A homemade steak and kidney pie is a thing of beauty! It’s a classic pie that is not to be messed with. It boasts buttery crumbly pastry encasing chunks of tender beef and flavorful pieces of kidney. The gravy coats the meat irresistibly, and the pie crust melts in your mouth.
This homemade steak and kidney pie will fill you up and warm you up. The smell alone will bring the comfort of your local pub directly to your kitchen.
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🍻 Classic pub food
I’ve been on a roll since the temperatures started dropping, reading one British detective novel after the other. They all have one thing in common: visiting the pub to interrogate a suspect or regaining strength after a long day of sleuthing. It made me crave a proper steak and kidney pie like never before.
Meat pies aren’t really a thing in France, but nothing other than a homemade steak and kidney pie would have satisfied my craving anyway. There is nothing like it! I can’t describe how comforting it is, and I am not even a big fan of stews. But if it’s served between two layers of delicate pastry (pie crust), I am here for it! I will take this pie over bœuf bourguignon any day of the week!
👩🏽🍳 Cooking kidneys
Offal can be repulsive to some, especially if they didn’t grow up eating them. Kidneys are kidneys, and the smell of ammonia can be off-putting. Ox kidneys are the smelliest, but I give the milk treatment to every kind of kidney I prepare, lamb, veal, pig, ox…
After removing the fat and the connective tissues, I chop the kidney into bite-size pieces and put them into a bowl. I then cover them with milk and place them in the fridge for a few hours. Soaking kidneys in milk will help lessen their taste and make them more edible for the uninitiated. When it comes to homemade steak and kidney pie, I don’t have a preference for which type of kidney to use. I live in the middle of nowhere, so I make do with whatever I can find. Lamb, veal, pig, or beef/ox kidneys are all great to me!
It should be noted that beef kidneys and to a certain extent pig kidneys have a stronger flavor and are less tender than lamb or veal kidneys. They also can withstand a longer cooking time without turning rubbery. So, if desired, add them to the stew at the beginning of the cooking time (before lowering the temperature and covering the Dutch oven) instead of toward the end (like it’s written in the recipe).
I add mine towards the end, even if they are ox or pig kidneys, and I find they have enough time to cook. They will simmer in the gravy for 15 min and bake in the pie for 45 min. I swear they will be cooked and everything will be fine. There is nothing like overcooked dry meat to ruin a meal.
🧾 Substitutions
I can be pretty particular about the food I enjoy. When it comes to homemade steak and kidney pie, I have developed some strong feelings. To me, mushrooms and carrots, don’t belong in it, end of story.
This pie should also have two layers of short-crust pastry (pie crusts). A stew poured into a baking dish and covered on top with a layer of pastry is not a pie. It’s a stew covered with pastry. A savory pie should have a mouth-watering filling encased between TWO layers of pastry, end of story. Now, that I’ve said my piece, I can offer you some substitution advice.
- shortcrust pastry (pie crust): You can make the pie with puff pastry instead of shortcrust pastry if this is how you roll. However, the filling is pretty liquid so I recommend using shortcrust pastry (pie crust) for the bottom and only use ready-to-use puff pastry for the top of the pie. The base of the pie should be sturdy. Puff pastry as the bottom of the pie won’t cut it. It will turn into a doughy soggy mess. So if you prefer puff pastry, use it for the top layer only! Follow the packet’s instructions in case it needs thawing first. Don’t forget to slit the crust to let the steam escape and check the color often (don’t open the door of the oven to do so though).
- chuck steak (called braising steak in the UK) is traditionally used for this recipe. It is a budget-friendly cut taken from the shoulder. Its toughness makes it a perfect candidate for stews. Chuck steak is a portion cut from the chuck roast so you can use chuck roast instead of chuck steak. You can also use other cuts of beef you normally use for stews, such as brisket which is taken from the chest or breast, boneless beef shin which is taken from the leg, or round roast (stewing steak in the UK) which is taken from the hindquarter.
- kidney: I can’t imagine a homemade steak and kidney pie without kidneys. But, if you don’t like kidneys, it should never stop you from eating a good old pie! You can replace the kidney with 700 g (24 oz) of fresh white or brown mushrooms.
Wash the mushrooms and slice them into halves (quarter them if they are big). Once you are done browning the meat, and before you cook the onions, add an extra tablespoon of oil to the Dutch oven. Cook the mushrooms over medium heat until they have softened and completely release their water. Transfer them to a bowl, and let them cool to room temperature. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate.
Simmer the stew for 2h, as written in the recipe card, and add the cooked mushrooms in the last 10 min of cooking. Then, continue following the recipe as written.
