In this article
My English friend Margaret told me that a steak and mushroom pie with no pastry on the bottom is not a pie at all. It is, she said, a dish of stew wearing a hat. She meant it. In Britain this is a real argument: people write to the newspapers when a pub serves a bowl of stew with a square of puff pastry balanced on top and calls it a pie. A proper British steak pie has pastry on the bottom and the sides and a golden lid on top, and inside are chunks of beef cooked slowly until they fall apart, in a thick, dark gravy with mushrooms and onions.
The two things that make or break this pie are the beef and the gravy. Beef for a pie must be a cut that needs long, slow cooking, like chuck. Seared hard and then cooked low and covered for two to three hours, it turns meltingly tender and its juices thicken the gravy. Rush it and you get chewy beef in a thin sauce. Here is how to get the beef tender and the gravy thick, and how to keep that bottom crust crisp, so Margaret would call it a real pie.
Why this steak and mushroom pie works
- Beef chuck. Chuck has the marbling and connective tissue that melt during slow cooking into tender beef and a rich gravy.
- Seared in small batches. Crowded beef steams and turns gray. A few pieces at a time sear dark brown, and that browning is the flavor of the gravy.
- Flour and tomato paste. The flour thickens the gravy as it cooks, and the tomato paste deepens its color and taste.
- Low and slow, covered. Two to three hours in a low oven makes the beef fall apart and reduces the gravy to a thick coat.
- Cold filling, hot oven. Cold filling in the pastry and a preheated baking sheet underneath keep the bottom crisp.
Ingredients
Makes one 9 inch deep pie, 6 generous servings. The measurements are in US cups with grams in brackets.
For the filling
- 2 1/2 pounds beef chuck, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2 inch chunks (1.1kg)
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour (40g)
- 1 teaspoon fine salt, plus more to taste
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 medium onions, chopped
- 12 ounces cremini mushrooms, thickly sliced (340g)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 3 cups beef broth (720ml)
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried
- 2 bay leaves
For the pastry
- 1 refrigerated or homemade shortcrust pie dough for the base (for a 9 inch deep dish)
- 1 sheet puff pastry, thawed (about 9 ounces, 250g)
- 1 egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon milk
The spoon of soy sauce does not make the pie taste of soy, it simply deepens the beef flavor. Use a rich beef broth or stock; it is the whole backbone of the gravy.
How to make steak and mushroom pie
- Heat the oven to 300 degrees (150°C). Toss the beef with the flour, salt and pepper in a big bowl until every piece is coated.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large heavy ovenproof pot over medium-high heat. Brown the beef in three batches, not crowding the pot, until dark brown on every side, about 5 minutes per batch, adding more oil as needed. Move each batch to a plate.
- Turn the heat to medium, add the butter, onions and mushrooms and cook, stirring, for 8 to 10 minutes, until the mushrooms have given up their liquid and browned.
- Stir in the garlic and tomato paste and cook for 1 minute.
- Pour in the beef broth and scrape up every browned bit from the bottom of the pot. Add the soy sauce, thyme and bay leaves and return the beef and its juices.
- Bring to a simmer, cover with the lid and put the pot in the oven for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, stirring once or twice, until a piece of beef falls apart when pressed against the side of the pot and the gravy is thick enough to coat a spoon.
- If the gravy is still thin, simmer it uncovered on the stove for 10 to 15 minutes. Remove the herb stems and bay leaves, taste and add salt.
- Cool the filling completely, then refrigerate it for at least 2 hours or overnight.
- Heat the oven to 400 degrees (200°C) with a baking sheet on the middle rack. Line a 9 inch deep pie dish with the shortcrust dough, letting it come up the sides.
- Spoon in the cold filling and level it. Brush the pastry rim with beaten egg.
- Lay the puff pastry over the top, press it onto the rim to seal, trim the edge and crimp it with a fork. Brush the top with egg and cut a small hole in the middle for steam.
- Set the pie on the hot baking sheet and bake for 35 to 45 minutes, until the lid is puffed and deep golden and the filling bubbles at the steam hole.
- Let the pie rest for 10 minutes before cutting so the gravy settles.
