Jamaican Beef Patties

Name: Jamaican Beef Patties
Prep time: 1 h 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 1 h 45 min
Yield: 12 serving(s)
Ingredients: FOR THE DOUGH:; 3 1/2 c. Unbleached All-purpose Flour; 1 tsp. Turmeric; 1/2 tsp. Kosher Salt; 10 tbsp. Shortening; 1/2 c. Unsalted Butter, Cut Into Chunks; 3/4 c. Cold Water; 1 tbsp. White Vinegar; FOR THE FILLING:; 2 tbsp. Vegetable Oil, Divided; 1 lb. Ground Beef; 1 c. Chopped Yellow Onion; 1/2 To 1 Minced Habanero Pepper, Seeds And Veins Removed; 2 cloves Garlic, Minced; 1 tbsp. Brown Sugar; 2 tsp. Curry Powder; 1 tsp. Onion Powder; 1 tsp. Paprika; 1 tsp. Thyme; 1/2 tsp. Allspice; 1 tsp. Kosher Salt; 1/2 tsp. Freshly Ground Pepper; 1/2 c. Beef Stock Or Broth; 1/4 c. Breadcrumbs, Panko Or Traditional; 1 Egg White, Lightly Whisked; 1 Egg Whisked With 1 Tablespoon Water, For Egg Wash (optional)

By Bridget EdwardsPublished: Apr 8, 2019

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A spiced beef filling wrapped in a bright pastry dough, Jamaican beef patties make a flavorful dinner or even an afternoon snack! A great make-ahead-and-freeze meal!

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Yields:: 12 serving(s)
Prep Time:: 1 hr 15 mins
Cook Time:: 30 mins
Total Time:: 1 hr 45 mins

Ingredients

FOR THE DOUGH:
3 1/2 c. Unbleached All-purpose Flour
1 tsp. Turmeric
1/2 tsp. Kosher Salt
10 Tbsp. Shortening
1/2 c. Unsalted Butter, Cut Into Chunks
3/4 c. Cold Water
1 Tbsp. White Vinegar
FOR THE FILLING:
2 Tbsp. Vegetable Oil, Divided
1 lb. Ground Beef
1 c. Chopped Yellow Onion
1/2 To 1 Minced Habanero Pepper, Seeds And Veins Removed
2 cloves Garlic, Minced
1 Tbsp. Brown Sugar
2 tsp. Curry Powder
1 tsp. Onion Powder
1 tsp. Paprika
1 tsp. Thyme
1/2 tsp. Allspice
1 tsp. Kosher Salt
1/2 tsp. Freshly Ground Pepper
1/2 c. Beef Stock Or Broth
1/4 c. Breadcrumbs, Panko Or Traditional
1 Egg White, Lightly Whisked
1 Egg Whisked With 1 Tablespoon Water, For Egg Wash (optional)

Directions

Pulse the flour, turmeric, and salt together in a food processor to combine. Add the shortening and butter. Pulse a few times to incorporate.

Stir the water and vinegar together. Gradually add to the dough mixture, pulsing until a dough forms. Divide the dough in two, wrap in plastic and refrigerate while making the filling.

Brown the beef in 1 tablespoon of oil until no longer pink. Remove from pan and drain excess fat if needed.

Heat remaining tablespoon oil and cook the onion and habanero until the onions are soft. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds to a minute.

Stir in the brown sugar, spices, salt, and pepper. Cook a few minutes, stirring, until the spices are well distributed and very fragrant.

Add the stock or broth and cook, stirring occasionally until most of the liquid has evaporated. Remove from heat and stir in the breadcrumbs. Let the mixture cool.

Preheat oven to 375ºF. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

On a floured surface, roll the half of the dough to 1/8 inch thickness. Cut into large circles, 5-7 inches across. (Use a large cookie cutter, cup, or bowl as a guide.) Add flour to the surface and rolling pin as needed to prevent sticking. Dough may be re-rolled.

Spoon 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons of the meat filling onto each circle. Brush beaten egg white onto the inside edge of one half of the circle. Fold the circle in half, pressing the sides together. Crimp the edges using your fingers or the tines of a fork.

Brush with egg wash and bake for about 30 minutes. While the patties are baking, repeat with other half of dough and filling. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

To make ahead, bake the patties and cool. Place on a cookie sheet and freeze in a single layer. Once frozen, transfer to a freezer container. To cook: bake frozen patties at 350ºF for 20 minutes or until warmed throughout.

A couple of weeks ago, a friend mentioned Jamaican Beef Patties. (Don’t you love friends who talk food?) I had never heard of them, let alone eaten one, so this led me down the rabbit hole of the internets.

Twenty seconds into my search, I was regretting that I had spent these many years without Jamaican Beef Patties in my life. Just from looking at pictures and reading descriptions, I knew they could be nothing short of incredible.

Essentially, they are a pie crust-like pastry shell wrapped around a mix of spiced beef. A savory hand pie. The pie crust is colored yellow with turmeric or yellow curry powder. I chose to make mine with turmeric. You know I love some turmeric—even in cake.

The beef is cooked with onion, garlic, and pepper. Scotch Bonnet pepper is traditional, but I can’t find those in my local grocery stores. Habanero is the closest thing to it. I’ve never done a side-by-side pepper tasting, but I read that the heat is similar, but the Scotch Bonnet is a little sweeter. To add some sweetness, I use a bit of brown sugar in the filling. Half of one gives a nice spice. If you love spicy, go for the whole thing.

A fair amount of spices go into the savory filling. You’ll also use a little beef broth or stock and breadcrumbs. Do not panic, if like me, you can’t find anything other than Italian breadcrumbs and you don’t have a stash of homemade plain panko in your freezer. Italian work just fine. There’s so much going on flavor-wise in the filling, that you’ll never notice.

First things first, make the dough. Whir it all up in the food processor. The dough will be sticky.

Once combined, wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate while you make the filling.

Brown the beef and cook the onions, garlic, and pepper.

Next, add the spices and then the beef broth. Cook until most of the liquid has cooked away. Stir in the breadcrumbs and let cool a bit.

Roll the dough on a floured surface with a floured rolling pin. Do not fear the flour! Roll to about 1/8 inch and cut into 5-7 inch circles. Use a large cookie cutter, cup, or bowl.

Place about a tablespoon and a half of the filling onto each circle. (My cookie cutter is 5 inches wide. For larger circles, use more filling. You knew that.) Brush one edge with egg white and fold over to make a half circle.

Crimp the sides using your fingers or by pressing with the tines of a fork.

Brush with egg wash. This won’t add color because the dough is already yellow, but it does add a nice shine.

Bake!

Now, if you’re thinking that seems like a lot of work for dinner, here’s a tip. Make them when you have a little extra time. Bake, cool, and freeze them! Pop them into the oven to reheat. This is another reason to love these beef patties. They make a great dinner, but what an absolute treat they are for an afternoon snack.