📋 Step by step
This is an overview with step-by-step photos. The ingredient list and full instructions are in the recipe card below.
Step 1: Cook the beef
Brown the diced beef in batches and transfer to a plate. Cook the sliced onions until softened. Return the meat to the pan. Season and stir in the flour. Pour in the stock and Worcestershire sauce and add the bay leaves. Stir, then bring to a boil over high heat. Cover the pan, lower the heat and cook for 1h50.
Step 2: Prepare the kidney and finish the filling
Add the chopped kidney pieces into a bowl and cover them with milk. Refrigerate while the beef cooks. Drain the kidney pieces, rinse them and pat them dry. Stir them into the stew and cook for 10 min. Make a cornstarch slurry and stir it into the stew. Simmer until the sauce has thickened. Transfer the stew to a container and leave to cool. Then cover and refrigerate overnight (or until fridge-cold).
Step 3: Make the pie crust
Combine the flour and salt. Rub in the diced butter and lard. Make a well and pour in ¾ of the water. Stir, gathering all the flour in the bowl. If necessary to do so, add the rest of the water. Press the dough together. Divide the dough in half and flatten each half into a disc. Wrap each disc in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 20 min.
Step 4: Assemble and bake
Roll out one of the dough. Line the pie pan with it, letting the excess dough hang over the edges. Spoon the filling onto the pie crust. Roll out the other disc and center it over the filling. Fold the bottom crust excess over the top crust excess. Pinch the edges together. Brush the pie with egg wash. Cut a slit in the center. Bake the pie for 45 min.
💭 Tips for success
A homemade steak and kidney pie isn’t overly complicated but you have to plan ahead as it has several components!
- Buy 2 ready-rolled refrigerated short-crust pastry sheets (pie crusts) if you are short on time or feel intimidated by making pastry from scratch. It might not taste as good but it does save time.
- The filling needs to be as cold as the dough when you assemble the pie. You can make the filling on the day you will bake the pie if you don’t have time to make the filling the day before. However, you need to make the filling sufficiently in advance so it has time to cool down to room temperature and then chill in the fridge until it is fridge-cold. A warm filling would melt the butter in the dough while you are assembling the pie. If the butter melts you can say goodbye to flaky pastry!
- Don’t serve the pie straight from the oven or the filling will be too runny. Let your homemade steak and kidney pie cool down for 15 min before slicing. It will still be warm and the slices will hold themselves better as the filling will have time to thicken slightly.
- Serve with the classic accompaniments: peas and creamy mashed potatoes! It’s a match made in heaven with the gravy. If you don’t like flowing brown gravy softening your mash, you can serve the pie with fries instead. Fries are after all perfect to dip into the gravy and soak up the delicious sauce!
Homemade steak and kidney pie
- Prep Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
- overnight chilling and cooling down: 12 hours 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 3 hours 15 minutes
- Total Time: 17 hours 25 minutes
- Yield: 6–8 slices 1x
- Category: Main course
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: British
Description
This homemade steak and kidney pie is made of two layers of buttery pastry encasing tender chunks of beef and kidney coated with tasty gravy. It’s warm, satisfying, and absolutely delicious.
Ingredients
For the filling:
- 340 g lamb, veal, or pig kidney (0.75 lb or 12 oz)
- 240 ml whole milk (1 cup)
- 2 medium-sized yellow onions
- 800 g beef stew meat (1.75 lb or 28 oz), chuck roast is the traditional cut
- 4 tbsp vegetable oil, plus more if needed
- 1 ½ tsp fine sea salt
- ½ tsp black pepper, freshly ground
- 1 tbsp all-purpose flour, heaped
- 415 ml beef stock (1 ¾ cups)
- a dash of Worcestershire sauce
- 2 bay leaves
- 30 g cornstarch (¼ cup)
- 45 ml water (3 tbsp)
For the pie crust (shortcrust pastry):
- 560 g all-purpose flour (4 cups)
- 1 ½ tsp fine sea salt
- 175 g butter (1 ½ sticks), fridge-cold
- 100 g lard* (8 tbsp or ½ cup), fridge-cold
- 120 ml cold water (½ cup)
- 1 egg, to glaze the pie
Instructions
- Prepare the kidney. If your kidneys still have a membrane surrounding them, cut into it with a sharp knife and remove the membrane. Trim off the lumps of white fat and discard them. Cut each kidney in half and remove any pieces of membrane or fat in the center of each kidney half. Cut each half into bite-size pieces, 3 cm (1 ¼ in) chunks will do. Put the kidney pieces in a bowl and pour the milk over them. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in the fridge until needed.
