Jamaican Beef Patties
Published Feb. 27, 2022
- Total Time
- 1½ hours, plus chilling dough and cooling filling
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 3½cups/450 grams all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
- 3teaspoons/7 grams ground turmeric
- 2teaspoons granulated sugar
- 1½teaspoons kosher salt (Diamond Crystal)
- 1cup/187 grams vegetable shortening
- ½packed cup/67 grams minced or ground unrendered beef suet (see Tip)
- ½ to ¾cup/118 to 177 milliliters ice cold water
- 1tablespoon vegetable oil
- 2small Scotch bonnet peppers, seeded and minced
- 1medium onion, diced
- 1pound beef chuck, minced or ground
- 2teaspoons ground allspice
- 1½teaspoons ground black pepper
- 1teaspoon garlic powder
- 1teaspoon paprika
- 1tablespoon soy sauce, preferably dark soy sauce
- 2small beef stock cubes (14 grams), dissolved in 3 tablespoons boiling water
For the Crust
For the Filling
Nutritional analysis per serving (16 servings)
300 calories; 18 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 3 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 24 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 6 grams sugars; 10 grams protein; 290 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Make the crust: Whisk flour in a medium bowl, then whisk in turmeric, sugar and salt. Work in shortening and beef suet quickly, rubbing them into the dry ingredients with your fingers until the mixture is evenly crumbly. Gradually add ½ cup ice cold water while stirring with your hands to form the dough. If the dough isn’t coming together, add more water by the tablespoon as necessary. Form dough into a ball, cover with cling wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 2 days.
- Step 2
While the dough is chilling, make the filling: Heat a large frying pan over medium, then add vegetable oil. Fry scotch bonnet peppers and onion, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add beef and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, 4 to 8 minutes. Season with allspice, black pepper, garlic powder, paprika, soy sauce and the beef stock mixture. Cook, stirring, until most of the liquid evaporates, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a dish and let cool completely at room temperature or in the refrigerator. (The filling can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 2 days.)
- Step 3
When ready to assemble patties, heat oven to 375 degrees. Remove dough from the refrigerator and roll on a lightly floured work surface with a lightly floured pin into a 12-inch square. (Turmeric will stain a porous work surface. Roll between sheets of parchment paper if needed.) Fold dough in half to form a rectangle, then fold again the other way to form a square. Roll again into a 12-inch square. Repeat this process 3 more times, letting dough rest as needed if it’s too stiff to roll. Roll to ⅛-inch thickness, then use a bowl or pastry cutter to cut out 10 (6-inch) rounds, rerolling scraps as necessary.
- Step 4
Divide beef mixture among rounds, spooning about ¼ cup onto one side of each round. Fold the other side of each round over the meat until the edges meet. Using a fork, seal the edges, then prick the center of each to allow steam to escape.
- Step 5
Place patties on 1 or 2 baking sheets, and bake until pastry is set and golden, 22 to 25 minutes. Serve hot, warm or at room temperature.
- Beef suet is the solid fat around cows’ kidneys and is sold whole or ground from butcher counters. Be sure to buy unrendered suet, which is solid and crumbly.
Private Notes
Comments
RE: Suet substitute: You're making a close-to-traditional pastry dough. So, sub any fat that stays (semi)solid at room temperature: butter, lard, coconut oil. Jamaican food is historically frugal: animal fat was saved for cooking & other uses rather than discarded. Britain's Yorkshire Pudding, which accompanies their Roast Beef, has similar origins: it uses fat rendered from roasting. (The recipe's mandating of un-rendered suet is dubious: rendered suet becomes solid on chilling.)
I am so eager to make these, however.... At the risk of seeming blasphemous, what could I substitute for the suet and vegetable shortening? Apologies in advance....
RE: Soggy Pastry with Butter In his book, "Ratio", Mark Ruhlman gives the ratio flour:fat:liquid = 3:2:1. For US butter (80% butterfat), 1 drops to 0.6. However, you add ice water in stages, mixing each time with hands/mixer until the dough JUST holds together: you don't have to use all the water. The crust recipe above calls for 1/2 cup water first, adding the rest in stages if needed. To address Jen's valid concern, I'd probably start with 1/4 cup water if using butter.
Serious, cook ground beef for 4-8 minutes only. That just does not sound right. I also feel that a Jamaica patty would have been seasoned with pimento and thyme its just odd they are missing as is salt.
I love this recipe. It’s quick and came together beautifully (and flaky!!) I didn’t have beef suet, so I used some leftover bacon drippings I’ve been collecting and it came out equally as delicious.
You can make delicious traditional ital patties (as in natural and vegetarian) with callaloo and ackee or pumpkin or a combo of those ingredients and not need lard. It is disappointing that no recipes for the wonderful vegan food I ate and prepared when I lived in Yard (Jamaica) for 2 years in not represented in this cooking app. I do really appreciate that there is a variety of other countries’ vegetarian offerings!
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