Meat Pie Recipe

Crust

1. Get ingredients:
   • 1 egg (cold)
   • 1 tbsp vinegar
   • 1 pound (2 1/2 cups) shortening (1 package)
   • 24.75 oz (5 1/2 cups) flour (all-purpose)
   • 1 tsp salt
   • digital scale
   • drinking glass
   • small whisk
   • large mixing bowl
   • pastry blender
   • glass measuring cup (2 cups or more)
   • 1 tbsp, 1 tsp
2. Fill a drinking glass with cold water and ice. Set aside.
3. Add to large mixing bowl:
   • 1 pound (2 1/2 cups) shortening (1 package, chopped into cubes)
   • 24.75 oz (5 1/2 cups) flour
4. Mash with a pastry blender until uniform (about 4 minutes). Stop if the dough starts coming together in big chunks.
5. Add to glass measuring cup:
   • 1 egg
   • 1 tsp salt
   • 1 tbsp vinegar
6. Whisk until combined (about 30 seconds).
7. Add enough water from the drinking glass to the glass measuring cup to bring it up to 1 cup.
8. Whisk until it is a uniform colour (about 30 seconds).
9. With one hand, stir the flour mixture using a regular fork. With the other hand, slowly add the egg mixture into the flour mixture (about 1 minute).
10. Keep mixing with the fork until it becomes hard to mix.
11. Using your hands, form the dough into a ball.
12. Split the ball into 8 separate balls of roughly equal size (about 6 oz each).
13. Flatten each ball slightly into a disc shape.
14. Place all discs in the fridge.
15. Roll the pie crusts, one by one. Make the 4 bottom crusts first, and then start making the filling, and then make the 4 top crusts.

Filling

1. If there's anything in the oven, take it out.
2. Set the oven to bake, 425° F (218° C).
3. For the first 2 pies:
   1. Get ingredients:
      • 2.5 kgs (1 package) lean ground beef
      • 1 1/2 packages OXO beef broth
      • 1/2 tsp pepper
      • 1 pinch of sea salt
      • 1 tsp secret ingredient
      • large frying pan (with lid)
      • glass measuring cup (4 cups or more)
      • flipper spatula
      • prongs (if meat is frozen)
      • large plastic spoon (not a slotted spoon)
      • turkey baster
      • regular bowl
      • 1 tsp, 1/2 tsp
   2. Add to regular bowl:
      • 1 1/2 packages OXO beef broth
      • 1/2 tsp pepper
      • 1 tsp secret ingredient
      • 1 pinch of sea salt
   3. Stir with a fork or spoon until combined (a few seconds).
   4. Add to regular bowl:
      • 1 cup water (hot)
   5. Stir with a fork or spoon until combined (a few seconds). Set aside.
   6. Place the frying pan on the stove.
   7. Set heat to medium.
   8. Add the spice mixture into the frying pan. Set the empty bowl aside for later.
   9. Remove the paper from the bottom of the beef if necessary. (It's okay if the beef is frozen, but cooking it will be quicker if it's not frozen.)
   10. Add the beef to the frying pan.
   11. Using the flipper spatula, break the beef up as best you can.
   12. Place the lid on the frying pan.
   13. If the beef was frozen, periodically turn the meat over using the flipper spatula and prongs, and scrape off any meat that has thawed. If the beef was not frozen, periodically check on the meat and continue to break it up using the flipper spatula.
   14. Make the top crusts while checking on the meat periodically. Cook until the meat is brown, and there is no pink meat left (about 15 minutes if meat was frozen).
   15. Turn off the heat, and remove the pan from the heat, but keep the pan on the stove.
   16. Using the flipper spatula, chop the meat up.
   17. Drain the liquid:
       1. Place the large glass measuring cup next to the pan.
       2. Using the flipper spatula, move the meat to one side of the pan.
       3. Place the regular bowl under one side of the pan to lift the meat up so the liquid drains to the bottom of the pan.
       4. Using a large plastic spoon, scoop the liquid out of the pan and into the measuring cup.
       5. Once you can't scoop any more liquid with the spoon, use a turkey baster to suck any remaining liquid out of the pan. With the baster out of the liquid, squeeze the bulb slightly. Dip the baster into the liquid, holding the baster at an approximately 30 degree angle, and then stop squeezing. The liquid will go into the baster. Hold the baster over the measuring cup and squeeze to release the liquid.
   18. Using the large plastic spoon, scoop the filling into two of the pies.
   19. Decorate the pie tops.
   20. Place the pies in the oven on the middle rack (two at a time).
   21. Set a timer for 20 minutes (or until the edges have lightly browned).
   22. When the timer is done, remove the pies from the oven.
   23. While waiting for the timer, repeat for the other two pies.
4. Turn off the oven.
5. Once the pies have cooled, wrap each pie in plastic wrap and then tinfoil. Store in the fridge for a few days or the freezer for months.
6. Let the grease sit in the measuring cup for a day so it will harder. Put the grease in a plastic bag and put it in the garbage.