HOW TO PREPARE MEAT PIES | CAMEROON STYLE MEAT PIE RECIPE TUTORIAL

Yaje’s *Perfect* Meat Pie.

The elements to achieving the perfect meat pie:
- Filling: flavour packed, generous and moist
- Pastry: buttery and crumbly
3-parts:
1) Make the filling
2) Make the dough
3) Assemble and bake the pie.

Make the Filling
It is always a smart idea to start with the filling. For 12 medium meat pies, use 1 pound (500g) of ground meat. Filling must have: ground meat, onions, tomatoes, parsley/cilantro, green onions (optional… bell peppers and other veggies). Make roux to thicken filling and add flavor. (2 Tbsp. butter and 2 Tbsp. flour). Heat up butter in a small saucepan, as soon as it melts and starts bubbling, add the flour and mix in. Stir continuously until it is lightly brown, not burnt. Turn off heat and set Roux aside to cool. Add to meat mixture.
• 1-pound grass fed beef
• ½-cup onions
• ½-cup bell peppers
• 1 can diced tomatoes (2 cups)
• ¼-cup parsley or cilantro
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 2 green onions
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 Maggie cube (optional)
• 1 hot pepper or jalapeno (optional)
• Roux (2 Tbsp. butter and 2 Tbsp. flour).

Make the Dough
In order to achieve a flaky, crumbly pastry it is important that you use cold ingredients, so your butter and eggs should be really cold. Freeze the stick of butter and grate it into dry ingredients. Handle dough lightly. Do not ‘overwork’ the pastry by over mixing or over kneading.
After mixing dough, chill in the fridge for no more than 25 – 30 mins. Any more and the dough might be difficult to handle because the butter in the dough would be too hard to roll out smoothly.

FLOUR: For 12 medium pies, use 500g all-purpose flour. Please use a scale for best results. Ideally, 1 cup of flour is 130g so 500g should be 3-3/4 cup + 1Tbsp. That is a little less than 4 cups
BUTTER: Best ratio of butter to flour is 2:5 (200 g butter to 500g flour). Use grass-fed and unsalted. Do not use Margarine or anything with hydrogenated on the label.
RAISING AGENT: Baking powder: 1 tsp per batch.
SEASONING: Salt: ½ - 1 tsp per batch. Salted butter use 1/2 tsp. Unsalted – use 1 tsp. OPTIONAL (turmeric, curry).

LIQUIDS:
Very cold water: ¼ cup to ½ cups ice-cold water per batch. Milk can be used in place of water. The protein in milk softens, contributes moisture, and adds color and flavor to baked goods. It gives the dough strength and structure, as well as adds tenderness, flavor and moisture.
EGG: One egg per 12 meat pies (batch). Eggs are necessary in the meat pie dough. The eggs act as a binder, which makes the dough easier to handle. The process of making meat pie dough, rolling, assembling etc. requires a lot of maneuvering. Without eggs, the dough is hard to handle and can breakdown before you can fold it.
Vinegar or lemon (optional): 1 tsp. Use a dash of apple cider vinegar or lemon in your pie dough. Add 1 teaspoon at the time in which you are adding your ice water. Vinegar helps prevent the formation of gluten, which makes for a tough crust. It provides a little insurance against overworking the dough. In addition, that splash of vinegar will keep your dough from oxidizing and turning gray.

Recipe #1
1 kg flour
400 g butter
1/2 tsp Salt
1 tsp Baking powder
2 Eggs for doigh
1 cup water


Assembling/Baking the Meat Pie
Roll out dough to achieve a 5mm (1/8 inch) thickness.

Cut rounds about 5 inches in diameter. Use bowl, saucer, or meat pie cutter.

Brush egg wash on the inside edge of the cut meat pie dough. This is to ensure that the meat pie is perfectly sealed and does not open up while baking.

Scoop some meat pie filling into the center of the round cuts enough to comfortably close the dough without overflows.

Fold one part of the dough to meet the other end and use a fork to press the 2 edges together to close tightly.
Place your work of art in the oven tray and repeat the previous step until all the cut out dough is exhausted.
For best results, refrigerate assembled meat pies for at least 30 minutes before baking – this also helps them seal better and prevents the filling from leaking out
You may also freeze pies to bake later.
Brush pies with egg wash or milk wash just before baking. To make wash: 1 well-beaten egg plus 2-tablespoon water or 2 tbsp. milk. This gives the meat pie a golden brown color when done. Egg wash gives a glossy finish. Milk or cream gives a matte finish. Yolk alone for a golden color. Egg white alone for a clear shine. Milk encourages browning.
Poke the pies with a fork to create a steam outlet while baking.
Bake the meat pie in a pre-heated oven. Set oven temperature to 350 F degrees. Place in the middle shelf of the oven for 35-40 minutes checking quickly halfway through baking. Brush on more wash if necessary.
The meat pie will be ready once they are golden.


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