Aussie Family Meat Pie with Chunky Beef Gravy and Flaky Pastry

Use cubed chuck steak, 3 centimeters per side, in this recipe for an Australian meat pie. Chuck steak is a tender cut of meat that benefits from slow cooking and creates tender meat pieces suitable for an Australian meat pie. Shortcrust pastry can be used for the bottom crust of an Australian meat pie, and puff pastry can be used for the top crust. The puff pastry will become a golden-brown, flaky crust when baked.

Beef and onion and garlic browns add flavors to the stuffing. Other ingredients that add flavor to the stuffing include tomato paste, barbecue sauce, Worcestershire sauce, broth, dark beer, and beef bouillon. Mushrooms add an earthy flavor to the stuffing. Butter and flour are added to the gravy as thickening agents. Store-bought shortcrust and puff pastry make the recipe more convenient. Shortcrust and puff pastry have distinct functions in this recipe.

The beef should be cooked separately in batches to cook the exterior but keep the interior tender. The filling should be completely cooled before using in the pastry to avoid a soggy bottom from the hot stew mixture. A slit should be cut in the pastry lid to release steam and keep the filling from leaking out the sides.

Serve the pie with tomato sauce, as recommended in the article, for a sweet and savory flavor combination. This pie recipe is a make-ahead recipe because the pie filling can be prepared a day ahead of time to let the flavors develop and ease pie preparation.