A traditional pork pie as I was taught to make it. For a more authentic pie, instead of using minced pork, use finely chopped pork chops and a few rashers of finely chopped bacon (use a food processor).
As Melton Mowbray, the world capital of pork pies, is about 25 miles away (and I used to work for a major "food" manufacturer there), I have tasted those and really rate them. They're made in small shops, each with its own secret recipe! The biggest difference is that they don't use minced pork. The pork used is shoulder and it's chopped rather than minced. This REALLY improves the texture. It's not in one-inch cubes, the bits are quite a lot smaller, but they are perhaps 3-5mm (sometimes a little larger) in each direction. Additionally, some makers still stick to the old way of baking them - they are free-baked, rather than in a tin. They slump down in the oven. Whilst this can look very "quaint" and attractive, I find the larger ones harder to cut. I tend to follow the idea of chopping the pork, but I use a tin. ADDENDUM TO THE ABOVE. Many (most) pork pie recipes tell you to make the pastry first. That's fine if you can chop up your meat etc in about 10 minutes or less. Most of us can't. I now make the filling first and then put it in the fridge whilst I make the hwc pastry. I then shape the pastry (I use tins) and then fill the pies. When hot water crust cools down (as it is likely to do if you make it before the filling) it goes brittle and does not want to be moulded or even sealed. - 20 Dec 2011
- 04 Dec 2012
I want to try this so badly!! I cannot buy Pork Pies here in the USA. One thing I would like to know is can I use cooked pork in this recipe? I have a shoulder roast and would cook up the bones to make the 'jelly',,,, - 08 Oct 2012