A long time ago, I found myself microwaving and eating some frozen, pre-packaged “Aussie Meat Pies”. For those who don’t know, the outside of an Aussie meat pie resembles a “Hostess Fruit Pie” minus the sugar coating. The inside reminded me of thick beef stew.
Fast forward to today.
I did a search on the Aussie Meat Pie, and found a report from 1999 which stated that Aussie Meat Pies would be retaining a minimum requirement(?) of 25% meat.
Is this similiar to the USDA rating of, say, 75% lean meat?
Does this mean 25% of the entire product would be meat?
What kind of meat, as opposed to beef, meets the meat requirement? Is it similiar to US meat hotdogs, as opposed to US beef hotdogs?
Related Question: Do USDA standards apply only to domestic made products?
There is so much “perfection” here on Straight Dope that I just don’t know where to post my posts!!
Anyway, the meat pies that were sold by Sweeny Todd were devious pies because they were made with human meat by the victims of the demon barber of Fleet Street. Many patrons visited the infamous store that sold the pastries, and meat pies. They say they were scrumpdilyishous.
This information seems rather hard to come by. I recall seeing an article on pie manufacture recently, but it’ll have to wait until I’m at work and have access to the appropriate (cough) scholarly resources. I typed in http://www.fourntwenty.com.au/fourntwenty_index.htm (since Four 'n Twenty is the iconic Australian pie) but the site has no content. I found several references to the 25% meat requirement, but no authoritative source. Official food standards don’t obviously say “lean” meat. I’m ignoring this page’s claim
because I had one yesterday.
You certainly shouldn’t be microwaving a pie, upperdeckfan. It’d be all soggy. Ideally you want to have one warmed in the specially designed pie-warmers in the Bullring bar at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. They are a delicacy, quite heavily spiced and touched with a thick gravy, lovingly sealed in a pastry envelope. No spikes, but you may find some gristle. Traditionally one injects the pie with a pointed dispenser to add a little tomato sauce to the inside of the pie.
Warning: under no circumstances should you try a “pie floater”. This really is a pie in a dish of pea soup.
I disagree. The ultimate meat pie can be found if one travels down the south coast of NSW to a small coastal town that goes by the name of Huskisson. there one may enter the establishment known as “The Huskisson Pie Shop” and taste the most beautiful meat pie ever (imagine cubes of steak approx 1/2 inch to a side, floating in perfect gravy. ohhhhh baby )
we used to drive for 20 minutes each way just for the pies.
Thanks for the information and, Hawthorne, thanks for the search.
Here in the states, I usually stick with pierogies for my meatpie cravings. But who could pass up a pre-packaged microwaveable Aussie meat pie snack? Sadly, this is the extent of my quest for the exotic.
:munching on grilled cheese and vanilla ice cream:
Mate, you haven’t tried a real Aussie meat pie until you’ve gone to Harry’s Cafe de Wheels in Wooloomooloo in Sydney. Then we can talk about Aussie meat pies.
As I understand it, the rest of that 75% can be what is known as ‘nitrogen by-product’. AKA blood.
I worked in a bakery when I was 15. Now I don’t eat pies or sausage rolls.
I worked for McCormick Foods who make the toppings and seasonings for McDonalds, KFC and Pizza Hut. Now I don’t eat fast food.
At this rate, I can’t afford to work for anymore food companies or I’ll starve!:Df
Oh dear. You’ve got the Aussies arguing about meat pies. At least you didn’t start an “Australian Rules Football versus Rugby League” thread.
Ell’s mention of the wonderful Woolloomooloo institution Harry’s Cafe de Wheels won’t get any argument from me, but I’ll also have to add the famous “Railway Pies” which you may or may not still be able to get at Sydney’s Central Station, and also “Lithgow Pies” available everywhere in that town.
The meat pie is second only to Vegemite as an Aussie food icon, but not as well known overseas. It’s good blokey food to be consumed with a cold beer whilst watching the footy on TV. Alas however, all too many of them are cheap and nasty mass produced monstrosities which probably fit the 25% meat description. But find a good one, and… aaaaah.
They are traditionally eaten in the hand with a squirt of tomato sauce (ketchup). Peel the foil container back a bit, tilt the pie to about ten degrees, and tuck in. You’ll find pie stalls at all major sporting events. It’s also quite acceptable to eat one on a plate with a knife and fork, and with a few vegies or potato chips, this forms the basis of many a bachelor’s evening meal. Also, there is the traditional “pie ‘n’ peas” -the peas have to be extra mushy. Oh yes, and the “floater”.
Herbert Adams used to make great meat pies as did Four’n’Twenty, but when the ownership of those companies changed, I’m sure their recipes did too - most pies these days seem really bland.
I make kick-ass meat pies - the secret ingredient is nutmeg.
Unfortunately, while us Aussies love our pies, the actual ‘nice’ meat content is pretty miserable when compared to other countries requirements. Before everyone yells ‘cite’ at me, I admit I have no figures or facts, but I heard that the 25% figure is pretty amusing to New Zealanders, as their meat requirement is 75 or 80 % (from memory… please don’t crucify me)
I can say that my tastebuds definitely found Kiwi pies to be much tastier than Aussie pies (much as it pains me to admit that they could do anything better than us )
(quote from OP)
Related Question: Do USDA standards apply only to domestic
made products?
(/quote)
Can the OP’er please clarify the above question.
Are you asking if food imported into America must meet USDA standards, or just that USDA standards apply to all food manufactured everywhere ?
My father-in-law actually had to arrest somebody for putting too much meat in their pies !!!
I know this sounds like an urban legend, so when he gets home from work, I will call him and get the facts. I do know he was a policeman, and so that the story would be HIM telling me about what HE did, not some uncle’s, best-friends, girl-friend, who heard it from the lady down the road, that the newspaper boy saw, who actually had it whispered in their ear during the intermission of a midnight fairy-penguin-sacrificing ceremony, by the IPU.
You are still going to have to believe that I’m telling you the truth, and my father-in-law is not embellishing too much, but what’s certain in life anyway ?
I’ll be back with the goods on the pie
I’ll not mince words,
I’ll get quotes from my ‘sauce’
I won’t get on the gravy train
I’ll not stop with any half-baked story
…
Ooops, verbal diarrhea, time to finish
I stand corrected… the more I think about it, the discrepancy between the two figures would probably indicate an urban legend. It’s amazing the stories you hear when travelling.
The best I could find in an ANZWERS search was one of the links already posted by don’t ask - seems the minimum meat content is 25% and the maximum fat content is 33%. I couldn’t find any mention of penalties for too much meat in pies, although a couple of times each year butchers get prosecuted for having too much meat in their sausages.
I too make much better pies than you can generally buy, big family size ones though.
I’ll try your secret ingredient next time, but the secret ingredient par excellence for any mince dish is a jar of Pataks Kashmiri Masala .Use a little or a lot but it just does so much for mince dishes. The only time I don’t use at least a hint is when I’m cooking pasta sauces.
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