BBQ Beef Pie

Because of my serious recipe addiction, I have a habit of making "one and done" recipes.  I have so many things I want to try that I frequently make things one time only, no matter how great they turn out.  And then it's on to the next new thing!  Not so with this recipe.  I have several times already since I discovered this amazing recipe!

Every other recipe can wait.  This is too good.  I'm talking about ground beef, cheese, and sauteed onion smothered in BBQ sauce and baked in a pie crust.  (Please excuse me while I wipe the drool off my keyboard.)  This is the kind of food that you eat and think, "I could eat this the rest of my life."  Those who really know me know that I love any excuse to eat BBQ sauce.  So this dish is right up my alley.  And my husband would probably eat roadkill if I served it on pie crust.  So it's right up his alley as well.  To say the least, we're both kind of into this recipe.

I will admit that part of the reason I have made this so many times is that I have been trying to perfect it.  I got my inspiration for this BBQ beef pie from Nikki at Chef In Training.  Her recipe is for BBQ Beef Pie Pockets.  She used a refrigerated pie crust, but I like to use my own pie crust.  So I made my own 2 pie crust recipe and did everything else as instructed.  I ended up with way more filling than I could put in my pie pockets.  And it was messy.  And it took forever.  And they were ugly.  And the filling leaked.  But they were so delicious I had to give them another try.

The second time I made them, I decided that instead of using a regular pie crust, I would try the crust I use for my empanada casserole.  It is similar to pie crust, but includes cornmeal for a little bit of crunch and doesn't have as much sugar, so it is a little more appropriate for a savory dish like this.  I made pie pockets again this time, trying a little different technique.  I liked this crust a little better, but I still didn't love the time it took to make the pie pockets, and I still had a bunch of beef filling leftover.  It just wasn't quite right.

They say the 3rd times a charm, and that saying holds true here.  For my third attempt, I decided that instead of pie pockets, I would just make it into a BBQ beef pie.  Since I liked the savory empanada crust, but was actually making a pie now, I decided to combine the two recipes to make my own empanada/pie crust hybrid by replacing some of the flour with cornmeal.  And to make myself feel better about eating pie crust for dinner, I put some whole wheat flour in there as well.  

After a few attempts, I was finally satisfied.  Very satisfied.  This was a lot easier to make than the pie pockets, the ratio of meat to crust was perfect, and, most importantly, it was go-back-for-seconds delicious.  Even though I no longer have to experiment with this recipe, I assure you that I will be making this new favorite over, and over, and over.  Enjoy!

BBQ Beef Pie
For the crust:
(Can use 2 refrigerated pie crusts instead)
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
1 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
2/3 cup shortening, chilled and cut into small pieces
1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp butter (1 1/4 sticks), chilled and cut into small pieces
8-10 Tbsp ice water
For the beef filling:
1 lb ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cup BBQ sauce
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1  cup shredded cheddar cheese
Directions:
To make the crust, combine flours, cornmeal, sugar, and salt in food processor or large mixing bowl.  Cut in shortening and butter until a coarse meal forms.  Blend in water 2 tablespoons at a time until dough is moistened and starts to come together.
Gather dough into a ball; cut in half.  Flatten each half into a disk.  Wrap separately in plastic.  Refrigerate until firm, at least 15 minutes.
When dough is ready, roll out one disk at a time on floured work surface into a 13-inch round.  Transfer dough to 9-inch glass pie plate.  Trim excess dough, leaving 3/4-inch overhand.  Reserve second disk.
To make beef filling, brown ground beef in large skillet.  Drain and rinse in hot water.  While beef is draining, saute onion in now empty skillet over medium heat until softened and slightly browned.  Return beef to skillet and add BBQ sauce, Worcestershire sauce and cheddar cheese.  Stir to combine.
Add beef filling to pie plate, placing on top of first pie crust.  Top with second pie crust disk.  Seal edges.
Bake in 400 degree oven for 45 minutes, or until crust is light golden brown and crisp.  Cover edge of crust after about 20 minutes to prevent over-browning.
Allow to cool slightly before serving.

Recipe adapted from Chef In Training