Yooper's Coal Miner Pasties

Originally a medieval luxury food for royalty, pasties became the ideal all-in-one transportable meal for the Cornish mining industry during the early 19th century. Wives would bake pastry cases filled with affordable ingredients like potato, rutabaga, swede (turnip), onion, carrot, pork, and skirt steak. Though the baked pastry dough case remains the ideal no mess, dish free, finger food, there are an infinite number of internal ingredient variations that make pasties a delightful alternative to the standard fast-food fare available in today's world.

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% Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Step 1

In a 5-quart Dutch Oven, on medium heat, add bacon grease, ground beef, and pork. Use a meat chopper to crumble meat into a minced consistency, with no lumps, and cook until well done.

Step 2

Add all veggies, butter, spices and condiments and cook until rutabaga is semi-firm (do not over cook).

Step 3

In a small bowl, stir in broth, cornstarch, Vegemite, and brown gravy powder, and mix until creamy with no lumps.

Step 4

Stir in gravy mixture with main Ingredients and cook over low heat until gravy thickens. Remove from heat and set aside.

Step 5

In a large steel or glass mixing bowl, combine flour, salt, and sugar. Blend dry ingredients then cut in butter and lard with a dough cutter until mixture resembles pea-sized crumbs. Gradually add ice water and mix by hand until dough forms a ball. Note: add ice water 1 tablespoon at a time so dough doesn't become wet and sticky.

Step 6

Preheat oven at 425°F and grease a large baking sheet.

Step 7

Divide dough into 5 balls and roll out each ball into 8" circles. Use excess trim to form a 6th pastry. Note: use a spring roll disc to cut out and plate each dough pastry.

Step 8

Place 1 cup of filling in center of pastry dough. With finger, spread some water along outer edge of dough then fold in half to form a half circle. Seal the edge with fingers and use a fork to crimp together and complete the seal. Use fork to create slits on top of pastry, then place on baking sheet. Repeat process for each pastry.

Step 9

Place baking sheet on center rack of oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until pastry is a light golden brown. Remove from oven and serve hot with cranberry sauce, ketchup, or gravy sauce.