Savory Meat Pie with a Hot Water Crust

Ingredients

• Hot Water Crust:
• ¾ cup lard
• 1 cup boiling water
• 5 ⅓ cups all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon salt
• Filling:
• 2 pounds ground pork sausage
• ½ pound ground pork
• ½ pound lean pork tenderloin, sliced into small pieces
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• ½ cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon mixed herbs
• 1 pinch medium curry powder, or to taste
• 1 pound smoked streaky bacon
• 2 tablespoons milk, or as needed

Step 1

Melt the lard in a large microwave-safe bowl—about 30 seconds to a minute should do it. Once melted, carefully stir in the boiling water. In another big bowl, mix the flour and salt together, then make a well in the center and pour in the lard mixture. Use a wooden spoon to stir everything until you get a smooth, slightly sticky dough.

Step 2

Lightly flour your work surface and knead the dough for a couple of minutes. Roll out about three-quarters of it into a circle roughly a third of an inch thick, big enough to line a 10-inch springform pan with the dough pressed up the sides. Roll out the remaining dough into a similar-sized circle to use as the pie top. Pop both pieces in the freezer for about 10 minutes to firm up.

Step 3

While the crust chills, mix together the ground sausage, pork, pork tenderloin, chopped onion, parsley, pepper, thyme, mixed herbs, and curry powder until it forms a nice paste. Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C).

Step 4

Line the inside of the chilled crust with streaky bacon, then press in half of the pork mixture. Add a few more slices of bacon on top, press in the rest of the meat, and finish with the remaining bacon. Brush the edges of the pastry with a little milk, place the top crust over it, and seal the edges by pinching them together. Give the top a milk wash and cut a couple of slits to let steam escape.

Step 5

Bake the pie at 375°F for an hour, then lower the heat to 300°F (150°C) and keep baking until the inside reaches at least 160°F (71°C) on a meat thermometer, which should take about another hour. Let the pie cool completely before you take it out of the pan to help it hold its shape.