Braised Short Rib Pot Pie
If you love comfort food. The kind of food that warms your insides like a towel fresh out the dryer, you’re going to LOVE this recipe. I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not the biggest pie fan. I’m still not, but this makes me forget how much I don’t like pie crust. Probably because this is so savory that the crust acts more like dipping a toasted, buttery roll into a hearty stew. UGH! My mouth is watering all over again thinking about this.
I shouldn’t be surprised at how much I really liked the end result, because I already deeply love braised short ribs. Then, to use that deliciously slow brewed braising liquid as the base for the pie filling broth, how could that not be good!? It basically cooked itself! When I first made this a few months ago, I posted a scaled down, rough draft of the recipe on Instagram. It was so good that a few weeks ago I was craving it, so I made it again. This time, I took proper photos and edited the recipe to share it with you guys.
Y’all remember those frozen pot pies? I’m sure there’s a lot of people who still eat and enjoy them, but as for me, I hated them as a child and still HATE them now. The really gelatinous gravy with the perfectly cubed rubbery chicken and the super chunky vegetables where the potatoes and carrots have a weird half cooked crunchy yet soft texture. And, don’t get me started on the peas! Even though I haven’t had one in years, and my memory may be a little dramatic and off, but opinion still stands. Anyways, I say all that to say, the furtherest thing from my mind to ever create would be this. If you would have told me a year ago that I would make and fall in love with pot pie, I would have told you that was a bald faced lie. Everyone who know me, knows how much I don’t like pie and now I am eating my words…literally.
I can’t remember the full story as to how this creation even came to be. I know it all started while my boyfriend and I were watching a show or movie and someone was eating a pot pie. I went on a whole rant about my disdain for them; similar to what you just read, and he casually replies, “I think you could make one.” That one small rebuttal, gave me pause and then my mind started wondering. Could I really change my own mind? Spoiler, the answer to that question is yes, because here I am ranting and raving about this delicious creation.
However, that pause led me to my next thought. Through my cooking journey, I’ve learned that if I didn’t like a food as a child, it might just be because the food wasn’t prepared to my specifications not because the overall taste was bad. Some might call this a picky eater, I just call it having the wisdom to know what you want early in life. Yes, your tastebuds do change over time, but I feel the root of most dislike of things is because of preparation. And, that’s one of the many beauties of cooking, you are literally creating custom made meals for you by you.
Don’t get me wrong, some things you’ll just never like, even if you make it yourself. For me, that’s sweet potatoes. There’s nothing on this earth that will make me like them. They’re not instant spit it out my mouth nasty to me, but after one bite, I don’t want anymore. I don’t care how you make it and I know how to make some real good candied sweet potatoes for Thanksgiving, but they will never be my thing and that’s ok. I at least tried it enough to know where I stand with it.
My motto now is, don’t knock it till you try it, then try it again. So, if you’re a pot pie skeptic like I was, but there’s a ting of curiosity about this recipe, I DARE YOU to try it. I’ll be here waiting for you to tell me how good it is.
A few notes before we jump into the recipe:
There will be a layer of fat on the surface of the braising liquid once the short ribs are cooked. Using a large spoon or ladle, skim the fat layer until all that’s left is the braising liquid. Make sure you do this on low heat. If the liquid is boiling, it will make this process more difficult. This may seem like a tedious step, but if you leave this fat it will result in an unpleasant oily final dish. Some fat is good for mouth feel, but you really want to remove as much as possible.
Pro tip: Before you start to skim the fat, remove the meat and bones. That way you are working with a flatter surface to make this process a lot faster.
The braised short ribs can be made a day or two prior to making the pie. Once the short ribs are fully cooked, remove the bones and let the pot cool completely before placing in the fridge. When you are ready to use, remove and discard the solidified fat layer, then proceed to warm the short ribs and braising liquid on the stovetop. Once warmed, proceed with the pie making steps.
I use an immersion (hand) blender to puree the vegetables that were cooked with the short ribs. If you do not have this type of blender, you can use a regular blender. If you do not have a blender at all, you can skip this step. Just make sure the vegetables used while braising are diced fine so that they aren’t too chunky.
This recipe uses leeks. If you are unfamiliar with a leek, they have many layers tightly packed layers inside that can contain a lot of dirt. To properly clean this vegetable, slice it long ways down the middle and then rinse it under cool water making sure to gently separate each layer to reveal any hidden dirt. Once cleaned, pat dry and proceed to dice it.
The pie crust used is Pillsbury ready made pie crust. You can locate this item in the refrigerated section of your local grocery store where you would find biscuits, crescent rolls and the like. If you know how to make pie dough and want to make it from scratch, go for it! That’s just a little more love into this dish and I’m all for that extra love.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 4 hours
Total Time: 4 hours and 15 minutes
Yields: 2 pies
Ingredients:
For the Braised Short Ribs
2 lbs bone in beef short rib
2 celery stalks (rough chopped)
1 carrot (rough chopped)
1 small onion (rough chopped)
1 cup tomato purée
3 cups beef bone broth
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp dried thyme
kosher salt
fresh cracked pepper
1 tsp avocado oil
1 tbsp salted butter
For the Pie
2 packages of Pillsbury ready made pie crust
1 diced leek
8 oz diced white mushrooms
2 cups diced russet potatoes
1 cup frozen petite peas
2 tbsp flour
kosher salt
1 tbsp salted butter
1 egg
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
Special Tools
5 qt. dutch oven or oven safe pot
immersion blender (optional)
9 inch pie pan
pairing knife or kitchen shears
12 in. saute pan
basting brush
How to Prepare:
For the Braised Short Ribs
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
Season the short ribs liberally with kosher salt and pepper. To the dutch on high heat add the avocado oil, sear the short ribs for 2 minutes on all sides. Remove and set aside.
Lower the heat to medium and with the butter begin to sauté the onions, carrots and celery. Sauté until they slightly carmelize; about 30 minutes.
Next, add the tomato puree, beef bone broth, a pinch of salt, the herbs and submerge the short ribs into the liquid.
Place pot into the oven and cook for 3 hours. After this time, check for meat tenderness. If the meat is falling off the bone without much effort, it is done. If the meat is not tender enough, cook for an additional 30 minutes until it’s reached your desired doneness.
Take out of the oven, remove the meat and bones from the braising liquid. Discard the bones and shred the short rib meat.
Skim the fat layer from the braising liquid then puree the broth with the immersion blender until smooth.
Add the meat back into the pot and stir in the flour. Taste for salt. Cover and simmer this mixture on low while you prepare the rest of the filling.
For the Pie
Increase the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit
To the separate pan, on medium heat, add half a tablespoon of butter and sauté the leeks, mushrooms and potatoes for 5 minutes. Then, slowly mix in the flour. This will thicken the mixture. Add the sautéed vegetables and frozen peas to the dutch oven pot and simmer for 5 more minutes.
With the remaining butter, grease pie pan and place one pie crust sheet in the pan. Fill the pie with filling mix, then cover with the other pie crust.
Guide a pairing knife or kitchen scissors around the pie pan perimeter to trim off the excess crust hanging off the sides. Then, using a fork, gently indent the pie perimeter to seal. Next, cut a X in the center of the pie to vent.
Whisk together the egg and heavy whipping cream. Brush this egg wash onto the pie crust.
Bake in the oven for 20 minutes or until the crust is a golden brown.
Let cool for 15-20 minutes before serving.
If you’ve made it this far into the recipe, you might as well make it. You know you want to. And, when you do, leave a comment and tell me your thoughts. I would love to hear from you.
Until next time, TOODLES!
