From humble pie to showstopper: How to make this famous Melbourne dish at home
Block out the afternoon to make this indulgent British beef pie, richly flavoured with bone marrow and Guinness.
This recipe, from the Builders Arms in Melbourne’s Fitzroy, turns Australia’s national dish into a showstopping centrepiece that will have your guests talking for weeks.
Builders Arms head chef Leon Smith says it’s a favourite dish every winter. “We slowly simmer Gippsland beef with white wine, fennel and Guinness to create a velvety braise. It’s then encased in butter puff pastry and topped with a disc of marrow bone for a touch of indulgence.”
The bone, which rises through the golden pastry, not only looks great but adds a luxurious and hearty touch, says Smith. As the pie bakes, the marrow melts into the rich braise beneath.
Smith recommends serving the pie with buttery mashed potatoes or, for something lighter, a crunchy leaf salad dressed with Dijon mustard, lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil.
You’ll need a deep 25cm round pie dish for this family-size recipe.
Ingredients
100ml olive oil
1kg diced beef shin
150g smoked pancetta, diced
1 large brown onion, finely diced
1 large carrot, finely diced
2 celery stalks, finely diced
1 head fennel, finely diced
4 garlic cloves, finely diced
a thumbnail-size knob of ginger, finely diced
2 bay leaves
2 sprigs thyme
100g tomato paste
30g plain flour
1 litre chicken stock
500ml can Guinness
250ml white wine
sea salt and black pepper
to taste
TO ASSEMBLE
12cm bone marrow tube
(see note)1 large sheet good-quality puff pastry
1 egg yolk
Method
Step 1
Heat the olive oil in a large heavy-based lidded pan over medium-high heat. Add the beef shin in a single layer, turning occasionally, until it has browned on all sides. If you don’t have a large enough pan to cook the beef without crowding it, cook it in two or three batches. Remove the beef from the pan and set aside in a bowl.
Step 2
Add the pancetta to the same pan and cook until it is lightly golden, then add the onion, carrot, celery, fennel, garlic, ginger, bay leaves and thyme and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
Step 3
Add the tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes then add flour and cook for a further 2 minutes to remove the raw taste and coat the ingredients.
Step 4
Return the beef to the pan, then add the stock, Guinness and wine and bring to a simmer.
Step 5
Cover the pan with a lid and cook over low heat for about 3 hours or until the shin is tender and falling apart, and the liquid has reduced to a thick, sauce-like consistency.
Step 6
Season to taste with salt and pepper, remove from the heat, and set aside to cool completely.
Step 7
Preheat the oven to 180C fan-forced (200C conventional).
Step 8
Place a large sheet of cold puff pastry on the bench and place the 25cm pie dish on top as a template. Using a sharp knife, cut around the dish, adding 1cm extra all around to fold over the edge of the dish, and cut an X in the centre to accommodate the bone. Alternatively, remove a ring of pastry from the centre of the sheet just big enough for the bone to fit through.
Step 9
Fill the pie dish with the cooled beef mixture and place the bone marrow in the centre.
Step 10
Place the puff pastry lid over the beef filling, with the bone coming through the centre. If you’ve cut a ring from the centre, roll the excess pastry into a thin sausage to form a ring, sealing the pastry against the bone. Press the edges of the pastry against the dish to seal, trimming off any excess.
Step 11
Whisk the egg yolk with 50ml of cold water and brush it over the top of the pie.
Step 12
Using a fork, pierce some holes in the pastry to allow steam to escape while the pie cooks.
Step 13
Place the pie in the oven and cook for 30-40 minutes or until the pastry is golden.
Step 14
Remove from the oven and allow it to cool for 10 minutes before cutting into wedges to serve.
Note
Lengths of marrow bone are available from the butcher. Ask your butcher to cut a length of bone from the centre of the femur (thigh) or tibia (shank). To cut marrow bones at home, you’ll need a hacksaw with a food-grade blade and a stable surface such as a butcher block or rimmed baking tray.
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