Louisiana Natchitoches Meat Pie

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Large cast iron skillet or Dutch oven
• •Deep-fry thermometer
• •5-inch round biscuit cutter
• •Rolling pin
• •Wire cooling rack
• •Spider strainer or slotted spoon

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the dough

   Whisk together the flour, salt, and baking powder in a large bowl. Add the cold cubed butter and lard. Using your fingertips or a pastry blender, work the fats into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse meal with some pea-sized pieces remaining. These irregular bits will create flaky layers. Beat the egg with the ice water and drizzle over the flour mixture, tossing with a fork until the dough just comes together. It should hold when pressed but not feel sticky.

   Cold fat is everything. If your kitchen runs warm, freeze the butter cubes for fifteen minutes before starting.
2. 2

   Rest the dough

   Turn the shaggy dough onto a lightly floured surface and press it together into a flat disk. Don't knead it, just compress. Wrap tightly in plastic and refrigerate for at least thirty minutes or up to two days. This rest relaxes the gluten and chills the fat, both essential for tender, flaky crust.

3. 3

   Brown the meat

   Heat a large cast iron skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and pork, breaking it into small crumbles with a wooden spoon. Cook without stirring for three minutes to develop a brown crust on the bottom, then stir and continue cooking until no pink remains, about eight minutes total. The meat should be in small pieces, almost granular. This texture matters for even filling.

   Drain excess fat if the mixture looks greasy, but leave a few tablespoons in the pan. That's flavor you're keeping.
4. 4

   Build the trinity base

   Add the onion, celery, and bell pepper to the meat. This is the holy trinity of Cajun cooking, the aromatic foundation of everything good from this region. Stir well and cook until the vegetables soften and the onion turns translucent, about seven minutes. Add the garlic and white parts of the green onions for the final minute. The kitchen should smell like Louisiana now.

5. 5

   Season and simmer

   Add the salt, black pepper, cayenne, thyme, and bay leaf. Stir everything together. Reduce heat to medium-low and let the mixture simmer, stirring occasionally, until nearly all the liquid has evaporated, about fifteen to twenty minutes. The filling should be moist but not wet, able to hold its shape on a spoon without pooling liquid. This is critical. Remove the bay leaf.

6. 6

   Finish the filling

   Remove from heat and stir in the green onion tops and parsley. Taste and adjust seasoning. The filling should be well-seasoned now, as the crust will mute the flavors slightly. Transfer to a bowl and let cool completely, at least thirty minutes. Filling the pies with hot meat will melt the dough before you can seal them.

   Speed cooling by spreading the filling on a sheet pan. Refrigerating for fifteen minutes works too.
7. 7

   Roll and cut the dough

   Divide the chilled dough in half. Working with one portion at a time (keep the other refrigerated), roll on a floured surface to about one-eighth inch thickness. Cut rounds using a five-inch biscuit cutter or the rim of a bowl. Gather scraps gently, press together, and re-roll once to cut additional rounds. You should get about sixteen total.

8. 8

   Fill and seal the pies

   Place two generous tablespoons of cooled filling on the lower half of each dough round, leaving a half-inch border. Brush the edges with egg wash, fold the top half over to create a half-moon, and press the edges firmly to seal. Crimp with fork tines for a decorative seal that also ensures no filling escapes during frying. Place assembled pies on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

9. 9

   Fry until golden

   Pour three inches of vegetable oil into a Dutch oven or deep heavy pot. Heat to 350°F, monitoring with a deep-fry thermometer. Fry the pies in batches of three or four, being careful not to crowd the pot. Cook for three to four minutes per side until deeply golden brown and the crust blisters slightly. The sound should be a steady, confident sizzle, not violent popping.

   Maintain oil temperature between 340°F and 360°F. Too cool and the pies absorb grease; too hot and they brown before cooking through.
10. 10

    Drain and serve

    Transfer fried pies to a wire rack set over a sheet pan to drain. Let rest for five minutes before serving. The filling is volcanic straight from the oil. Serve with hot sauce on the side, Louisiana style, and don't be surprised when guests ask for seconds before finishing their first.

Chef Tips

• •The combination of beef and pork is traditional and provides both flavor and fat. All beef works, but the pies will be leaner. All pork makes them richer, perhaps too much so.
• •For a baked version, brush assembled pies generously with egg wash and bake at 400°F for twenty to twenty-five minutes until golden. The texture differs from fried, but the flavor holds.
• •Freeze unbaked pies on a sheet pan until solid, then transfer to freezer bags. Fry directly from frozen, adding two minutes per side to cooking time.
• •Crystal or Tabasco hot sauce is the traditional accompaniment in Louisiana. Both offer vinegar heat that cuts the richness of the fried crust.

Advance Preparation

• •The dough can be made up to two days ahead and refrigerated. Let it sit at room temperature for ten minutes before rolling.
• •The filling can be made a day ahead and refrigerated. This actually improves the flavor as the spices meld.
• •Assembled unbaked pies freeze beautifully for up to three months. No thawing required before frying.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 meat pie (about 95g)