Old school Meat Pie recipe wanted.

SGH

A few years back I worked in a small town called Prarie States, Illinois. Just down the road in Lively Grove there was a real old school market called Wallers Meat Market. The place was a refreshing step back into time. The old man raised and slaughtered all the beef that was sold in his market. Whatever you wanted was cut from a primal or subprimal retrieved from an ancient walk in cooler. Hamburger meat was ground on the spot while you watched. 
With the history aside, he also sold a limited selection of food cooked there in the old market. One of his specialities was meat pies. Fellows when I say that they were far and away the best that I have ever eaten, I exaggerate none. They were simply incredible. To the eye the looked like large chicken pot pies. However there was no chicken in them. Beef, pork and some sort of sauce that he made. I have tried replicating the pies myself with no luck so far. With that said, does anyone have a killer meat pie recipe that they are willing to share? Thanks in advance.  
Oh, and if you ever find yourself near Lively Grove, pull into Wallers and try the meat pies for yourself. You will not be disappointed I assure you. 

SciAggie

Nothing to share, but I'm anxious to see what folks have to say on this topic. 

SGH

SciAggie said:

but I'm anxious to see what folks have to say on this topic. 

Me too my friend. I sure hope that someone pulls an Ace out of the deck.  

Ozzie_Isaac

Sounds  better than Arrya's meat pie from Game of Thrones.

SGH

Ozzie_Isaac said:

Sounds  better than Arrya's meat pie from Game of Thrones.

I knew the title would open the door for many jokes. However "meat pie" is their name unfortunately. 

Biggreenpharmacist

Anything like the nachitoches meat pies in louisiana?  I feel dumb even asking. 

RRP

Scottie...I've been a resident of this state of IL for 50 years now and have never heard of the towns you mentioned.  You sure it was IL? 

20stone

Scottie, I may have an Ace for you.  With the caveat that I have not made her meat pies, this cookbook is written by the woman who started Hoosier Mama's pie shop in Chicago:
https://www.amazon.com/Hoosier-Mama-Book-Pie-Techniques/dp/1572841435

The recipe that looks closest to what you are looking for is Extra-Stout Beef Pie.  I am posting images of the recipe, but strongly recommend this book for pie people (meat and otherwise) and also very strongly recommend Hoosier Mama's to those visiting the City of Broad Shoulders.

SGH

RRP said:

Scottie...I've been a resident of this state of IL for 50 years now and have never heard of the towns you mentioned.  You sure it was IL? 

Google them my friend. I'm 100% sure. I worked and stayed there for almost 5 years. 
Click on and enlarge the pic and read the sign. This is the very power plant that we built.  
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lively_Grove_Township,_Washington_County,_Illinois

SGH

@20stone
Thank you brother. That just may be the Ace that I'm looking for. Much appreciated my friend.  

SGH

@RRP

Focker

Were they on the sweeter side?

Mincemeat pie was my grandpa's most very favorite.  They often used fruits with the meat.
 
Not at all what you would think, and not at all like the savory Shepherd-ish pot pie recipe above.

nolaegghead

Someone say "meat pie"?

Scottie, you should check out "The Pie Man" in Gretna next time you're in town.

BBQBuddy

Have you tried calling them and asking for the recipe?

Darby_Crenshaw

Around here we have a large french-canadian population. Those are the meat pies (tourtierres) that i am more familiar with. Not sure if your meat pies are that type, but if so, @fishlessman has been perfecting a recipe over the past few years. His recipe is virtually identical to the one my wife makes which is based on her mom's recipe

maybe fish will chime in 

jrb06

SGH are you looking for a hot meat pie similar to a chicken pot pie or a cold meat pie like apple, cherry or such? If the later I have a mincemeat pie recipe from my grandmother that I can share.  

