Steak Pudding

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •2-quart (1.9-litre) heatproof pudding basin with a pronounced rim
• •Large lidded stockpot deep enough to enclose the basin
• •Low trivet or steaming rack
• •Baking parchment, heavy foil, and kitchen string
• •Rolling pin
• •Kettle for replenishing the cooking water

Instructions

1. 1

   Ready the water pot

   Set a low trivet or steaming rack inside a large lidded stockpot. Add enough water to reach halfway up the pudding basin and bring it to a full boil. Keep a kettle of additional water hot for topping up. Butter the inside of a 2-quart (1.9-litre) pudding basin generously, including the rim, and butter one side of a large sheet of baking parchment.

2. 2

   Make the suet paste

   Mix the flour and paste salt, then toss through the cold chopped suet without rubbing it away into fine crumbs. Add all 53 ml of cold water and work the mixture firmly with your hand until it presses into a cohesive, very stiff paste. It will look too dry before it comes together. This is exactly right. Cover it and rest it for 10 minutes so the scant water can travel through the flour.

   The original paste is much stiffer than ordinary suet pastry. Resist softening it with casual splashes of water, since a loose paste slumps and weakens during the long cook.
3. 3

   Line the basin

   Set aside one-quarter of the paste for the lid. Roll the remainder between sheets of parchment into a round about ¼ inch (6 mm) thick, then ease it into the buttered basin. Press it snugly against the bottom and sides without thinning it, leaving a little paste above the rim. If a crack opens, press a scrap of paste over it with damp fingertips until the join disappears.

4. 4

   Season and fill

   Toss the beef thoroughly with the salt and pepper. Pack it into the lined basin in close, even layers, leaving about 1 inch (2.5 cm) beneath the rim. Do not brown the meat or add flour, onion, herbs, wine, or stock. This entry builds its gravy through enclosure, not through a fond or reduction. Pour in only enough cool water to reach the top layer of beef without flooding above it.

5. 5

   Seal the pudding

   Roll the reserved paste ¼ inch (6 mm) thick. Brush the exposed edge of the lining lightly with water, lay the lid over it, and pinch both layers together firmly all around. Trim the excess, then fold and press the seam inward. Inspect it with your fingertips. If you find a split, don't start again. Ça se rattrape: dampen the spot, press on a thin patch of paste, and smooth its edges into the lid. Cover the basin with the buttered parchment, buttered side down, then heavy foil, making a broad pleat through both layers so the pudding can expand. Tie them firmly beneath the rim with kitchen string and make a string handle for lifting.

6. 6

   Cook for four hours

   Lower the covered basin onto the trivet. The boiling water should reach halfway up its sides without touching the pastry cover. Put on the pot lid and regulate the heat to a steady, quiet boil. Cook the chuck for four full hours, counted from the moment the water returns to the boil. Check the level every 30 minutes and replenish it with boiling water from the kettle so the basin remains half surrounded. Cold water stops the cooking and can make the suet crust heavy. If using fillet as the source permits, cook it for three hours instead.

   A vigorous rolling boil rattles the basin and worries the seam. Keep the water active but controlled, and never let the pot boil dry.
7. 7

   Rest before turning

   Lift the basin out by its string handle, supporting the base with a folded towel or sturdy tongs. Cut away the string and remove the foil and parchment carefully, opening them away from your face. Let the uncovered pudding rest for 10 minutes. This short pause lets the gravy settle and the crust firm enough to turn out.

8. 8

   Turn out and serve

   Run a thin knife around the rim without cutting deeply into the crust. Set a warm oval platter over the basin, hold both firmly, and invert them in one confident motion. Lift the basin straight up. If a little crust clings, ease it free and set it back in place, then spoon any escaped gravy over the cut portion. Never apologize at your own table. Cut the pudding into generous wedges and serve at once. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Ask a butcher for the clean white fat surrounding a beef kidney. Chill it until firm, then grate or chop it finely. Butter produces a different pastry, while prepared shelf-stable suet may contain flour that shifts the source's careful ratio.
• •Chuck is the sensible cut here. Its connective tissue softens during the four-hour cook and gives the water body, making a fuller gravy than costly fillet can manage in three.
• •Trust the plainness. Stock, onion, Worcestershire sauce, herbs, and a flour thickener all belong to other versions. This particular pudding is beef, seasoning, water, and suet paste, and its enclosed cooking is the whole grammar.
• •Serve it with plainly boiled potatoes or buttered carrots, something willing to catch the gravy. A fresh, lightly tannic Beaujolais cuts through the suet without bullying the beef.

Advance Preparation

• •The beef can be cut and seasoned up to one day ahead, while the suet can be chopped and the dry paste ingredients measured separately. Keep everything chilled, then assemble shortly before cooking so the filling water does not soften the seam.
• •For a fully make-ahead pudding, cool it in its basin after cooking and refrigerate it within two hours, tightly covered, for up to two days. Re-cover the basin and heat it over boiling water for about 1½ hours, until the centre reaches 165°F (74°C), then rest and turn it out.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 430g)