Beer-Braised Beef & Onion Hand Pies

Makes about 12-16 hand pies

Every year on Halloween, my dad makes his perfected chili recipe. It’s one of my favorite family traditions and hands-down the best chili I’ve ever had.

This year, I wondered if I could turn those flavors into a savory hand pie. Turns out, you can… and it’s incredible.

The filling starts with the same base as his chili — beer-braised onions, plenty of spices, and a touch of cocoa powder for color and depth — transformed into a thicker, richer meat pie filling.

My dad always finishes his chili with cornmeal. Here, I’ve worked it into the crust instead. It’s my go-to sour cream pie dough that comes together quickly in the food processor. It’s unbelievably buttery and flaky, almost like laminated pastry. The cornmeal adds just the right flavor to complement the rich, chili-spiced filling.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

INGREDIENTS

Cornmeal Pie Crust

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour (370 g)

  • 3 tbsp granulated sugar (36 g)

  • 1 ½ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt (or 1 tsp Morton kosher salt)

  • 6 tbsp fine or medium-grind cornmeal (60 g)

  • 1 cup + 2 tbsp unsalted butter, very cold and cubed (254 g)

  • 1 cup + 2 tbsp cold full-fat sour cream (265 g)

  • 2–3 tsp cold water, plus more as needed

  • Egg wash (1 egg whisked with a splash of water)

Beef & Onion Filling

  • 1 lb ground beef, 80-85% lean

  • ½ large yellow onion (or 1 small), diced small

  • 2 cloves garlic, minced

  • 2 tbsp tomato paste

  • ¼ cup dark beer (like Shiner Bock or brown ale)

  • 2 tsp beef bouillon paste (like Better Than Bouillon), dissolved in ½ cup hot water

  • 1 tbsp + ¾ tsp chili powder

  • 1 tbsp ground cumin

  • ¾ tsp paprika

  • ¾ tsp dried oregano

  • ¼ tsp ground coriander

  • ½ tsp unsweetened cocoa powder

  • ¼ tsp cayenne (or to taste)

  • 1 tsp sugar

  • 1 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt (or ¾ tsp Morton kosher salt)

  • 1 tbsp unsalted butter (to finish)

DIRECTIONS

Make the Cornmeal Pie Crust

  1. In a food processor, pulse together the flour, sugar, salt, and cornmeal until evenly combined.

  2. Add cold butter and pulse 8–10 times, or until pea-sized bits remain.

  3. Add sour cream and water, then continue pulsing until the dough just begins to clump together in places — it should look shaggy and sandy, not smooth.

  4. Tip the mixture onto a work surface and gently press together until no dry flour remains (if needed, drizzle in 1 tsp cold water at a time).

  5. Shape into a rough rectangle, wrap tightly in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or overnight.

Make Beef Filling

  1. Heat a large sauté pan or Dutch oven over medium for 1–2 minutes.

  2. Add the ground beef and flatten into an even layer. Cook without stirring for 4–5 minutes, until the bottom is well browned.

  3. Flip and begin breaking the meat apart with a spatula. Continue cooking until mostly browned, but still a little pink in spots, about 4–5 minutes more.

  4. Remove the beef with a slotted spoon, leaving the rendered fat behind.

  5. Add the onions to the pan and sauté for 7–10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden.

  6. Pour in the beer, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom. Cook 5–7 minutes more, until onions are deeply caramelized and the beer has mostly reduced.

  7. Add tomato paste and garlic; cook 1–2 minutes, stirring, until fragrant and deep red.

  8. Return the beef to the pan along with the chili powder, cumin, paprika, oregano, coriander, cocoa, cayenne, sugar, and salt. Stir 1–2 minutes to coat.

  9. Pour in ½ cup hot water with dissolved beef bouillon, then simmer 10–12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is thick, glossy, and cohesive.

  10. Off heat, stir in 1 tbsp butter until melted and shiny.

  11. Cool to room temperature (or refrigerate to expedite). Filling must be completely cool before assembling to prevent melting the dough.

Assemble & Bake

  1. Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C) and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

  2. Roll the chilled dough to ⅛–¼″ thick and cut pumpkin shapes using a 3½–4½″ cookie cutter.
    (If you don’t have one, rectangles work perfectly for standard hand pies.) Press the dough scraps together, reroll, and cut more shapes.

  3. Transfer half of the pumpkin cutouts to the prepared baking sheets. Use a small, sharp paring knife to cut slits in the remaining pieces — either simple lines to mimic pumpkin ridges or jack-o’-lantern faces. If the dough is well-chilled, it will cut more cleanly and easily.

  4. Spoon about 2 tbsp of cooled chili filling into the center of each bottom piece, leaving a border.

  5. Brush edges with egg wash, then top with the cut-out dough and press firmly to seal.

  6. Chill the assembled pies for 15–20 minutes before baking to help them hold their shape and improve flakiness.

  7. Brush the tops with egg wash.

  8. Bake 20–25 minutes, or until deep golden brown. Cool 10 minutes before serving.

RECIPE NOTES & TIPS

  • Baked pies can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

  • To reheat baked pies, warm in a 350°F (175°C) oven for 8-10 minutes until crisp.

  • For longer storage, freeze baked pies for up to 2 months. Reheat from frozen at 350°F for 15–18 minutes.

  • Before adding the cubed butter, I like to pop it in the freezer for 5–10 minutes to ensure it’s extra cold. Having small, solid pieces of butter in the dough is key to a flaky crust — as the butter melts in the oven, it creates steam, which pushes apart the dough layers and forms that beautiful flake.

  • This pie crust is adapted from Zoe Bakes’ Strawberry Hand Pies recipe. I’ve made many hand pies, but this crust with sour cream is easily the best, flakiest, most tender one I’ve tried. This is a great recipe to have in your arsenal and try with different fillings.

  • To be precise and consistent when baking, I recommend using a Digital Food Scale. The one I linked is relatively inexpensive and in my opinion, a great investment for any home kitchen! But if you don’t have one, I’ll always include cup measurements as well.