fishlessman

@SGH

do they look similar to these. these are english meat pies, the sauce is more like a grease. they use alot of fat with the ground pork(ground butt), basically salt and pepper for the spice and you can simmer an italian sausage in low sodium chicken broth and use a turkey baster to add more into that hole towards the end of the cook(thats my improvement on a pie i buy three times a week).they used to add a grease broth years ago but all the folks could not get past the bite a hole, drink the grease, eat the pie so they stopped doing that unfortunately. the place near me makes thousands a day and people that moved away order several rtic coolers worth when back in the area



these are some of mine, beef/veal. lamb, sometimes raw sausage, just wining it with the added sauce, pretty good but ive never nailed the crust where you can eat it like a hostess dingdong

KKorkmaz

I hear this guys got a great recipe...

fishlessman

more pies

tortiere



fiddlehead



chili



salmon with tomato dill sauce



i dont remember



lamb sfeeha hot or cold



i cant find my gumbo pie pics

fishlessman

and this is the xmas tourtiere pie, a mix of my nanas and darbys wifes family recipe, pretty darn good with a ketchup frosting go really light on the allspice and cloves with this recipe if its not a spice you dont eat regularly

Phatchris

fishlessman said:

and this is the xmas tourtiere pie, a mix of my nanas and darbys wifes family recipe, pretty darn good with a ketchup frosting go really light on the allspice and cloves with this recipe if its not a spice you dont eat regularly

Looks very similar to a recipe my mom uses for the Holiday's.. A French Canadian recipe I believe.

Darby_Crenshaw

fishlessman said:

and this is the xmas tourtiere pie, a mix of my nanas and darbys wifes family recipe

tradition requires too that no matter how good or how close it is to what you remember, you still say "not bad.  but not as good as mom's"

of course, every generation says that....

caliking

This may be my new favorite thread. 

fishlessman

Darby_Crenshaw said:

fishlessman said:

and this is the xmas tourtiere pie, a mix of my nanas and darbys wifes family recipe

tradition requires too that no matter how good or how close it is to what you remember, you still say "not bad.  but not as good as mom's"

of course, every generation says that....

actually my great grandmothers pies were killer, grandmas pies were good, ma"s best dish was tv dinners my great gandmother had a marble slab chilling on the ice box for pie crust making, its all about the crust, i even have her dough box, i dont think anyone even knows what that is anymore

Biggreenpharmacist

caliking said:

This may be my new favorite thread. 

could make for a new reality show "Scotties meatpie quest"

but might have to put it on cinemax after 11pm. 

shtgunal3

@fishlessman do you have a recipe for the chili pie?

nolabrew

This is pretty old school:   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTc2iGQUdQw

fishlessman

shtgunal3 said:

@fishlessman do you have a recipe for the chili pie?

.thicken your favorite chili with mesa harina,chill, put in pie crust and bake. have no clue what that particular chili was, could be cin chili that mickey sent me years ago. my chili is different everytime depending on what peppers i can find and its hot enough now that most cant eat it
this was my last chili   it would be hard for most to eat a whole slice pie with this

http://eggheadforum.com/discussion/1191807/mainiac-bowl-of-red/p1

jlsm

@20stone: OMG. That sounds fantastic! I'm a big fan of empanadas and Cornish pasties. I'll try this when the weather turns cold. 

Darby_Crenshaw

jlsm said:

@20stone: OMG. That sounds fantastic! I'm a big fan of empanadas and Cornish pasties. I'll try this when the weather turns cold. 

one of the really cool things about charcuterie, and this is a form of charcuterie, is that damn near every culture has a meat pie and a meat loaf

what a lot of people turn their nose up at, pate', is essentially a meat loaf. 

pate' en croute is a meat pie, or cornish pastie.... 

it's amazing (to me) what regional tastes or local ingredients can do to change the basic 'thing' (meat mixed with fat and some herbs or spices) from one thing to another.

SGH

BBQBuddy said:

Have you tried calling them and asking for the recipe?

I actually have a friend (became friends when I was up there working) who lives right down the road from Wallers. He is good friends with the old man. He tried getting the recipe for me but to no avail.