Jamaican Beef Patties

Jamaican beef patties are the things of dreams. I love to get my hands on one of these, with rich, flaky dough and a spicy filling. One of my closest friends as a teenager was Jamaican, and boy, did she know all the good spots.

This dish is a representation of the history of Jamaica, which is an island that combines many cultures, culinarily speaking. Cornish pasties are believed to have been brought by Cornish ships from Britain as they followed trade routes among East Africa, England, and the Caribbean in the 17th century. The dough and flavors were modified on the island into what we know today.

The crust technique (essentially a turmeric pie crust) took me way back, all the way back to my first post. I had botched a pie crust and had to start over, finding a new little love. In that recipe, you spread your flour out onto a rolling surface and add cubes of butter to it. Then, you use your hands to coat the butter in flour, and gently break the cubes up with your fingers. As you continue, you create a sandy mixture composed of tiny clumps of butter that are coated in flour. Finally, you add water, blend, and mix into a dough. Easy! Well, in this recipe I decided to simplify, using a food processor to do the blending for me.

It started with the dry ingredients. I added the flour, sugar, turmeric, garam masala, and salt in my food processor and mixed them to combine. I then added in the butter and blended everything together.

In no time, the butter was finally chopped into smaller pieces and were ready for the next step.

I dumped the flour and butter mixture onto a working surface and added cold water. Then, I used my hands to knead it into a dough. I then wrapped it in plastic wrap and put it in the fridge to firm up.

In the mean time, I cooked the ground beef and added in some chopped onion. I let the mixture cook until the onions were soft, then added in some sweet pepper and seasonings.

Next up, I removed the dough from the fridge and let it sit for about 5 minutes. I rolled out the dough until it was about 1/4" thick on a floured surface, then cut the dough into circles. This can be done with a small bowl or biscuit cutter. Remaining dough can be re-rolled out and made into more patties.

I spooned some of the filling onto 1/2 of the circle.

Next, I folded the circle over and used a fork to seal the edges.

I repeated this with all the circles, re-rolling out the dough to use the scraps. I then placed the patties on a lined baking sheet and baked them for 25 minutes.

They aren't the most beautiful things in the world, but they were tasty!

I think next time I'd make them a bit bigger, but frankly, making them smaller just meant I could eat more in terms of quantity.

I was happy to share these, and got positive feedback from my little team of brave souls that will try whatever I make.

Overall, these were a solid and tasty first attempt, minus the fact a few of them came out a little ugly due to baker error. My only thing was that the dough was not flaky, and I'll need to add some spicier peppers (Scotch bonnets) next time. But this blog is all about trying things, not pretending that every recipe comes out perfect on the first try. All that being said, this is a solid dinner that really doesn't have that many steps. Many of these recipes are intimidating because we have *such* good versions that we try at restaurants or out and about, but if you love a dish, you should definitely try it at home and see if you can make something you love.

Jamaican Beef Patties Recipe

Ingredients:

For the dough:

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

2 tablespoons turmeric powder

1/2 teaspoon garam masala (or curry powder)

2 teaspoons salt

1 cup unsalted butter, cut into cubes

1 cup ice cold water

For the beef filling:

1 pound lean ground beef

1 yellow onion, chopped

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 teaspoon grated ginger

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon allspice

1 teaspoon turmeric

1/2 bell pepper, chopped

Instructions:

For the dough:

Combine the flour, salt, sugar, and turmeric powder together in a food processor and blend to combine. I added the butter cubes, then used a food processor to pulse the mixture, chopping the butter into tiny pieces. Once the mixture is the consistency of sand, pour out onto a floured surface. Add the ice water and mix well with your hands, creating a uniform dough. Shape the dough into a ball and cover with plastic wrap. Transfer the dough into the refrigerator for a minimum of 30 minutes.

For the beef filling:

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add in the ground beef. Cook until browned, then add in the chopped onion and continue cooking until the onions are softened, approximately 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and ginger and continue cooking. Add the thyme, allspice, turmeric, and bell pepper. Stir together and continue cooking mixture for another 2-3 minutes.

For the beef patties:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Let the dough sit for 5 minutes after removing from the fridge. Roll out on a floured surface until about 1/4" to 1/2" thick. Cut circles approximately 6 inches in diameter using a bowl or biscuit cutters. Spoon the mixture into the dough on one side, covering less than half of the circle. Fold the circle over the filling, then use a fork to press the dough closed. Gently move to a silicone or parchment-lined baking pan. Repeat with remaining dough, re-rolling out the scraps as needed. Bake the beef patties for 25-30 minutes or until they are lightly browned.

adapted from jamaican beef patties