Quantcast
Recipe for Authentic Old-Fashioned Mince Pie | Almanac.com

Authentic Old-Fashioned Mince Pie

Bite cut from flaky crust of old-fashioned mincemeat pie on fork in country setting on blue gingham place mat.
Photo Credit
Warren Price Photography/Shutterstock
Yield
Makes 10 to 12 double-crust 9-inch pies.
Course
Preparation Method
Print Friendly and PDF

Have you ever had a real homemade mince pie? We mean the authentic mincemeat pie made with meat (beef, lamb, or wild game) and suet simmering in spices, nuts, and fruit.

During wartime, meat was rationed and started being left out of the holiday recipe. Mince pies became sticky, sweet affairs. These sweet pies can still be delicious if made correctly, but they don’t have the deep, complex savory/sweet flavors of the original mincemeat pie.

If you don’t like mince pie, you actually haven’t had the authentic thing! Give this a try!

The recipe for this tasty mincemeat mixture makes enough filling for close to a dozen pies (or many more small pies), but you can make one or more as you want and refrigerate the unused filling until needed. 

Ingredients
4 pounds ground beef, gently precooked
8 pounds apples, washed, cored, quartered, and run through coarse grinder blade
3 cups seedless raisins
1 1/2 cups currants
1 pint brown cider vinegar
1 quart orange juice
2 pounds ground suet
2 cups molasses
2 cups sugar
3 tablespoons ground cinnamon, or more to taste
2 tablespoons ground nutmeg, or more to taste
1 tablespoon ground cloves, or more to taste
1 cup brandy (optional)
Pastry for 9-inch double-crust pies
Instructions
  1. Simmer all ingredients, except pastry, very slowly until cooked (about 2 hours), stirring frequently to prevent sticking. 
  2. Line the pie plate with crust. Add filling (between 2 and 2-1/2 cups per pie). Cover with top crust.
  3.  Bake at 450 degrees F for 15 minutes, then at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes.
About The Author

The Almanac Chefs

We love introducing fun new recipes as well as time-tested recipes, straight from the archives!

No content available.