Venison Pie with Mushrooms and Bacon
Recipe: https://recipestripper.com/recipes/39968448-7bda-431d-ab7e-6a855b7cb902
Original source: https://www.littlesugarsnaps.com/venison-pie/
Recipe image: https://www.littlesugarsnaps.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/venison-pie-square.jpg

This easy venison pie recipe is richly flavoured with bacon and mushrooms. Wrapped up in crisp and golden shortcrust pastry a slice of this deer pie is hard to resist.
Yield: 6
Prep time: PT40M
Cook time: PT230M
Total time: PT270M

Ingredients
- 350 g Plain flour ((all purpose))
- 175 g Butter (chilled)
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- 120 ml Water (ice-cold)
- 900 g Venison stewing meat
- 250 g Chestnut mushrooms
- 150 g Pearl onions or shallots
- 100 g Smoked bacon (diced)
- 60 g Butter
- 100 ml Red wine
- 500 ml Beef stock
- 2  Garlic cloves (finely minced)
- 2  Bay leafs
- 2 tablespoons Plain flour
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- ¼ teaspoon Black pepper
- Fresh thyme sprigs

Instructions
1. [Make the slow cooked venison pie filling.] Preheat the oven to 150C/ 300F/ GM 2. Divide the 60g of butter into 4.
2. [Make the slow cooked venison pie filling.] Cut the venison into small chunks and toss in the flour.
3. [Make the slow cooked venison pie filling.] Peel the onions and wipe the mushrooms clean. Chop larger vegetables in half.
4. [Make the slow cooked venison pie filling.] Melt 1/4 of the butter in a casserole dish over a high heat and tip in ⅓ of the meat. Brown it all over, then remove with a slotted spoon.
5. [Make the slow cooked venison pie filling.] Repeat the above step twice more, using another 1/4 of the butter and ⅓ of the meat each time until it is all browned.
6. [Make the slow cooked venison pie filling.] Melt the remaining butter in the pan and add in the bacon. Cook, stirring frequently, until browned & crispy. Remove it from the pan.
7. [Make the slow cooked venison pie filling.] Pour the red wine into the pan. It will bubble and reduce, but stir it to deglaze the pan.
8. [Make the slow cooked venison pie filling.] Add the venison, bacon, onion, mushrooms, salt, pepper, minced garlic, bay leaves and thyme along with the stock. Scrape in any leftover flour from the bowl the venison meat was toss in. Stir.
9. [Make the slow cooked venison pie filling.] Bring the contents of the casserole pot up to simmering point then cover and transfer to the oven. Cook for 1½ hours, then stir and cook for a further 1½ hours. Test the venison at this point. It should be nicely tender. If not, cook for an extra 30 minutes.
10. [Make the slow cooked venison pie filling.] When the meat is cooked, remove it from the oven and spoon the pie filling into a large sieve suspended over a bowl to catch the gravy. Set aside to cool completely. (Once cold either use to fill the pie or refrigerate until ready to proceed.
11. [Make the shortcrust pastry] Put the flour and salt into a large mixing bowl and stir briefly.
12. [Make the shortcrust pastry] Cube the butter, add it to the bowl and rub it into the flour using the tips of your fingers until it resembles breadcrumbs.
13. [Make the shortcrust pastry] Add half the water and stir with a blunt knife, until the dough just comes together, adding more water, little by little, as necessary. Aim for a soft, but not sticky dough. Use your hands to gather the dough into a ball.
14. [Make the shortcrust pastry] Tip the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead briefly until smooth. Split it in half and form into two discs. Wrap in clingfilm and chill for 30 minutes.
15. [Assemble and bake the venison pie] Preheat the oven to 180C/ 350F/ GM 4 and slide a flat baking sheet into the oven as it heats up.
16. [Assemble and bake the venison pie] Roll out one disc of pastry on a lightly floured worktop until approximately 2-3mm thick. Use it to line the base of your pie tin.
17. [Assemble and bake the venison pie] Spoon the slow cooked venison into the pie dish and then dribble 1-2 tablespoons of the gravy over the meat.
18. [Assemble and bake the venison pie] Roll out the remaining pastry and use to top the pie, lightly brushing the edge of the pastry base with water before laying the top sheet of pastry onto it. Press the edge of the pastry to seal the pie and trim the excess pastry with a blunt knife. Turn up the sides and crimp.
19. [Assemble and bake the venison pie] Re-roll any off-cuts of pastry and use to decorate the pie (e.g. leaves, lettering etc…). Use a sharp knife to make a small cross in the centre of the pie to allow steam to escape during cooking.
20. [Assemble and bake the venison pie] Brush the top of the pie with beaten egg and bake for around 50 minutes until the pastry is crisp and golden.
21. [Assemble and bake the venison pie] Serve with a drizzle of the reserved gravy (warmed up).