Pork Pie

A pork pie is traditionally served cold, which means that it needs to be prepared well in advance of being eaten. They are best when left to cool for 4-6 hours or even overnight.

Serves 6

Filling Ingredients:

• 12-16 Back Bacon Rashers, finely diced
• 12 Traditional Bangers, removed from casing
• 1 tsp, Salt
• 1/2 tsp, Mustard Powder
• 12/ tsp, White Pepper
• 1/4 tsp, Cayenne Pepper

Crust ingredients:

• 1-1/2 cups, All-purpose Flour
• 3/4 cup, Lard
• 1-1/2 cups, Whole Milk
• 1 cup, Water
• 1 tsp, Salt 

Cooking Directions:

To make the filling: 

Chop the back bacon rashers as finely as you can make them. Remove the bangers from the casing. Using a large mixing bowl and the power of your clean hands, thoroughly mix the diced bacon, uncased raw banger meat and seasoning by hand. Keep mixing until the mix itself becomes sticky. Set aside while you go to work on the crust.

To make the hot water crust:

Sieve salt and flour into a mixing bowl. In a separate pot, heat the lard, milk and water together until it reaches a boil.

Combine this hot liquid into the mixing bowl with the salt and flour, and carefully (given that the liquid has just boiled), carefully mix together until it forms a dough.

Working quickly to retain heat in the pastry, roll dough into 1/8“ thickness and cut into large rounds. Press these rounds into muffin tin, and then fill each of the pies with the sausage and bacon filling.

Cut lids for the pastry, and use a light egg wash to stick the pasty lid to the pastry base. Seal the edges with a fork or your fingers, and make a hole in the center of the pastry lid.

To cook:

Preheat the oven to 400F. Brush the pastry lids for each pork pie with egg wash, and place centrally in the oven. Bake at 400F for 30 minutes, and then reduce to 375F for a further 20 minutes. 

Allow the pies to cool in the muffin tray for at least 30 minutes prior to removing each pie.