Jamaican Patty Crust
Globally there are many kinds of meat pies, but few are made with a similar crust to that of Jamaican patties. Jamaican patty crust is unique in color and flakiness because of the way it is folded and the type of fat used to make it. Unlike other crusts that may use butter and shortening, Jamaican beef patty crust is made with beef suet. Beef suet is the fat that is found around the organs of a cow. You can source this fat very cheaply from a local butcher if you call ahead. You can use this crust to make any version of Jamaican patties you like – beef, chicken, veggie, lobster, etc. The ingredients and quick steps are below.
Ingredients
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ tsps salt
- 1/8th tsp baking powder
- 2 tsps turmeric powder
- 2 tbsps white sugar
- 1 egg
- 3 tsps Badilla yellow coloring powder
- 1 tbsp vinegar
- 1 cup ice water
- 1 ½ cups frozen beef suet (cut into pea sized pieces)
Instructions
- Prep beef suet ahead of time by cutting it into pea sized pieces. Place suet in a freezer bag and store in the freezer until ready for use.
- In a large mixing bowl add flour, salt, baking powder, sugar and turmeric. Whisk ingredients together to fully combine. Set flour mixture aside.
- In a small mixing bowl, add ice water, egg, yellow coloring powder and vinegar. Break the egg yolk with a fork or whisk and whisk the ingredients until the powder fully dissolves.
- Remove beef suet from the freezer and add to the flour. Use both hands to toss the suet in the flour. Make a well in the center and add all of the liquid mixture. Use a heavy spoon to bring the dough together into a shaggy dough.
- Dump the dough onto a cutting board or clean surface and use both hands to bring the dough together. If the dough feels dry, sprinkle it with a bit of cold water and continue to squeeze it together into a ball. The dough should be moist and not too sticky and does not require kneading. Wrap the dough in cling film and store in the refrigerator. The dough can be made and frozen ahead of time and used as needed.
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[…] coloring, water and fat. The fat used in Jamaican patty crust is called beef suet. There is a simple Jamaican patty crust […]