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Are you ready for a slice of history? This corned beef pie actually has roots in the British Army. For over a hundred years, British soldiers were fed hardtack and bully beef, a finely minced corned beef mixed with a little gelatin, on the front lines.
This meat was often made into sandwiches, but home cooks, in Wales especially, mixed the canned meat with potatoes and vegetables to make it flavorful.
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Questions
What is corned beef pie?
It’s a British dish made from a mixture of canned corned beef, potatoes, mirepoix, beef broth, and seasonings. It’s traditionally topped with a hot water pastry, which is quite sturdy and has a unique flaky texture. The filling is cooked first, then baked with the pastry on top.
How do you open a can of corned beef?
- Break off the key from the side of the can.
- Insert the metal tab on the can into the slit in the key.
- Turn the key. The metal strip around the can will roll up around the key.
- Remove the lid and dump the beef out of the tin.
Can I make it ahead of time?
Yes, it definitely can be made in advance. The filling can be cooked a few days ahead of time and baked with the pastry on top when you want to serve it. A fully baked pie can be kept in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Can I freeze it?
Yes, you can freeze the filling for up to 2 months. I wouldn’t recommend freezing the pastry, as it may not be very crisp after freezing.
How to Make
You’ll need some yummy veggies, canned corned beef (or fresh), and some seasonings.
Cook up those veggies in a Dutch oven for about 25 minutes, and you have a super flavorful, tempting-to-eat-some filling.
Throw everything together to get a beautiful dish. Just bake, and enjoy!
Pro Tips
- The filling can be made the day before, and assembled and baked when desired.
- Use good-quality canned corned beef or freshly cooked beef for the best taste.
- Make your own hot water crust. Pre-made pastry is not the same thing.
- Leftovers will keep in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat in the microwave.
Recommended Tools
- Enamel Dish: a must-have for making beautiful and traditional pies.
- Pyrex Glass Measuring Cup: a durable measuring cup for liquids and solids.
- Pastry Brushes: these sturdy brushes don’t lose their bristles easily.
- Vegetable Peeler: the easy-grip handle and swivel blade of this peeler make it super easy to use.
Other British Savory Pies
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Print
Old Fashioned Corned Beef Pie
- Prep Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours 15 minutes
- Yield: 1 large pie 1x
Description
Old fashioned corned beef pie is a British comfort food dinner that your whole family will love. Potatoes, carrots, celery, and garlic flavor this old-fashioned meat pie made with homemade shortcrust pastry.
Ingredients
For the Filling
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 2 cups yellow onion, chopped (288g)
- 1 1/2 cups carrot, diced (227g)
- 1 cup celery, diced (123g)
- 4 teaspoons garlic, minced
- 3 red potatoes, peeled and diced (514g peeled weight)
- 2 12-ounce cans corned beef, crumbled (2 340g tins)
- 2 cups beef stock (500 ml)
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 1/4 teaspoon English mustard, such as Colman’s
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped
For the Pastry
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (300g)
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled (75g)
- generous 5 tablespoons lard (75g)
- pinch salt
- 1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
- 4–6 tablespoons water
Instructions
Making the Pastry (10 minutes + 1 hour chilling)
- Pour the flour into a medium mixing bowl and add the butter, lard, and salt. Pinch the fats and mix together with the flour until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
- Mix in the vinegar and 2 tablespoons of water, then gradually add additional water until a smooth pastry forms.
- Knead gently a few times, then shape into a disc, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and chill for at least an hour.
Making the Filling (45 minutes + 25 minutes cooking + 20 minutes cooling)
- While the pastry is chilling, make the filling. Melt the butter over medium-high heat in a Dutch oven. Once the butter is bubbling, add the onion, celery, carrot, and garlic. Cook for about 5 minutes, until the vegetables have softened.
- Stir in the potatoes and cook for another 5 minutes, then mix in the crumbled corned beef until well blended.
- Pour in the beef stock, Worcestershire sauce, English mustard, and black pepper and stir until combined. Cover and bring to a boil.
- Remove the lid and allow the mixture to simmer for about 15-20 minutes, until the potatoes and vegetables are cooked through, stirring occasionally.
- Skim off any liquid that hasn’t evaporated, then stir in the fresh chopped parsley.
- Pour the filling into a 9 by 13-inch cake pan and chill in the freezer for 20 minutes, stirring halfway through.
Baking the Pie (10 minutes + 45 minutes baking + cooling)
- Preheat the oven to 400 F. Beat an egg with a fork and set aside.
- Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface until it’s a little less than 1/8 inch thick. Line the base of a 6-cup (1.5 liter) pie dish with the pastry, trimming off any excess.
- Evenly spread the cooled filling in the pastry-lined dish, then brush the edge of the pastry with beaten egg.
- Re-roll the remaining pastry and cover the pie with it. Press down the edges to seal, then trim off the excess pastry. Crimp the edges as desired, brush the top with beaten egg, and cut a few vent holes in the top.
- Bake for 45-55 minutes at 400 F, until the pastry is well browned. Cover the edges with aluminum foil if they brown too quickly.
- Let the pie stand for about 15 minutes before serving. Serve hot or cold.
Notes
- The filling can be made the day before, and assembled and baked when desired.
- Use good-quality canned corned beef or freshly cooked beef for the best flavor.
- There’s no need to add salt because the canned beef contains a lot of sodium.
- Make your own pastry. The hot water crust can’t be substituted with store-bought pastry.
- Leftovers keep well in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: British
Keywords: corned beef, pie, potato
Monica
I just made this for our Thanksgiving potluck, my first ever pie of any type! I used a corned beef brisket cooked in the slow cooker and shredded – it was lovely, everyone enjoyed it! Thank you so much! Also extra ‘thank you’s for the easy recipe multiplier. I chose to use the entire 4 lb brisket and make it deep dish with a spring form pan so I needed to double everything and I don’t trust my maths. 🙂
★★★★★
Emma
It must have tasted so yummy with the corned beef brisket, Monica! It sounds like your pie turned out great. Thanks for using my recipe!
Fiona Wilson
I made this recipe instead of my own one day for my dad, my sister, and her husband. Now, they ask for this one all the time. It’s more time consuming than my recipe, but it’s worth it and it freezes really well. I always make two and freeze one.
★★★★★
Emma
Thank you so much, Fiona! Corned beef pie is a lovely dinner, and I’m thrilled to hear that you and your family enjoy it so much! ❤ Happy baking.
Sheila Russell
Really enjoyed this pie, I halved the recipe and there was enough for 4 or 5 meals!
★★★★★
Emma
So glad you liked it, Sheila! Thanks so much for making the corned beef pie!
Virginia Fabritz
I haven’t made this yet. I need to know if the English mustard is dry or liquid from a bottle or a little jar. I cannot send emails because my phone won’t let me, but I can receive them.
Emma
Hi Virginia! The English mustard I’m referring to is Colman’s, a liquid yellow mustard in a very small bottle. It has a strong horseradish flavor, which really adds a punch!
Have fun making the corned beef pie! 🙂
Dmcd1961
Oh my days, this is so lush. We loved it with seconds requested. Every plate clean. Easy to make and would change nothing at all in the recipe. Didn’t make pastry, cheated and bought it. Just as good.
★★★★★
Emma
I’m thrilled that you and your family enjoyed it! Thanks for leaving a review! 🙂