Jamaican beef patties

Jamaican beef patties are a delicious and popular snack that bring back childhood memories for many people, especially me. These beautiful patties are filled with juicy, perfectly seasoned beef and wrapped in a flaky pastry crust that is sure to satisfy any craving.The crust is so, so important. If you don’t have crumbs on your mouth or on you when you’re eating a patty, then it just simply isn’t 10/10. Don’t argue with me, I don’t make the rules!

Jamaican beef patties. Credit: Steven Joyce / Murdoch Books

• makes

  6-8

• prep

  40 minutes

• cook

  1 hour

• difficulty

  Mid

Ingredients

Filling

• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp all-purpose seasoning
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp salt
• 500 g (1 lb 2 oz) beef mince (15–20% fat)
• 2 tsp vegetable oil
• 1 small onion, finely diced
• 1 carrot, peeled and finely diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 spring onions (scallions), thinly sliced
• ½–1 Scotch bonnet chilli (pepper), finely chopped (use the seeds if you want the spice)
• 1½ tbsp fresh thyme leaves
• 1 tsp tomato paste (concentrated purée)
• 2 tbsp + 1 tsp (45 ml) dark soy sauce
• 55 g (2 oz) ketchup
• 2 tsp browning (see Note)
• 150 ml (5 fl oz) hot water
• ₌ (3 tbsp + 3 tsp) fine white or panko breadcrumbs

Dough

• 480 g (1 lb 1 oz) plain (all-purpose) flour, plus extra for dusting
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp cornflour (cornstarch)
• 1 tsp curry powder
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 2 tsp caster (superfine) sugar
• 1½ tsp salt
• 200 g (7 oz) beef dripping or suet, cut into small cubes and frozen (see Note)
• 150 ml (5 fl oz) ice-cold water
• 100 ml (3½ fl oz) ice-cold buttermilk
• 2 tsp white vinegar
• 1½ tbsp yellow food colouring powder (optional, but it really gets that authentic colour!)
• 20 g (¾ oz) butter, cut into cubes and frozen
• 1 egg, beaten
  

Chilling time: 50 minutes total.

Instructions

1. Start by preparing the filling because you’ll want this to cool down before filling your patties. In a small bowl, mix the garlic and onion powders, ginger, all-purpose seasoning, pepper and salt. Season the beef with half of this seasoning and pop to the side.
2. Over medium heat, add the oil to a non-stick pan and sauté the onion and carrot for 2–3 minutes, or until softened. Then add the garlic, spring onions, Scotch bonnet and thyme. Cook for another 1–2 minutes, or until fragrant. Then add the tomato paste, soy sauce and ketchup. Let this cook down, stirring regularly for 2 minutes.
3. Now add the beef, then use the back of a spoon to really break it down. It’s really important that you break it down because you don’t want big chunks of beef mince. Once your meat is broken down into a crumb-like consistency, add the browning and half the hot water. Give it a good mix and cook, covered, over low heat for 10–15 minutes.
4. Then add the breadcrumbs, remaining seasoning mixture and remaining hot water and mix well. Cook for a further 5 minutes, or until the mixture is nice and moist, yet soft. The breadcrumbs are crucial in creating the right consistency, as they soak up the moisture. Once cooked, double check for seasoning and spice, and adjust if needed. At this point your filling is done! Allow to cool while you make the dough.
5. In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, cornflour, curry powder, turmeric, sugar and salt. Mix with a whisk until the ingredients are evenly distributed.
6. Now add the beef dripping pieces, straight from the freezer, and use a spoon or your hands to quickly toss and get coated in the flour.
7. In a jug, combine the ice-cold water, buttermilk, vinegar and yellow food colouring powder (if using). Notice how everything is cold, this is the key to making the perfect pastry. It keeps the fats cold, so once they go into the oven they’ll melt between the layers, which creates pockets in the pastry and results in a flaky crust.
8. Pour the wet mixture into the flour bowl and use a wooden spoon to mix. It will be quite hard to mix, but you don’t want to use your hands at this point. Once the ingredients have come together, tip onto a lightly floured surface.
9. Knead for a minute or until a dough has formed. You want the ingredients to just come together, lumps of beef dripping is what you want. The dough should be full of it! Wrap in cling film (plastic wrap) and transfer to the refrigerator to chill for 30 minutes.
10. Flour the work surface and roll out the dough to 1 cm (½ inch) thick, keeping it rectangular. Then fold the bottom to the middle and the top to the middle (like you’re folding a letter).
11. Turn over (so the seam side should be down), then roll out again and repeat once more. What we’re doing is almost like a puff pastry technique, which creates layers. Repeat twice more. Refrigerate for 20 minutes.
12. Roll out the dough once more, repeat the folding process twice more and scatter the frozen butter cubes across the dough. Fold like a letter again and roll once more. Now after rolling this time, you want to fold it up again and roll it to 3 cm (1¼ inch) thick, then split into 6–8 equal sections.
13. Preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan-forced/400°F/Gas mark 6).
14. Working with one section at a time, on a floured surface, roll out the dough to 5 mm (¼ inch) thick. Now, you can keep the dough as a rectangle, which means you won’t have to cut the edges and roll any dough, or you can place the dough onto a bowl to create a perfect round, which makes the traditional half-moon patty shape. Opt for whatever works best for you.
15. Scoop 3-4 tablespoons of the cooled filling into the centre of the dough, leaving space round the edges to seal. Then brush the sides with beaten egg with your finger or pastry brush and fold the dough over, pressing gently to push the air out and to seal. Press the edges of the patty using a fork dipped in flour. Trim the edges using a pizza cutter or knife. Carefully dust your patties with more flour.
16. Add the patties to an oven tray lined with baking parchment and dusted with plenty of flour or make sure you’re using a trusted tray that doesn’t cause sticking. I like to use a dark tray as this creates a nice golden bottom.
17. Bake for 25–30 minutes, or until golden, crispy and flaky. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before enjoying!

Note

Browning, also called browning sauce, is a dark rich sauce made from brown sugar that is popular in Jamaican cooking. It is available in Australia from specialist retailers e.g. here. You can also make your own, or substitute soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce or molasses.

The history of patties can be traced back to Jamaica, where they were originally sold as street food. Today, these addictive treats are enjoyed all over the world. To make the best Jamaican beef patties, you start by preparing the rich, spicy, beef filling with a blend of herbs and spices that are commonly used in Jamaican cuisine. The crust should be flaky, heavy on the FLAKY and if it’s not that famous yellow colour, I don’t want it. For the best results, you want to ideally be using a block of beef dripping. Not the liquid stuff, that won’t work for this recipe.

Whether you’re enjoying these patties for a trip down memory lane or trying them for the first time, they are sure to become an all-time favourite. I really hope you enjoy this recipe because my heart and soul went into this one. It’s been my baby for the longest time (it's taken me seven years to perfect).

Image and text from Flayvaful by Nathaniel Smith, photography by Steven Joyce (Murdoch Books, RRP $HB49.99).

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.