 9-inch glass pie plate, centering it in pie plate and letting excess dough hang over the edges. Lightly press dough into dish. Refrigerate pie shell.

Step 9

On floured surface, roll out other disk of dough into a 12-inch round. 


Step 10

Transfer enough of beef mixture to pie shell to fill (reserve any remaining filling for another use). Arrange second dough round over filling. Trim dough overhang to 3/4 inch. Pinch crusts together and fold overhang under.

Step 11

In small bowl, whisk egg and milk to blend. Using pastry brush, lightly brush top of pie with egg-milk mixture. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Step 12

Place pie on preheated baking sheet in oven and bake for 40 minutes, or until crust is deep golden and filling is bubbling. If crust begins to brown before filling bubbles, tent pie with foil. Let pie cool on a wire rack until warm before serving.

Cut pie into wedges and serve.