Jamaican Beef Patties

Name: Jamaican Beef Patties
Total time: 1 h 30 min
Yield: 12 patties
Ingredients: 4 cups all-purpose flour; 2 teaspoons salt; 2 teaspoons turmeric; 1 teaspoon curry powder, preferably West Indian; 1 ½ cups cold vegetable shortening or chopped beef suet (about 12 ounces); 2 tablespoons vegetable oil; 5 scallions, finely chopped; 1 medium onion, finely chopped; 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped; 1 Scotch bonnet chili pepper, seeded and finely chopped; ½ teaspoon paprika; ¼ teaspoon ground allspice; 1 pound ground beef, about 80 percent lean; 2 teaspoons thyme leaves; 1 teaspoon salt; 1 teaspoon black pepper; 1 teaspoon sugar; Coco bread, hamburger buns or soft potato buns, for serving (optional)

By Julia Moskin and Kim Severson

Total Time: About 1 hour 30 minutes
Rating: 4(123)
Notes: Read community notes

New Yorkers love their hand-helds. The folded pizza slice, the hot dog and the crusty knish have a built-in mobility that lets hungry New Yorkers eat on the street, and enough density to carry them through to the next meal.

New immigrants have added to the on-the-go family, introducing Colombian arepas, Mexican tacos and Uzbek samsas. But the hand-held with the best shot at making the list of classic New York noshes is the Jamaican beef patty, a rectangle of flaky yellow crust filled with ground beef shot through with onion, thyme and the inimitable heat and perfume of Scotch bonnet chili peppers.

The patties are familiar to New Yorkers who order bland commercial versions sold at numerous pizzerias. But they cannot compare to the fresh, handcrafted patties found at a handful of Jamaican bakeries here. The flakiest crusts are still made with a hefty percentage of beef suet, and the most memorable fillings are unabashedly hot.

The Jamaican patty is served wrapped in coco bread, which is like an oversize, slightly sweet hamburger bun. It is called coco bread not because it contains coconut (it doesn't), but because you split it open like a coconut. Although the combination first appears dauntingly starchy, the soft sweetness of the bread nicely offsets the spicy filling and the crisp crust.

Featured in: Jamaican Passions

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Ingredients

Yield:12 patties

For the Crust

4cups all-purpose flour
2teaspoons salt
2teaspoons turmeric
1teaspoon curry powder, preferably West Indian
1½ cups cold vegetable shortening or chopped beef suet (about 12 ounces)

For the Filling

2tablespoons vegetable oil
5scallions, finely chopped
1medium onion, finely chopped
4cloves garlic, finely chopped
1Scotch bonnet chili pepper, seeded and finely chopped
½ teaspoon paprika
¼ teaspoon ground allspice
1pound ground beef, about 80 percent lean
2teaspoons thyme leaves
1teaspoon salt
1teaspoon black pepper
1teaspoon sugar
Coco bread, hamburger buns or soft potato buns, for serving (optional)

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

Step 1
Mix flour, salt, turmeric and curry powder in a large bowl. Add shortening or suet and use your fingertips to rub it together with flour. When shortening is in small pieces and covered with flour, pour in ½ cup ice water and mix with your hands. Keep adding ice water, a few tablespoons at a time, until mixture forms a dough. It may be slightly sticky. Knead dough for two minutes, form into two disks, wrap in plastic and refrigerate while you make filling.
Step 2
Heat oil in a deep skillet over medium heat and add scallions, onion, garlic and half the chili pepper. Cook, stirring, until softened but not browned. Add paprika and allspice and stir to coat. Add beef and thyme and stir, breaking up any clumps. Add water just to cover meat. Mix in salt, pepper and sugar and bring to a simmer. Taste for seasonings, adding salt, pepper and chili pepper, if necessary; mixture should be quite spicy. Simmer about 30 minutes, until meat is soft and water is reduced to a sauce. Set aside to cool slightly.
Step 3
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Remove one disk of dough from refrigerator and divide it in half. Roll out one half on a lightly floured surface until large enough to cut three circles, each about 6 inches across. (Use the rim of a bowl turned upside down as a guide.) Repeat with remaining dough, setting aside the circles. Use scraps to make additional small patties, if you like.
Step 4
When ready to fill, have ready a fork for crimping and a bowl of water. Place two tablespoons of filling on lower half of one circle. Dip a finger into water and moisten the edge of the dough. Fold the top half over, pulling dough gently over filling and making a thick edge all around. Crimp edge with a fork and transfer to an ungreased baking sheet, preferably nonstick. Repeat with remaining dough and filling. Bake about 25 minutes, until top crust is firm and golden. Serve hot as is or inside buns.

Ratings

4 out of 5

123 user ratings

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Private Notes

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Cooking Notes

Amanda6 years ago

Really good, but definitely needs the coco bread, which I didn't have or want to make. The crust is very fatty and needs bread to offset.
Also, I found these instructions to be a little odd. I just threw the suet and flour mixture into food processor, and it was fine. And when rolling I just split the dough into 12 rounds, and rolled each individually so I didn't have to deal with scraps. Pretty easy.
Will try again with the coco bread.

Rossi3 years ago

My Jamaican friend makes these and brings them to work when he makes them. I figured I could just look up a recipe and it would be fine, but it didn't turn out right. The "crust" did not work out for me. In hindsight I would rather have laminated dough (for crescents) and used that. This crust is nothing like what my friend makes or like the store bought patties. The filling was spot on, but I think I am going to try again next weekend with a different crust recipe.

Bri B2 years ago

I made these last weekend and overall they were a success. The crust was super flakey and the meat was well flavored. BUT..I had to reply in on my instincts more so than the recipe. The meat really needed more spices, like cinnamon, ginger, and all spice. The peppers were too one note. I’ll try these again, just with my take from the beginning.

Joan P3 years ago

Patties require a puff pastry type dough. This dough is not it.

Rossi3 years ago

Broderick3 years ago

Great recipe! My family is Jamaican and I looked at several recipes before going with this one. I added more turmeric and curry powder for color and more allspice to give it more of a Jamaican flavor. Someone mentioned that the filling was bland, you should of course season to taste the filling before making the patties

so much lard4 years ago

I think the weight of lard is incorrect. Seems a little too much compared to the cup measurements.

Jules5 years ago

Crust: I used 2/3 the fat called for, butter not suet, & a TBSP curry powder. Very flaky and tender. The filling: bland so I added 4 medium hot Golden Curry cubes and a lot of water, turning the filling into a spicy sauce/paste that was borderline too salty. Rushed to make the patties anyway to bring to a party and watched people eat 'em up. Next time I'd either put less Golden Curry or add diced potato and peas to round out the filling.

Amanda6 years ago

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