Banneton Bakery ★ 4.5
Banneton Bakery now in South Brisbane (after Woolloongabba) is a Brisbane French baking benchmark. Country sourdough, baguettes, kouign-amann and croissants.
Worth the queue: Country sourdough loaf
History
The Australian meat pie evolved from English butcher pies brought by 19th-century settlers. By the 1900s the format had settled to a portable pie with minced beef in dark gravy, baked in shortcrust below and puff above. In Brisbane, the meat pie became inseparable from Queensland Rugby League home games at Lang Park (Suncorp Stadium), where vendor pies are still sold by the thousand on match nights. Brisbane bakeries lean towards classic mince variants; modern shops add specialty fillings (beef-and-Guinness, curry, steak-and-mushroom).
Common allergens: Gluten, Egg, Dairy
Make it at home
Ingredients
- 500g beef mince
- 1 brown onion, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tbsp plain flour
- 1 tbsp tomato paste, 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 350ml beef stock
- 1 tsp Vegemite (optional, for depth)
- 2 sheets ready-made shortcrust pastry, thawed
- 2 sheets ready-made puff pastry, thawed
- 1 egg, beaten with 1 tbsp milk
Method
- Brown the beef mince in 1 tbsp oil over medium-high heat, breaking up lumps, 5 minutes. Remove and set aside.
- Add onion and garlic to same pan; cook 5 minutes. Return beef, sprinkle flour over, stir to coat.
- Add tomato paste, Worcestershire, stock and Vegemite. Simmer uncovered 25 minutes until thick gravy forms. Season; cool completely.
- Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius. Grease 6 individual pie tins.
- Cut shortcrust pastry to line tins; cut puff pastry for lids. Fill bases with cooled mixture, top with puff, crimp edges, brush with egg wash.
- Bake 25 minutes until puff is deeply golden. Cool 5 minutes in tins; serve with tomato sauce.
Tip from the editors. The Australian meat pie is judged by its gravy thickness and pastry crispness. A spoon test (the spoon should stand in cooled gravy) is the home cook's gauge.
This is the TableJourney editorial recipe, modelled on the canonical bistro / counter version. The first place to try the dish in its city of origin is below.
Where to eat aussie meat pie
Aussie Meat Pie in Brisbane
Felons Brewing Co. ★ 4.3
Felons Brewing Co. at Howard Smith Wharves runs to midnight by the river. Crisp Lager, wood-fired pizzas, burgers and outdoor tables under the Story Bridge.
More cities are in research. Want aussie meat pie covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.