Tips that make the difference
- Pat the beef dry before flouring it. Wet beef will not brown.
- Do not skip chilling the filling. Hot filling melts the base pastry before it can bake and gives a soggy bottom.
- If the lid browns before the pie is hot through, lay a sheet of foil loosely over the top.
- Mushrooms release a lot of liquid. Cook them until the pan is nearly dry and they are browned before adding the broth.
Variations
- Lid only. Bake the filling in a dish under a puff pastry lid, and just do not tell Margaret.
- Steak and potato. Add 2 diced potatoes for the last hour of cooking.
- Slow cooker. Brown the beef and vegetables, then cook the filling on low for 8 hours.
- Small pies. Fill six individual pie tins and bake for 25 to 30 minutes.
Storage and make-ahead
Make the filling up to 3 days ahead and keep it in the refrigerator. It tastes even better the next day.
Refrigerate leftover pie, covered, for up to 3 days and reheat in a 350 degree oven for 20 to 25 minutes to crisp the pastry again.
The cooked filling freezes for up to 3 months. Thaw it overnight in the refrigerator before making the pie.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best cut of beef for steak pie?
Beef chuck. It becomes tender and juicy after slow cooking. Lean steaks like sirloin turn dry and tough.
Why is my beef still tough?
It needs more time. Tough beef is undercooked beef. Keep it covered in the low oven and check every 20 minutes until it falls apart.
How do I stop a soggy bottom?
Use cold filling, bake on a preheated baking sheet in a hot oven, and do not fill the pie with too much thin gravy.
Can I make it ahead?
Yes. Make the filling up to 3 days ahead, then assemble and bake the pie the day you serve it.
Serve it with mashed potatoes and peas, and pastry on the bottom, the way Margaret would want it.
Steak and Mushroom Pie (The British Pub Pie, Pastry on the Bottom Too)
A proper British steak and mushroom pie: chunks of beef slow-cooked in a thick, dark beef gravy with mushrooms and onions, baked in a crisp shortcrust base under a golden puff pastry lid.
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 pounds beef chuck, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2 inch chunks
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon fine salt, plus more to taste
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 medium onions, chopped
- 12 ounces cremini mushrooms, thickly sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 3 cups beef broth
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 refrigerated or homemade shortcrust pie dough for the base
- 1 sheet puff pastry, thawed
- 1 egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon milk
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 300 degrees (150°C). Toss the beef with the flour, salt and pepper in a big bowl until every piece is coated.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large heavy ovenproof pot over medium-high heat. Brown the beef in three batches, not crowding the pot, until dark brown on every side, about 5 minutes per batch, adding more oil as needed. Move each batch to a plate.
- Turn the heat to medium, add the butter, onions and mushrooms and cook, stirring, for 8 to 10 minutes, until the mushrooms have given up their liquid and browned.
- Stir in the garlic and tomato paste and cook for 1 minute.
- Pour in the beef broth and scrape up every browned bit from the bottom of the pot. Add the soy sauce, thyme and bay leaves and return the beef and its juices.
- Bring to a simmer, cover with the lid and put the pot in the oven for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, stirring once or twice, until a piece of beef falls apart when pressed against the side of the pot and the gravy is thick enough to coat a spoon.
- If the gravy is still thin, simmer it uncovered on the stove for 10 to 15 minutes. Remove the herb stems and bay leaves, taste and add salt.
- Cool the filling completely, then refrigerate it for at least 2 hours or overnight.
- Heat the oven to 400 degrees (200°C) with a baking sheet on the middle rack. Line a 9 inch deep pie dish with the shortcrust dough, letting it come up the sides.
- Spoon in the cold filling and level it. Brush the pastry rim with beaten egg.
- Lay the puff pastry over the top, press it onto the rim to seal, trim the edge and crimp it with a fork. Brush the top with egg and cut a small hole in the middle for steam.
- Set the pie on the hot baking sheet and bake for 35 to 45 minutes, until the lid is puffed and deep golden and the filling bubbles at the steam hole.
- Let the pie rest for 10 minutes before cutting so the gravy settles.
