Jamaican Beef Patties Recipe (2024)

RE: Suet substitute:You're making a close-to-traditional pastry dough. So, sub any fat that stays (semi)solid at room temperature: butter, lard, coconut oil.Jamaican food is historically frugal: animal fat was saved for cooking & other uses rather than discarded. Britain's Yorkshire Pudding, which accompanies their Roast Beef, has similar origins: it uses fat rendered from roasting. (The recipe's mandating of un-rendered suet is dubious: rendered suet becomes solid on chilling.)

I am so eager to make these, however....At the risk of seeming blasphemous, what could I substitute for the suet and vegetable shortening? Apologies in advance....

RE: Soggy Pastry with ButterIn his book, "Ratio", Mark Ruhlman gives the ratio flour:fat:liquid = 3:2:1. For US butter (80% butterfat), 1 drops to 0.6. However, you add ice water in stages, mixing each time with hands/mixer until the dough JUST holds together: you don't have to use all the water. The crust recipe above calls for 1/2 cup water first, adding the rest in stages if needed. To address Jen's valid concern, I'd probably start with 1/4 cup water if using butter.

It's essentially a flaky pastry, so fat + flour + liquid. However, shortening, suet, lard, and butter, all have different attributes and swapping one out for another will change the end result. Butter, for example, has a fair amount of water in it while suet and shortening wouldn't. You could probably use all butter but you'll likely have different results, and the pastry might not be quite as sturdy and could get soggy and/or leak a bit.

I'm from Jamaica and annatto is what is traditionally used to color the crust (can be found on Amazon). When we still lived in Jamaica, my mother (an excellent Jamaican cook) made patties exactly one time in my childhood that I can recall. It really wasn't something any Jamaican cooked at home. It was a treat when you went to the market with your parents. No matter how well you follow a recipe you will never get close to a store bought one, unless you are the store owner.

I always pay attention when Prakash Nadkarni comments as I always learn something. The name is not common but also not singular, I have looked. While a CV would be great, if possible I would love to know a little more about this knowledgeable reader and commentator. Thank you Prakash Nadkarni.

I've tried a lot of recipes for Jamaican beef patties looking for the perfect recipe that tastes just like what I used to get in the vibrant Caribbean community around Toronto. This wasn't it. Maybe it was cook's error, maybe the offerings of the Jamaican ex-pats in Toronto was different from everyone else. Either way, this recipe was not tasty. Crust was more crumbly than flaky. The filling required more spice/seasoning than the recipe calls for but flavor was bland (heat aside).

My baking life has changed since I acquired a baking mat, a silicone mat, to roll dough and bread on. Miraculous! NOTHING sticks to it. It has measurements and equivalents on it, and washes easily. It made me realize how I hesitated to get out my breadboard or the mat I had that refused to lie flat. This changed my attitude toward pastry--I highly recommend it.

Most of our favorite Jamaican pattie outlets here in Los Angeles include curry (?) in the crust. I've eaten patties as crisp as a Pop Tart or almost chewy. I've always wanted to make them and think I'd probably use my favorite crust recipe. But with so many different options to choose from, for instant gratification I'll continue to grab-and-go with a Ting.

So you don't have to get out the tablespoon for the dough too and also because you can slip a teaspoon into a spice jar more easily!

You can make delicious traditional ital patties (as in natural and vegetarian) with callaloo and ackee or pumpkin or a combo of those ingredients and not need lard. It is disappointing that no recipes for the wonderful vegan food I ate and prepared when I lived in Yard (Jamaica) for 2 years in not represented in this cooking app. I do really appreciate that there is a variety of other countries’ vegetarian offerings!

These came out well, but I’d make some changes next time. I bake pies and the like often, but found the dough somewhat difficult to work with. It was a bit too crumbly and difficult to reroll the scraps. Also, the turmeric really does stain everything. Cutting boards, rolling pins, hands, knives. Next time I’d use paprika or annato for color and add turmeric to the filling for the flavor. These froze well unbaked. I baked from frozen at 400 for about 30 min.

Made these tonight with a few tweaks and they were incredible! Subbed unsalted butter for shortening, and we also doubled the meat mixture and found it was just right. Rolling out the dough was going consuming... This is definitely not a weeknight meal. But we'll for sure make them again!

I found the mixture needed a lot more seasoning all around except for the ghost pepper. The baked dough is faultless and holds the mixture well even with the use of coconut oil ... flaky and good. More turmeric to reach the desired color.

Instead of suet I just used some thick fat from beef rib bones and minced it. The patty dough requires a lot of working, but it's fabulous with the beef fat + vegetable shortening - super flakey.

You're making a close-to-traditional pastry dough. So, sub any fat that stays (semi)solid at room temperature: butter, lard, coconut oil. In his book, "Ratio", Mark Ruhlman gives the ratio flour:fat:liquid = 3:2:1. For US butter (80% butterfat), 1 drops to 0.6. However, you add ice water in stages, mixing each time with hands/mixer until the dough JUST holds together: you don't have to use all the water. 'd probably start with 1/4 cup water if using butter.

Having made these once before off a spruce eats recipe that’s not all to dissimilar to this one these are going to need a lot more seasoning. Ketchup, Worcestershire, and a bit of curry powder and loads more salt did it for my batch.

These came out perfectly! I made both the pastry dough and filling a day ahead. Was unable to find any suet, but finely chopped up beef fat from the butcher did the trick. The crust was perfectly flaky, though I found that I needed to add a little water for the rolling out and folding. Couldn't find scotch bonnets either, habaneros worked well but next time I'll add 1-2 more to get closer to the spicy Jamaican beef patties of my youth.

Why does this call for 3 teaspoons of turmeric instead of 1 tablespoon?

The first time I had a patty was in 1982 on the beach in Montgomery bay.my 2 year old kept asking me to “take the hot out”. There was nothing else to eat on the beach. By the 4th day he munched on them happily. But we have also had Pattys in jamaica with Callaloo, a big leafed spinach like vegetable. And one time we watched the cook make the beef ones with thyme, nutmeg, and grated dry bread ( bread crumbs).

There are versions. In the 60s in my Jamaica College Tuck Shop, the beef would be cooked with annatto rather than tumeric. That's the flavor I associate with patties - the red leaked into the pastry. A chef in Philadelphia, Tevon Tryrell, is doing amazing patties for pop-up this Spring.

These are very similar in appearance and ingredients to a Cornish Pasty. Perhaps that similarity was deemed too obvious to mention, but I suspect many Americans don't know that the pasty is a likely progenitor of the patty. This doesn't detract from the fact that patties are distinct and uniquely Jamaican.

Instead of turmeric I usually add curry. It is really tasty and closer to a Caribbean Patty

Brown's Bakery in Washington, DC. Closed in early 2000's. To my taste the best pattie on earth. Beef, chicken and veggie -- spicy or mild. Coco bread -- yes!! This one is OK but not quite "enough". There should be a rule -- going out of business -- publish the recipe!! Or at least sell it in a cookbook. Suet -- I've used rendered beef fat, leaf lard and ghee. If there is a butcher shop near you they can get suet for you.

I always pay attention when Prakash Nadkarni comments as I always learn something. The name is not common but also not singular, I have looked. While a CV would be great, if possible I would love to know a little more about this knowledgeable reader and commentator. Thank you Prakash Nadkarni.