Reviewed: Jan. 14, 2008

My boyfriend and I LOVED this! We used Guinness and it turned out great. The first time, I followed the recipe but also added a few things such as basil and garlic and herb seasoning and some extra onion, not because it needs it, but because we really like onions. The second time, I took a roast and put it in the crockpot with the onions, Guinness and seasonings and let it cook all day. I used the juices to cook the mushrooms in and then combined everything. I made a package of beef gravy to top it with on our plates.Thanks so much for this great recipe! I think it will be a new staple in my house.

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Reviewer:

Carrie

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Houston, Texas, USA

Living In: Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA

Reviewed: Apr. 11, 2009

We only made the filling for this. We used leftover roast that had been cooked in a slow cooker with beef consume and canned onion soup. We onitted the potatoes but added the rest of the ingredients. Instead of a pastry crust e just the potatoes called for in the recipe to make mashed potatoes. We topped the meat mixture with the mashed potatoes prior to baking. Turned out wonderful. Very flavorful meat mixture indeed. So, we didn't follow the whole recipe so I can't say how that would have been. I just know that meat part was great. Thanks for the recipe. Will use this in the future to do the same thing. Oh, and for the beer we used a vey dark one from a local micro brewery.

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Reviewer:

MATTSBELLY

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Reviewed: Mar. 15, 2008

Fantastic recipe!! I browned my diced stew meat first to add that "brown" flavor to the dish, then deglazed the pan w/onions and 2 T minced garlic. Readded the meat and a bottle of Killian's Irish Red. I did not have a problem with too little liquid, perhaps because I kept the dish covered as it simmered. Only other additions were a spoon full of beef base (no additional liquid) and a dash of liquid smoke. Great and flavorful, even my grandson loved it.

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Reviewer:

E J

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Jacksonville, Illinois, USA

Living In: Marion, Illinois, USA

Reviewed: Jan. 11, 2008

I've made a pie just like this except using red wine instead of ale, for years! My family and friends love it. Being British, I used to use lamb's kidneys instead of mushrooms, but they have not been available for ages, so I began using the mushrooms and the pie has been a hit with everyone! I also use the rolled prepared pie crusts in a box as they bake to a very light, flakey crust that many people can't achieve from scratch. Other than that, the ingredients in my pie are the same and it's one of the best ever!!

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Reviewer:

Roni Mendez

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Mitchell, South Dakota, USA

Living In: Lake Jackson, Texas, USA

Reviewed: Jan. 15, 2008

My Family just loved it! I added 2 tablespoons of Tomato sauce,a beef bouillon cube and 2 cups of water. Other than those slight changes I followed the recipe exactly! Thanks it will be enjoyed by my family for a long time to come!

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Reviewer:

Dorothy F

Cooking Level: Expert

Living In: Yorktown Heights, New York, USA

Reviewed: Jan. 16, 2008

My husband and I really liked this recipe, although at the end, I added a package of brown gravy mix and enough water to make it saucy enough. Also used a 10" pie plate and only put a crust on top. Next time, I will use only 1# of beef and more mushrooms and omit the thyme. We thought the flavor was great!

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Reviewer:

georgygirl

Reviewed: Jan. 18, 2008

Definitely the best beef pie filling I've ever made. I followed the recipe closely, with minor changes: I used fresh thyme, fried the onions and simmered the beef gently for an hour (with lid on). I added 2 small carrots, sliced, with the potatoes. Because we're trying to lose some weight we gained over Christmas, I used a mashed potato topping in stead of the pastry (and reduced the amount of potato in the filling). The whole family gave it 5 stars!

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Reviewer:

ANNALIE

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Living In: Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Reviewed: Jan. 26, 2008

My husband and I loved this recipe. I added tomato paste, and some carrots to the stew.

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Reviewer:

Michelle

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Summerland, British Columbia, Canada

Living In: Taegu, Taegu-Gwangyoksi, South Korea

Reviewed: Oct. 8, 2008

Thank you Master Chef L!! This was fabulous! It was my first time tasting steak&ale pie so it really did leave an impression. (I'm from Thailand, they don't make it here) Also, thanks to everyone who commented because they were very helpful. I made 2 pies so I kept one pot covered and the other not. The covered pot had more flavor than the uncovered. I also used Guinness for ale and marinated the meats in Soy Sauce (it's a Thai thing) before browning it and it was pretty good. Everyone at my office is raving about it and that's saying a lot because it's very difficult to please Thai people with Western food. My British friend said it was amazing. Again, thank you Mrs. L! You're the best!

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Reviewer:

Bunny

Home Town: Bangkok, Bangkok (Krung Thep Maha Nakhon), Thailand

Reviewed: Mar. 2, 2009

A great recipe base that needed very little modification at all. I carmelised the onions first, to give it a bit of extra sweetness. I recommend Guinness as the beer - it keeps the gravy dark and hearty. I also threw in a dash of scotch at the beginning to give it a little extra spice. Tomato is also a good addition, if you like the flavour that it provides.

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