Pasties for dinner

Jeepster47

Pasties were imported to the UP of Michigan with the miners from Europe.  The mines have long since closed down, but pasties are still a local specialty.  Since I married one of the locals, pasties have been in our family for quite some time.  We decided to give them a try on the egg tonight.

The ingredients, and even how to cut them, are a source of disagreement among the locals ... much like our lump discussions on the forum.  These "traditional" pasties were assembled with a course ground mix of beef and pork; sliced carrots, potatoes and turnips (rutabaga is normal, but wasn't available); and diced onions.  Salted and peppered to taste with a dab of butter added. The ingredients were wrapped in a "secret family" pastie crust.



Egg was set up with Rockwood, a PSWoo, plate setter, and grill.  The pasties were placed on a CGS stainless steel drip pan ... looks like it'll now become a baking pan.  Temp was dialed in at 400 degrees and the pasties were baked for 52 minutes.




And the final view ... with the obligatory silverware.
 


Both of us were pleasantly surprised with how the eqq baked pasties tasted.  The moisture in the egg contributed greatly towards preventing the crust from drying out ... hard to explain, but easy to eat.  Although we did it as a novelty, we'll be baking pasties on the egg again.

Mattman3969

Sounds like an interesting flavor blend & I think I would like it. Nice cook

Little Steven

Cornwall is the home of pasties. They rock! Miners would take them down pit for lunch.

DMW

Looks great! And how did you arrive at the 52 minute timer setting?  8-}

RRP

That's cool, Tom! I only know that term from an earlier life...but those look tasty! I assume the miner's wives cooked them and the miners ate them cold the next day. Right?

Jeepster47

@DMW ... pasties are cooked until the potatoes are soft - via a fork test through the slits in the crust.  Taters passed the fork test at 52 minutes.  :P

rosem

Where is your wife from? I'm from Sault Ste Marie, MI.

Jeepster47

@rosem ... Hancock, MI ... further north than you are ... I was once told that half the Canadians live south of there.

theyolksonyou

That's not what I call a pastie >:)

caliking

Yeah, pasties mean something entirely different down here.

henapple

Looks like an empanada. ..regardless, looks awesome.

Jeepster47

@henapple ... did not know that ... thanks for the connection.

It's also amazing how every culture seems to have their own "egg roll" like food ... egg roll, chimichanga, lumpia, etc...

Tjcoley

Pasties were, and still are, very popular in NE PA coal region. A hearty meal you could easily carry into the mines.

bcsnave

Pasties are phenomenal. We go up to St Ignance and just to the west of I75 is the best Pasties in the UP....we go snowmobiling around Bond Falls and Copper Harbor..the bars have Pasties all the time

marysvilleegger

I grew up just south of the bridge (yeah I'm a troll not a goat) Cheboygan. Used to eat these with the pasty in one hand and a packet of McDonald's ketchup in the other. Ahhhh memories!

gdenby

Me and the family were lucky enough to make the trip up to Pictured Rocks. Pasties were wonderful. One place somewhere on S.R. 28 (I think) had the best. It was a converted house, one of just 4 - 5 buildings along the road. The pasties were just about perfect. Pure comfort food.

I've since tried making them a few times on the Egg. Not nearly as good, but still really satisfying. Rutabaga adds a nice bit of peppery flavor.

saluki2007

Looks good!

Ozzie_Isaac

Hey where are mine? I believe I was the one who asked Mrs. Jeepster for some.

Jeepster47

RRP said:

That's cool, Tom! I only know that term from an earlier life...but those look tasty! I assume the miner's wives cooked them and the miners ate them cold the next day. Right?

@RRP ... when fully cooked, the pastie was said to stay warm in the miners lunch box for six to eight hours.  Can't say if that is true or not since we either eat them or freeze them when they come out of the oven.

The best pastie I've ever eaten?  The pasties my wife cooks ... plain and simple hands down.  Her mother cooked the first one I ever ate ... and my wife has slightly modified her recipe to improve it.  But, I'll still eat store bought ones.  Right after Christmas we brought home a cooler full from a bakery overlooking Portage Lake in the Copper Country ... sadly they're gone already.

Jeepster47

Ozzie_Isaac said:

Hey where are mine? I believe I was the one who asked Mrs. Jeepster for some.

Son, you really need to learn how to cook.

bettysnephew

I've been to the UP several times and was always surprised to see a pastie shop pretty much out in the middle of nowhere. Kind of like bars in Wisconsin. If two county roads cross, build a bar there. LOL Not necessarily a bad idea.

stonedog03

I love pasties!  My grandmother used to make them and the bakery on the main street of town had them (tasty breakfast pasties with sausage and potatoes!).  It's not a common food item out her in Kalifornia unfortunately and the bakery has long since gone away. 

bluebird66

caliking said:

Yeah, pasties mean something entirely different down here.

Yep, same here!

TMay

I grew up in northern Minnesota, and we ate a lot of pasties.  I used to get them shipped down here, but haven't had any in a few years, I liked mine with ketchup on it. 

jaydub58

Wow!

Double yum!

bcsnave

I like mine with brown gravy...and my wife makes great Pasties

erniemcclain

Last summer, my lovely wife and I found a little restaurant on the east side of Allegan owned by some former Youpers. Pasties were excellent. Now, if you were going to try some chicken, would you start with raw chicken?

Jeepster47

@erniemcclain ... have no experience with other than the traditional beef/pork mixture. 

The cooking time should be close for chicken as compared to the traditional meat.  The white meat from the chicken will be dryer than beef/pork, so you might have to experiment with adding butter. Try one and report back ... would love to hear your results.

rtbarry

Great idea! Love pasties. Have to try this.