Golden brown pasty meat pie with crispy crust
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Pasty – Back to the UP

ByRex
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I went to college in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan for three years. It was a grand ole time. One of the regional cuisine favorites was the pasty pronounced (Past – EEEE). What is the pasty, well it is a meat pie filled with vegetables. Pretty tasty. My friend worked at a bar called the Cozy Corner and on Sundays they had Pasty Day. Pasties take a while to bake so they only served them once a week. They always had the best one around so I asked the owners wife what the secret was to her pasties. I wasn’t expecting a response, but she told me it was rutabagas. That was it, the secret was to include rutabagas into the meat pie. With the secret knowledge that isn’t so secret anymore since I just put in on the internet, oops. Well anyway, here is my take on this classic meat pie.
Pasty
Pasty
I used a standard pie crust recipe for my pasty and it was perfect.Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.Dice up the vegetables into a small dice.
Dice up the vegetables
Dice up the vegetables
In a large bowl combine all of the ingredients. Using your hands is the easiest way to accomplish this task.
Try to get the vegetables mixed throughout the meat
Try to get the vegetables mixed throughout the meat
Next roll out the pie doughs into 9-10 inch rounds.Place 1 1/2 to 2 cups of the meat mixture into the center of the dough.
It looks like a lot, and it is....
It looks like a lot, and it is....
Next use some water to line the edge of the dough and then fold the dough over the meat mixture, forming half moon shaped pies. Then using a fork or your finger crimp the edge so that the meat mixtures is secured within the dough.
Crimp the edge
Crimp the edge
Cut a few vent holes in the top of each pie. Then place a small square of butter in each vent hole.
Butter the vents
Butter the vents
Place the pies in the oven and bake for 1 hour. If after an hour the dough is not browned, place back in the oven until browned.
Perfectly Cooked
Perfectly Cooked
Remove from the oven and let stand for 5-10 minutes before serving.Serve them plain or with brown gravy or ketchup. I prefer ketchup.These are hearty meat pies that the coal miners used to take with them for lunch. They are best served warm, but can be eaten cold. Refrigerate any leftovers or make a few extra pies and freeze them before baking them. Then pop them in the oven frozen and cook for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.— Rex
Golden brown pasty meat pie with crispy crust

Pasty – Michigan Meat Pie

Authentic pasty with ground beef, pork, potatoes, rutabaga, and carrots in a pie crust. A hearty traditional meat pie from Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings: 6 pasties
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 6 pie crusts homemade or store bought
  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 1 lb ground pork
  • 2-3 medium potatoes
  • 1 rutabaga
  • 4 large carrots
  • 1 large onion
  • 2 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp pepper
  • Butter for vents

Method
 

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Dice up all vegetables into small pieces.
  3. In a large bowl, combine ground beef, ground pork, diced vegetables, salt, and pepper. Mix with hands until vegetables are distributed throughout the meat.
  4. Roll out pie dough into 9-10 inch rounds.
  5. Place 1 1/2 to 2 cups of meat mixture in the center of each dough round.
  6. Wet the edge of dough with water, fold over the meat mixture to form a half moon shape.
  7. Crimp the edges with a fork to seal.
  8. Cut a few vent holes in the top of each pasty and place a small square of butter in each vent.
  9. Bake for 1 hour. If crust is not browned after 1 hour, return to oven until golden brown.
  10. Remove from oven and let stand 5-10 minutes before serving.

Notes

The secret ingredient is rutabaga. Serve warm with brown gravy or ketchup. These hearty meat pies were traditionally taken as lunch by coal miners. Leftovers can be refrigerated or frozen before baking. Frozen pasties take 1 hour 15 minutes to bake.

Rex is an avid griller, barbecuer and bacon enthusiast. He is the Pitmaster for the Rex BBQ competition team. Rex was also featured on the TV show American Grilled. If you have any questions or wish to have Rex decode your favorite dish, click on the ASK REX link in the menu above.

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6 Comments

    1. Chris, those beef-N-swiss pies look great. Totally the best comfort food ever!!

      Reply

  2. They do look appetizing. I wonder if one was to sub lamb in, kind of like a kofta mix. In fact, a neat little canape could be made out of this.

    Reply

    1. Jason, I think that Lamb would be awesome!! In the tradition of meat pies, you can fill it with whatever you have leftover. I think a lamb combination would be great.

      Reply

  3. I have all the ingredients at home to make this except for the rutabaga. Celery will just have to do. I like to idea of adding some cheese to the mixture.

    Reply

    1. I think cheese would be excellent in these. I wanted to make a traditional pasty for the post, no cheese for me. 🙁 Let me know how it turns out.

      Reply