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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.
Image Credit:
Warren Price Photography/Shutterstock
Written By: The Old Farmer’s Almanac Editors The Almanac Editors and Staff
Yield
Makes 10 to 12 double-crust 9-inch pies.
Category
Meat
Pies and Pastries
Course
Desserts
Other
Preparation Method
Bake
Simmer
Sources
More Great New England Recipes

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 Old Farmer’s Almanac Editors

The Old Farmer’s Almanac Editors

The Almanac Editors and Staff

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

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Comments

<span>Cathy Briles</span> Thu, 10/29/2020 - 20:25
I loved my grandma's mincemeat pie. I remember hers had apples, cherries and pineapple along with the meat. I need to take this recipe and add what I remember and get to making some pies!
<span>Adele</span> Mon, 12/10/2018 - 19:49
The recipe looks delicious! What is the weight equivalent for the boxes of raisins and currants?
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Wed, 12/12/2018 - 07:39

Those boxes would be of the 8 ounces variety, Adele.

 <span>Loretta Liefveld</span> Mon, 12/10/2018 - 11:24
MMMMM.... yum! My mom always made mincemeat pie for the holidays. I didn't like it as a kid, but I sure miss it now! So different than the meatless mince'meat' pies. Her recipe was handed down from my great grandma, and also made about a dozen pies. She would freeze the extra in quart size portions. One of the most important ingredients is the suet. Make sure you get real suet, which is a special, hard fat around the kidneys. It won't come out the same with 'regular' fat. You may have to order it special.