Here’s how to make a British hand-raised pie with game. A game pie is a classic hand pie made with a hot water crust and whatever wild game you have handy; I used grouse and pork.

No lie: Making a hand-raised, hot-water crust game pie isn’t super easy. I’ve hesitated to put this recipe on the site for years because of this, but I figured, hell… why not?

Game Pie Molds

Let me start with the elephant in the room, and that’s how do you go about making the shape for a hand-raised pie properly? You have two choices: Use a mold or dolly, or McGyver it.

I use a mold for my game pie. Using a pork pie tin or mold makes the process so much easier, to the point where I rarely made them before I bit the bullet and bought four. I have the Master Class non-stick molds, and I love them.

You can also wrap your dough around a pie dolly, which is another good option and can be cheaper because you wrap dough around the dolly, fill it, then make another pie with the same dolly.

The McGyver method runs something like this:

• Grease a jar the size of your proposed game pie. Pint Mason jars are a good size, although the etching on them is an issue. Smooth glass jars work better.
• Wrap the dough around the greased jar, leaving about 1/2 inch of the jar exposed. Cut parchment paper to fit around the dough and tie with a string to hold the dough in place, then remove the jar.
• Chill this for 30 to 60 minutes before filling.

Once you have your method for forming a hand-raised pie, you’re most of the way home. The rest is easy.

Hot Water Dough

A traditional game pie uses a hot water dough. This is a very sturdy dough that, while not wondrous to eat like, say, empanada dough, is fine to eat. More importantly, it makes a dough that you can tote around for a day or so at room temperature, or at least at English room temperature.

It’s very fatty, and that fat is usually lard. Butter works, too, and if you want to be adventurous, use beef tallow. I’ve not seen a hot water dough made with oil, but I imagine it could work.

Basically you heat water (or milk) and the fat, then pour it into a bowl of flour and salt, mix well, then knead. If you are going to err, err on less moisture, as the dough can get pretty soft easily.

The Filling

Obviously game will be in a game pie. Duh. But beyond that one rule, it’s kind of anything goes. Whatever game floats your boat, your choice of herbs, mushrooms if you want, onions, etc.

Mostly it’s meat and fat, though. I ground some grouse meat with pork fat for part of it, and hand chopped more grouse for the rest. Doing both makes for a more interesting texture when you eat the game pie.

There’s one more critical ingredient to a good game pie: jelly. Not sweet stuff, ew. Rather a really gelatinous stock that sets up at room temperature.

The reason for this is to close any air gaps in the pie — those air gaps can be breeding grounds for bad bacteria. The jellified stock helps a game pie keep longer.

To make this special stock, simply heat up some of your favorite stock, say, venison stock or pheasant stock, and dissolve some gelatin in it. Follow the gelatin box’s instructions for the amount.

Or if you want to go all natural, simmer a pig’s foot, or a whole bunch of chicken feet, in your stock for a couple hours, then strain.

Making a Game Pie

OK, you have your set-up, your dough and your filling all set. Now what?

Basically you set your pies out, fill them, cut out lids from excess dough, then cut a hole in the top. You’ll then want to fashion a little ring of dough around the hole. Why? It will help you fill it with the stock.

Seal up the pies and paint them all over with an egg wash. Set them all on a baking sheet and bake slowly for up to 2 hours, depending on how big they are.

Remove, let them cool just a little, then very carefully pour the hot, gelatin-rich stock in the hole, bit by bit, until it pools up just below the little ring you made. Now let the pies cool to room temperature.

Chill overnight before eating. A game pie is normally eaten cold or at room temperature.

Accompaniments

Anything acidic, like mustard or pickles. You need it because you’ll get the meat sweats with a game pie. It’s sturdy food.

A bitter greens salad is a very good side dish, if you are not out and about when you are eating your pie.

Once made, a game pie will keep two weeks in the fridge. I reckon they can be frozen, but I’ve not tried it.

Other Great Hand Pies

I have a wide selection of other fantastic meat pies you might want to try. Some are bready, others use pie crust, some use other doughs. Keep in mind the filling meat can really be whatever you have lying around.

• Venison pasties. Cornish meat pies filled with ground or diced beef or venison, carrots and rutabagas in a bready crust.
• Venison mincemeat pies. A winter favorite, these are sweet and savory and more than a little addictive.
• Finnish lihapiirakka. Another bready dough. These have rice, meat and lots of onions.
• Fried empanadas. This one’s a pie dough made for frying. You can fill them with anything.
• Mexican masa empanadas. This is a corn masa dough, a little more fragile than a wheat dough, but lighter and crispier.
• German bierocks. Imagine a nice bread roll stuffed with meat, onions and sauerkraut.
• Plantain empanadas. This gluten-free dough mixes masa flour with mashed plantains. Delicious, and it browns nicely.

If you liked this recipe, please leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating and a comment below; I’d love to hear how everything went. If you’re on Instagram, share a picture and tag me at huntgathercook.