Jamaican Beef Patties

By Julia Moskin and Kim Severson

Total Time
About 1 hour 30 minutes
Rating
4(124)
Comments
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New Yorkers love their hand-helds. The folded pizza slice, the hot dog and the crusty knish have a built-in mobility that lets hungry New Yorkers eat on the street, and enough density to carry them through to the next meal.

New immigrants have added to the on-the-go family, introducing Colombian arepas, Mexican tacos and Uzbek samsas. But the hand-held with the best shot at making the list of classic New York noshes is the Jamaican beef patty, a rectangle of flaky yellow crust filled with ground beef shot through with onion, thyme and the inimitable heat and perfume of Scotch bonnet chili peppers.

The patties are familiar to New Yorkers who order bland commercial versions sold at numerous pizzerias. But they cannot compare to the fresh, handcrafted patties found at a handful of Jamaican bakeries here. The flakiest crusts are still made with a hefty percentage of beef suet, and the most memorable fillings are unabashedly hot.

The Jamaican patty is served wrapped in coco bread, which is like an oversize, slightly sweet hamburger bun. It is called coco bread not because it contains coconut (it doesn't), but because you split it open like a coconut. Although the combination first appears dauntingly starchy, the soft sweetness of the bread nicely offsets the spicy filling and the crisp crust.

Featured in: Jamaican Passions

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Ingredients

Yield:12 patties

    For the Crust

    • 4cups all-purpose flour
    • 2teaspoons salt
    • 2teaspoons turmeric
    • 1teaspoon curry powder, preferably West Indian
    • 1½ cups cold vegetable shortening or chopped beef suet (about 12 ounces)

    For the Filling

    • 2tablespoons vegetable oil
    • 5scallions, finely chopped
    • 1medium onion, finely chopped
    • 4cloves garlic, finely chopped
    • 1Scotch bonnet chili pepper, seeded and finely chopped
    • ½ teaspoon paprika
    • ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
    • 1pound ground beef, about 80 percent lean
    • 2teaspoons thyme leaves
    • 1teaspoon salt
    • 1teaspoon black pepper
    • 1teaspoon sugar
    • Coco bread, hamburger buns or soft potato buns, for serving (optional)
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (12 servings)

536 calories; 37 grams fat; 18 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 14 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 37 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 1 gram sugars; 12 grams protein; 310 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Mix flour, salt, turmeric and curry powder in a large bowl. Add shortening or suet and use your fingertips to rub it together with flour. When shortening is in small pieces and covered with flour, pour in ½ cup ice water and mix with your hands. Keep adding ice water, a few tablespoons at a time, until mixture forms a dough. It may be slightly sticky. Knead dough for two minutes, form into two disks, wrap in plastic and refrigerate while you make filling.

  2. Step 2

    Heat oil in a deep skillet over medium heat and add scallions, onion, garlic and half the chili pepper. Cook, stirring, until softened but not browned. Add paprika and allspice and stir to coat. Add beef and thyme and stir, breaking up any clumps. Add water just to cover meat. Mix in salt, pepper and sugar and bring to a simmer. Taste for seasonings, adding salt, pepper and chili pepper, if necessary; mixture should be quite spicy. Simmer about 30 minutes, until meat is soft and water is reduced to a sauce. Set aside to cool slightly.

  3. Step 3

    Heat oven to 375 degrees. Remove one disk of dough from refrigerator and divide it in half. Roll out one half on a lightly floured surface until large enough to cut three circles, each about 6 inches across. (Use the rim of a bowl turned upside down as a guide.) Repeat with remaining dough, setting aside the circles. Use scraps to make additional small patties, if you like.

  4. Step 4

    When ready to fill, have ready a fork for crimping and a bowl of water. Place two tablespoons of filling on lower half of one circle. Dip a finger into water and moisten the edge of the dough. Fold the top half over, pulling dough gently over filling and making a thick edge all around. Crimp edge with a fork and transfer to an ungreased baking sheet, preferably nonstick. Repeat with remaining dough and filling. Bake about 25 minutes, until top crust is firm and golden. Serve hot as is or inside buns.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
124 user ratings
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Comments

Amanda

Really good, but definitely needs the coco bread, which I didn't have or want to make. The crust is very fatty and needs bread to offset.
Also, I found these instructions to be a little odd. I just threw the suet and flour mixture into food processor, and it was fine. And when rolling I just split the dough into 12 rounds, and rolled each individually so I didn't have to deal with scraps. Pretty easy.
Will try again with the coco bread.

Rossi

My Jamaican friend makes these and brings them to work when he makes them. I figured I could just look up a recipe and it would be fine, but it didn't turn out right. The "crust" did not work out for me. In hindsight I would rather have laminated dough (for crescents) and used that. This crust is nothing like what my friend makes or like the store bought patties. The filling was spot on, but I think I am going to try again next weekend with a different crust recipe.

Bri B

I made these last weekend and overall they were a success. The crust was super flakey and the meat was well flavored. BUT..I had to reply in on my instincts more so than the recipe. The meat really needed more spices, like cinnamon, ginger, and all spice. The peppers were too one note. I’ll try these again, just with my take from the beginning.

Joan P

Patties require a puff pastry type dough. This dough is not it.

Matt M

Haitian patties are in puff pastry. Jamaican patties are in a basic short crust like this.

Rossi

My Jamaican friend makes these and brings them to work when he makes them. I figured I could just look up a recipe and it would be fine, but it didn't turn out right. The "crust" did not work out for me. In hindsight I would rather have laminated dough (for crescents) and used that. This crust is nothing like what my friend makes or like the store bought patties. The filling was spot on, but I think I am going to try again next weekend with a different crust recipe.

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