- Cook the beef. Peel the onions, thinly slice them and set them aside. Cut the beef into 4 cm (1 ½ in) pieces and remove any excess white fat. Heat half of the oil in a large heavy-based non-stick pan or a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add half of the chunks of meat in a single layer and cook until dark brown on each side, stirring from time to time with a wooden spoon, about 8 min. Transfer the pieces to a plate and add the rest of the oil to the pan. Brown the other batch of meat in the same way and transfer it to the plate. Tip the sliced onions into the empty pan and cook until softened, stirring occasionally, about 5 min. Add a bit more oil to the pan if needed to keep the onions from sticking to the bottom. Return the meat to the pan. Season with salt and black pepper. Sprinkle the flour over the meat and onion and stir with the spoon until everything is well coated. Pour in the stock and Worcestershire sauce and add the bay leaves. Stir, then bring to a boil over high heat. Cover the pan with a lid and lower the heat to low. Cook for 1h50.
- Finish the filling. A few minutes before the beef is done simmering, remove the bowl with the kidney from the fridge. Drain the kidney pieces in a colander and rinse them gently under cold running water. Pat them dry with paper towels and add them to the pan. Give it a good stir, put the lid back on and cook the stew for 10 min. Remove the bay leaves and discard them. In a small bowl, whisk the cornstarch and water together. Stir this slurry into the stew. Increase the heat to medium and let the stew simmer until the sauce has thickened, about 5 min. Transfer the filling to a heatproof container and leave uncovered to cool down to room temperature. Then cover the stew and refrigerate until needed. I usually prepare the filling the day before and leave it overnight in the fridge. You can make the filling on the day when you will bake the pie but make sure the filling has enough time to cool down. It should be as cold as the pie dough when you fill the pie crust.
- Make the pie crust dough (shortcrust pastry). Combine the flour and salt in a mixing bowl. Dice the butter and lard and rub in with your fingers until it looks like big breadcrumbs. It might take up to 6 min to get this result. Make a well in the center and pour in ¾ of the water. Stir with your fingertips, trying to gather all the flour in the mixing bowl. If necessary, add the rest of the water and more (1 tsp at a time), and stir until all the flour has been incorporated. When the dough sticks together, gently press it into a smooth ball. Divide the dough equally in half, and gently flatten each half into a disc. Wrap each disc tightly in plastic wrap and leave in the fridge to chill for 20 min.
- Assemble. Preheat the oven to 220 °C (430 °F). Lightly grease a 26 cm (10-inch) pie pan with butter. In a small bowl, beat the egg with a fork until blended and set the egg wash aside for now. On a floured work surface with a floured rolling pin, roll out one of the discs of dough into a thin circle about 33 cm (13 inches) in diameter. The dough should be about 4 mm (⅐-inch) thick. Line the pan with the dough, allowing the excess dough to hang over the edges, leaving them untouched for the time being. Ease the dough across the bottom and up the sides of the pan with your fingers. Spoon the filling onto the pie crust and press down to level the surface. Roll the other disc into a thin circle about 33 cm (13 inches) in diameter and 4 mm (⅐-inch) thick. Brush the edges of the dough in the pan with egg wash. Center the second dough circle over the filling. Fold the bottom crust excess over the top crust excess. Pinch the edges together to seal both crusts.
- Bake. Lightly brush the top of the pie with egg wash. Cut a small slit in the center of the top crust so that steam can escape whilst cooking. It will help the crust be less soggy. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and set the pie on it. Bake the pie for 45 min in the center of the oven. After half an hour of baking time, you can cover the sides of the pie with foil if you notice that they are over browning. When ready, the pie will be golden brown and the sauce will be bubbling through the slit. Leave the steak and kidney pie to stand for 15 min on a cooling rack before serving.
Notes
* If you don’t want to use lard, use 275 g (2 ⅓ sticks) of butter in total for the pie dough instead.
Leftovers can be kept in the refrigerator for 4 days. I usually leave my homemade steak and kidney pie in the pie pan and cover it tightly with aluminum foil.
To reheat, preheat your oven to 180 °C (355 °F). Put the slices in a baking dish (or on a baking pan) lined with parchment paper. Cover the slices loosely with aluminum foil to prevent over-browning in the oven. Reheat the slices in the oven for 15 min. To make sure that the filling is warmed through, insert the tip of a knife into the middle of the filling. Check with your finger or your tongue how warm the tip of the knife is when you pull it out. If it is warmed to your liking, then your homemade steak and kidney pie is ready to be eaten again!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 990
Keywords: british pies, cooking kidney, british pub food, traditional british recipes, hearty winter food
Are you looking for other warming and comforting dishes? Here are some of my favorite recipes to cozy up with during winter:
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