Best Venison Hand Pies Recipes

VENISON MEAT PIES

Steps:

• Mix the flours and the salt together in a large bowl. Mix the yeast and the warm water in a cup and let hydrate for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, mix the lard into the flour with your hands until it looks like a coarse meal.
• Pour the hydrated yeast into the flour and mix well. Knead for 5 minutes, cover in plastic wrap and let rest 1 hour. Meanwhile, mix all the filling ingredients -- except for the lard -- together in a bowl. Preheat the oven to 450°F.
• To make the pies, roll the dough into a rough log and slice off 1/3 of it. Now cut each chunk into thirds, so you have 3 small pieces and 3 large pieces. Take out one of the large pieces and keep the rest covered with a damp cloth.
• Roll out the dough into a 6-inch circle about 1/8-inch thick. Use a bowl or large glass to cut a perfect circle. Put some of the filling into the center of the circle, leaving a 1-inch border on all sides. Set that dough onto a baking sheet lined with parchment. Do the same thing with the other 2 larger pieces of dough. When you have all three pies set out, press 1 tablespoon of lard or butter onto the center of the filling of each pie.
• To make the tops of the pies, roll out each smaller piece of dough to about the same thickness -- they should be smaller, about 5 inches in diameter. Lay the top on the venison filling.
• Now take up the bottom of the larger piece of dough and attach it to the top piece of dough by pinching and crimping it over. Do this all around the pie to seal it. With a very sharp knife slice vents in the top of the pie.
• Beat the egg with a little water and paint all the pies with it. Bake in the oven for 25 to 35 minutes, or until they are golden brown. Let the pies rest on a rack for at least 10 minutes before eating. They are good hot, cold or at room temperature.

VENISON POT PIE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9-inch, deep-dish pie plate.
• Season venison with garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Mix in flour to coat pieces. Combine egg and milk in a small bowl for egg wash and set aside.
• Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; saute until soft and translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Turn heat to high and add venison; quickly brown the meat while stirring, making sure not to overbrown, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove mixture into a bowl and set aside.
• Make gravy by deglazing the pan with red wine and Worcestershire sauce, scraping the browned bits from the bottom with a wooden spoon. Reduce until the pan is almost dry, 10 to 15 minutes. Reduce heat to low and add beef broth. Dissolve cornstarch with water in a bowl and pour into the broth, whisking constantly. Bring to a simmer and reduce heat; cook until thickened, about 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, fill a large bowl with ice and cold water. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add potatoes, carrots, and celery and cook, uncovered, for 2 minutes. Drain in a colander and immediately immerse in ice water for several minutes to stop the cooking process. Drain.
• Combine drained vegetables with venison mixture, corn, and peas in a large bowl. Mix thoroughly.
• Line the prepared pie dish with 1 pie crust, trimming edges if needed. Place venison mixture into the pie crust, pour gravy over the top, spread mushrooms over, and cover with the other pie crust. Brush on egg wash and cut vents in the top.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the crust is golden brown and you can see filling is bubbling, 45 minutes to 1 hour. If edges of crust are getting too dark, cover edges with aluminum foil until center crust has caught up. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.