Beef Patties, Jamaican Style
Submitted by jenwilly
Jamaican beef patties with a flaky shortening crust and a spiced ground beef filling with thyme, scallion, paprika, and hot pepper. Baked golden in hand-held half-moons.
YIELD
15 servingsPREP
25 minCOOK
35 minREADY
1Jamaican beef patties are the Caribbean’s answer to the empanada: flaky, golden half-moons stuffed with a spiced ground beef filling that packs serious heat and serious flavor into every hand-held bite.
The filling gets its character from a generous amount of black pepper, dried thyme, scallion, paprika, and minced hot pepper or Caribbean hot sauce. But the real trick is the bread. A piece of French or Italian bread gets soaked in water, squeezed out, ground, and then cooked back down with the soaking water and more thyme. That bread paste binds the filling into a moist, cohesive mixture that does not dry out during baking the way plain ground beef would.
The pastry is a simple shortening dough that rests overnight in the fridge. That long chill firms the fat and relaxes the gluten, so the crust bakes up flaky and tender instead of tough.
Chef Tips
- Roll the dough to ⅛ inch, not thinner. Too thin and it tears when you fold over the filling. Too thick and it bakes doughy instead of crisp.
- Use only a heaping tablespoon of filling per patty. Overfilling makes them impossible to seal, and they burst open in the oven.
- Crimp the edges firmly with a fork dipped in flour. A weak seal means the filling leaks and burns on the baking sheet.
- Use ice-cold water for the dough. Cold water keeps the shortening solid, which is what creates those flaky layers.
Variations
- Add ½ teaspoon of curry powder to the filling for a curry beef patty, popular in many Jamaican shops.
- Use ground turkey instead of beef for a lighter filling.
- Brush the tops with an egg wash before baking for a shinier, deeper golden crust.
Ingredients
Directions
Make the pastry.
Combine the flour and salt in a bowl, and workin the shortening until the dough resembles coarse meal.
Add just enough water to make the dough hold together.
Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let it rest in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight.
Make the filling.
Combine the beef, scallion, salt, black pepper, and half the thyme.
Cook the mixture in a skillet just until the meat loses its pink color but is not browned.
While the meat cooks, soak the bread in water to cover for about 5 minutes.
Squeeze the bread but save the water. Grind the bread in a food processor or meat grinder. Put the bread and water in a sauce pan with the rest of the thyme and cook until most the othe water has evaporated. Add the bread and the paprika to the meat. Stir in the red pepper or hot sauce and cook over low heat, stirring often, for about 20 minutes. Roll the dough out about ⅛ inch thick; the dough should not be too thin or it may break when filled. Cut out circles about 6 inches in diameter. Place a heaping tablespoon of meat in the center of each circle. Using your finger, moisten the edges of the dough with water. Fold the dough over to make a half circle, and crimp the edges with a fork. Repeat until dough and meat are used up. Place the patties on ungreased baking sheets. Bake about 35 minutes, or until golden brown. Makes about 15 patties.
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