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Pork, Apple and Ale Pie

Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 50 minutes
Servings 8 -10
Author Samantha @MyKitchenLove

Ingredients

Pastry:

  • 1 1/2 cups water
  • 1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp lard or vegetable shorting I used vegetable shorting
  • 1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1 tbsp dijon mustard
  • 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tbsp kosher salt
  • 1 tsp dried sage or 2 tsp fresh chopped leaves
  • 1 tsp dried thyme or 2 tsp fresh leaves

Filling:

  • 4 slices rashers of bacon, thinly sliced into 1/2" wide pieces
  • 2 leeks white and light green parts only, roughly chopped
  • 1 lbs 454 grams ground pork
  • 3 thyme sprigs
  • 2 sage sprigs
  • 4 garlic cloves minced
  • salt and pepper
  • 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
  • 1 x 12 oz 330 ml bottle pale ale
  • 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
  • 2 apples Honeycrisp or Granny Smith
  • 1 large egg beaten with 1 tsp water

Instructions

Pastry:

  1. In a medium sauce pan bring water, shortening/lard, butter, and mustard to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until butter is melted, about 3 minutes.
  2. In a large bowl whisk flour, salt, sage and thyme together. Stir in the shortening/lard mixture until a shaggy dough forms.
  3. Turn out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead until smooth, about 3-5 minutes.
  4. Shape into 2 disks with 1 slightly larger than the other. Wrap well in plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled, about 2 hours.

Filling:

  1. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook bacon pieces until slightly crispy and cooked through, about 5 minutes. Remove from skillet with a slotted spoon. Set bacon aside.
  2. Leaving 2 tbsp of bacon fat in the skillet, add leeks and cook for 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally until starting to soften. Add pork and mix, breaking up pork with a wooden spoon. Cook until pork is almost cooked through (no visible pink left), about 5 minutes more. Add thyme, sage, and garlic and season skillet with salt and pepper. Cook for 1-2 minutes further.
  3. Sprinkle flour over contents in skillet. Stir until leeks and pork are fully coated with flour. Slowly (VERY slowly, starting with 2 tbsp at a time, then slowly increasing quantity to avoid lumps) add beer, stirring constantly. Add chicken broth and bring to a boil. Reduce temperature and simmer for about 10-15 minutes until liquid has thickened slightly.
  4. Preheat oven to 400° F.
  5. Add apples and return bacon to skillet. Toss to incorporate. Remove from heat and set aside.
  6. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the large piece of pastry into a 12" circle (1/4" thick). Lay pastry into a 10" cast iron skillet. Place pork, apple, and ale mixture on top of pastry in cast iron skillet. Spread until reasonably even.
  7. Rollout smaller pastry disk to 11" circle (1/4") and set on top of pie. Trim overhang to 1" if needed. Press pastry rims together and tuck into the skillet. Brush top with beaten egg mixture and cut a small hole or slits to let the air escape.
  8. Place skillet on a large baking sheet (to catch any drippings) and bake for 30 minutes. Reduce heat to 375° F and bake for 40-45 more minutes.
  9. Remove from oven and allow to cool for at least 20 minutes. Cut into wedges and serve.