Pirates Pies (Festival)
Submitted by Tone_g
Pirates pies are deep-fried meat hand pies stuffed with seasoned ground beef, rice, bell pepper, and ketchup in a homemade dough. A Cajun festival favorite with crispy golden crust.
YIELD
1 batchPREP
30 minCOOK
15 minREADY
45 minIf you’ve ever been to a Louisiana festival, you’ve probably grabbed one of these straight from the fryer. Pirates pies are Cajun-style hand pies: a homemade dough wrapped around a spiced ground beef and rice filling, crimped shut, and deep-fried until the outside shatters when you bite into it.
The filling reads like a Cajun holy trinity hit list. Onion, bell pepper, and celery form the aromatic base, then garlic, green onion, and a dash of red pepper flakes bring the heat. Cooked rice stretches the filling and gives it body, while ketchup adds a tangy sweetness that ties everything together.
Cool the filling completely before stuffing the dough. Hot filling melts the shortening in the pastry and makes it greasy and tough instead of flaky. This step is worth the wait.
The dough is simple: self-rising flour, shortening, egg, and milk. It rolls out tender and fries up golden. Don’t overwork it or the crust gets chewy.
Pro Tips
- Drain the cooked meat thoroughly. Excess fat will make the filling soggy and the pies may burst during frying.
- Crimp the edges firmly with a fork and prick the top so steam escapes instead of blowing the pie open.
- Fry in batches so the oil temperature stays steady. Overcrowding drops the heat and makes them greasy.
- These freeze well before frying. Lay them flat on a sheet pan to freeze, then bag them up. Fry straight from frozen, adding a couple extra minutes.
Variations
- Use boudin or Andouille sausage in place of ground beef for a more traditional Cajun filling.
- Add a handful of shredded pepper Jack cheese to the filling for a melty center.
- Bake at 400°F (200°C) for 20 minutes instead of frying for a lighter version.
Ingredients
Directions
FILLING: Combine beef, garlic, onion, bell pepper, celery, green onion, salt, black pepper, and red pepper.
Cook until meat is thoroughly browned. Add rice, stirring until well-mixed with beef. Remove from heat, cool. Drain off excess fat. Add ketchup and parsley. Mix well.
DOUGH: Sift flour; cut shortening into flour. Mix egg and milk together.
Add to shortening/flour mixture. Stir to form a dough. Form dough into a ball. Roll about ⅓ of the dough at a time on a lightly floured board.
Cut dough in 5½ inch diameter circles (or squares). Place two heaping tablespoonsful of filling on dough. Dampen edges of dough circles. Fold over meat.
Crimp edges with a fork. Prick with a fork at the top. Deep fry at 350℉ (180℃). until golden brown.
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