Savory with a golden brown crust. This French Meat Pie (Tourtiere) is a great pie that you can easily make at home. This meat pie is freezer-friendly and can be made ahead. Assemble and freeze the unbaked pies and pop them in the oven when ready to serve. This pie is also perfect to make in individual-sized pie pans.
Ingredients
2 pounds ground beef (round)
2 pounds of ground pork
1 yellow onion, finely diced
¾ c. finely diced celery
5 c. hot water
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
2 c. seasoned breadcrumbs
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon allspice
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
2 teaspoons Better Than Bouillon chicken base
2 Homemade or store-bought pie crusts (for 9-inch pies)
1 large egg – beaten (for egg wash)
salt and black pepper to taste
How to make the Best French Meat Pie (Tourtiere)
Step 1: Prepare the oven. Preheat it to 400 degrees F.
Step 2: Into the hot water, dissolve the Better Than Bouillon chicken and set aside.
Step 3: Into a large pot or Dutch oven (or cast-iron), heat 1 tbsp olive oil over medium heat. Once hot, add the onion and celery. Saute for about 5 minutes until a little tender, stirring using a wooden spoon.
Step 4: Into the pot, pour in the chicken stock mixture. Add ground pork, ground beef, and poultry seasoning. Continue to cook for another 20 minutes over medium heat until the meat is completely cooked. Next, add the breadcrumbs along with the allspice, ground cloves, and black pepper. Stir well and cook for additional 10 minutes. Once done, take the pot off the heat.
Step 5: To taste, season with a pinch of salt. Then, allow the mixture to cool fully.
Step 6: To the unbaked pie shells, add the mixture and top with the pie crust. Next, roll the edges under and pinch around the entire pie. Slice a slit on the top of each pie using a sharp knife. Lastly, brush the pie crust with the egg wash.
Step 7: Place in the preheated oven and bake for about 30 to 45 minutes or until the crust is nicely browned.
Step 8: Remove from the oven when done and allow the meat pie to rest for about 15 minutes.
Step 9: Serve and enjoy!
Notes:
Traditional French meat pie uses a combination of ground chuck and ground pork, When buying, ask the butcher to double grind the meat.
For this recipe, I use homemade pie crust. But you are welcome to use store-bought pie crust.
To freeze unbaked pies, assemble them and wrap them well in plastic wrap. Keep in the freezer for up to 2 months.