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Melton Mowbray Style Pork Pies | The Hobbit | An Unexpected Party

Bryton Taylor; In Literature
Melton Mowbray pork pies are as British as they come, so learn how to make these very specific traditional pork pies for your next Hobbit Unexpected Party.
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Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 5 hours 45 minutes
Recipe Category Meat Dishes, Pies & Tarts, Savoury Pies & Pastries
Course Main Course
Cuisine British

Ingredients
  

  • 3.2 lb 1.5 kg pork shoulder with bone [if sold boneless buy 2.2lb / 1 kg pork and some pork bones]
  • 1 tsp anchovy essence *
  • salt and pepper

Bone jellied stock

  • 1 pig’s trotter or hock **
  • Bone from pork shoulder
  • 1 brown onion peeled, roughly chopped
  • 1 large carrot roughly chopped
  • 1 celery stalk roughly chopped
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2 sprigs thyme
  • 1/2 cup parsley
  • 1 tsp whole black peppercorns
  • 3 cloves
  • 3 litres cold water

Hot water crust pastry

  • 1 pound / 450g lard
  • 1 pint / 475ml water
  • 3.3 lb / 1.5kg flour
  • 2 tsp salt

Instructions
 

  • Remove bone from pork shoulder and set aside.
  • Chop pork into 1cm cubes, stir in the anchovy essence and season with salt and pepper.
  • Place in an airtight container in the fridge until ready for use.

Bone jellied stock

  • In a large saucepan or dutch oven, place in pork bones and trotter, with the herbs, spices, chopped vegetables and cold water.
  • Cover the pot and simmer on low for 3-4 hours.
  • Strain the stock into a clean pot and simmer down to 500ml. ***

Hot water crust pastry

  • In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the lard, then pour in the water and stir. Bring to a boil then pour into the flour and mix either in a mixer or with a wooden spoon until smooth and stiff.
  • Older recipes recommend placing the dough in an earthen pan covered with a linen cloth near a fire. For those without, place in a warmed dutch oven or warmed glass bowl, cover with a clean warm dishtowel and place in a warm spot in your kitchen.
  • Set aside for approximately half an hour, when the dough is still warm but cool enough to touch. ****

Pulling it all together

  • If you’ve chilled your dough overnight, bring it back to room temperature.
  • If using a beer bottle or jam jar, wash the outside, then grease and dust with flour.
  • Tear off a handful of dough and roll out into a circle so even thickness.
  • Place the bottle at the centre, then use your hands to roll the dough up. *****
  •  Gently remove the bottle. The pastry should stand up on its own.
  • Press in the chopped pork mixture. [Do not fill with jelly yet.]
  • Tear off another piece of pastry and roll to form a pastry lid.
  • Place on top of pork pie and pinch edges together. Press a hole in the top to use later.
  • Repeat until pork pies are formed, then place in the oven on 150C/300F for 1.5 hours.
  • Before removing from the oven, heat up jellied stock to turn back into a liquid. As the pies come out of the oven, use a funnel to pour stock into the pie holes so full.
  • Set aside to cool to room temperature before placing in the fridge.

Notes

* If no anchovy essence, use a crushed anchovy. Cans can be found in the canned fish section of the grocery store.
**Trotters are the feet and the hock is the first joint. Both are high in collagen, which when cooked, turns into gelatine, so either can be used. Depending on your butcher or supermarket, one may be easier to source than the other. If you can’t find either, or it makes you squeamish, store-bought gelatine can be added once your pork broth is cooked. However, this is the traditional way.
***The jellied stock can be poured into a glass measuring cup, set aside to cool, then placed in the fridge for the next day. Alternatively, if you are using oven-friendly cookware, place it in the oven at 140oC overnight (9 hours) with the lid on, but slightly ajar to allow the liquid to reduce. 
**** You can wrap the dough in the tea towel, then wrap in cling wrap and place in the fridge overnight. When ready to use the next day, bring back up to room temperature.
***** If pie crust breaks or crumbles, it’s too cold or too dry. Allow dough to warm first, which can be done by kneading with warm hands. If still crumbling, add a tsp of warm water and knead in. If it’s too soft and not holding form, it’s too warm. Wrap and chill for a few minutes in the fridge before trying again.
Tried this recipe?Many recipes are adapted from historical cookbooks so share your own tips & tweaks below to help others! 📝 Include ingredients or steps you modified and let everyone know how it turned out. Just remember, keep the conversation as warm and welcoming as Mrs. Weasley's kitchen, please. ❤️