Mince Meat The Real Stuff

Writen by Bonita Anderson

I have never been able to find a commercially made mince meat pie filling that contains meat. Every one I have tried is all fruit. My mother made mince meat pie every year for the holidays. I would help her make them and some were given away to the neighbors. It was a fun activity with her. Now when I want mince meat pie I do it alone. This is how we would make it.

We used cooked roast beef. Chop 2-cups to pea size pieces. To that add 1/2-pound of finely ground suet. Mix them well then chop about 5-pounds tart apples and add to the meat. Granny smith apples are perfect for this.We would put the apple peelings and cores in a pot and boil with about a quart or a little more of water for ten minutes then strain the water and add to the mixture, or I have used a quart of apple cider instead.

Next grind up 3-pounds of raisins and stir them into the mixture. Now add about 1-cup beef stock, 1-tablespoon canning salt and 2-cups brown sugar. Stir the mixture well and put it to boil in a heavy pot. When it gets to a full rolling boil, turn the heat down and simmer it for 1-hour, stirring frequently so as not to scorch it.

While that is cooking mix together 1-teaspoon mace, 1/2-teaspoon pepper, 2-teaspoons each of allspice, cloves, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Now grind an orange and a lemon, peeling and all.

Add the spices to the mixture after it has simmered for an hour. Now I add 1-quart of grape juice, 1-cup of molasses and 3/4-cup vinegar and the orange and lemon. Bring the whole mixture to a boil and boil for ten minutes.

Now I either put the mince meat in jars and a boiling water bath for 30-minutes, make pies or let it cool and freeze. This was my mother's favorite holiday treat.

Everything I write about is from personal observation and life experiences. I love to cook and prepare foods in different ways. I like sharing my experiences about food and cooking. My website http://www.pothaven.com was created because of my interest in quality cookware and cooking.