Brad Fenson
Who doesn’t like pie? Add meat to the flaky pastry, and you have a meal fit for a crew of deer hunters. Ground meat is easy to prepare into a game pie, and it only takes about an hour to prepare and bake. A quick cheat in hunting camp is to use frozen pie shells, but don’t be afraid to make your pastry with directions on most lard or shortening containers.
Summer is the time of year to go through the freezer and take inventory of your wild game. Grind up any of the meat that is getting old, and put it to good use in a pie.
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp oil
- 1 lb ground venison
- 8-10 large mushrooms, sliced
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp salt
- 3 Tbsp butter
- 3 Tbsp flour
- 2 cups beef stock
- 3 Tbsp soy sauce
- 2 frozen deep-dish pie shells
- 1 beaten egg, for glazing shells
Directions
1. Heat the oil in a Camp Chef cast iron skillet and fry the ground venison, onions, garlic, and mushrooms until meat browns—about 8 to 10 minutes.
2. Place the meat mixture aside in a bowl.
3. Heat the butter in the skillet, over medium heat, and slowly stir in the flour to create a roux. When the roux thickens and comes to a slow simmer, add the beef stock by slowly whisking.
4. Add the meat mixture back to the skillet and mix with the thickening sauce. Add salt and pepper to taste.
5. Allow the mixture to come to a slow simmer for 10 minutes to evaporate extra moisture.
6. Cool the mixture to room temperature to prepare it for the pie shells.
7. Thaw a package of two 12-inch frozen deep-dish pie shells to room temperature. Pour the meat mixture into a pie shell, wet the edges, and add the second shell as a top layer of pastry and press the edges together. Cut slits in the top pastry layer with a knife to release steam during baking. Brush the top pastry with a beaten egg.
8. Place into the oven at 400°F for 30 minutes, allowing the pastry to rise and turn golden brown.
9. Remove and serve hot.
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