Jamaican Beef Sunshine Patties. These are not only a delight to eat given they are a handheld food, more so, they host a tender flaky crust housing the most aromatic, spiced, moist meat filling one could only imagine. Together, as a result, simply and utterly scrumptious!
Song of the day: "Jamming" by Bob Marley
This month's featured Country for the 'Eat the World' challenge is Jamaica
We are so excited to share with you these beautiful beef patties that Nicoletta and I made together. Obviously, I could not have been happier to hear we were stopping in Jamaica with our food group Eat the World. There are many recipes that I wanted to do, however, the one that really stuck and much to the suggestion of Nicoletta who was eager to make the dough, was these patties! In my mind, the thought that together we could pull this off in a most delicious and beautiful way prevailed!
Welcome to Eat the World, and let's have some fun in the kitchen!
No Stranger to Jamaican food!
In fact, I have had a few friends from Jamaica and I still remember the various food that I so graciously tried plus enjoyed totally. Rice and peas, bun and cheese, jerk chicken, and these wonderful Jamaican patties. Who isn't a huge fan of any street food, likewise, I have to tell you this particular hand patty comes high on my list. Given the flaky pastry and that spiced beef, it is just pure heaven!
Nicoletta and I also had the chance to visit Jamaica for my daughter Alexa's and Rod's wedding. We were in Montego Bay and we just loved it, from the beaches to the people, the music, and most of all, the food and drink. It was Nicoletta's first time tasting rum and boy did she like it! Needless to say Nicoletta and I channeled all our Jamaican memories and happy thoughts into these Jamaican Beef 'Sunshine' Patties.
Jamaican Street Food
From what I learned, the street is where you really get to taste the real deal in Jamaican cuisine. Jerk chicken/pork grilling on hot coals, roast breadfruit, roast yam, boiled corn, curry goat, to these wonderful spicy and incredible patties. These hand pies are also the Jamaican answer to fast food. They can be made with chicken, shrimp, cheese, or vegetable filling, or more so with beef like we have done today.
Jamaican Beef Sunshine Patties
To explain, meat patties are also called Sunshine Patties in Jamaica. That is because there is quite a high amount of turmeric in the pastry that is responsible for the beautiful yellow color. We wanted to follow a traditional Jamaican recipe and found a great one on a Jamaican website, which we adapted slightly to our taste and need. Nicoletta added 1 tablespoon of turmeric but for a less prominent taste and color, you could reduce it to ½ Tbsp. TIP: You could substitute turmeric with yellow curry, however, the flavor will change. Likewise, you can adjust the spice. It called for scotch bonnet peppers, however, those are super hot, so I used some grilled green chilis that I had jarred in olive oil.
All-butter pastry dough
Although the pastry dough for traditional Jamaican patties is normally made with beef suet to ensure a flaky pastry, nonetheless, Nicoletta substituted it with butter and the pastry was perfectly light and flaky. You could also use lard or a mix of butter and vegetable shortening. Either way and as a result of loving what you are doing, you are going to get a lovely pastry!
The beef filling
For the beef filling, I used an organic butchers' blend ground beef we purchased from an up and coming butcher shop called 'The Butchery'. Just the look of this coarsely ground beef said tender and juicy. Just what I need for the filling of these Jamaican Beef Patties!
Furthermore, I used:
- beef stock
- minced onion and garlic
- charred green chilis
- yellow curry
- coriander
- dried thyme
- allspice
- onion and garlic powder
- paprika
- butter
- fresh chopped parsley
- salt and white pepper
This is how we do it
Truly, we want that meat to stay juicy and tender, so this is how you do it:
- Firstly, break up the ground beef in a deep pan, add in beef stock and olive oil until it covers the meat. Cook until the moisture is almost all gone.
- Secondly, add in the onions, garlic, green chilis, all the spices, and mix until well incorporated. You may need to add a bit of broth to moisten it at this point. Keeping it juicy is key. A little sauté time and then, to richen it up a pat of butter, along with fresh chopped parsley and bread crumbs.
- Then, a very good stir to get it all nice and balanced.
- Lastly set aside until time to fill the patties.
Incredible Aroma
Surely, I have to say that the aroma of this beef simmering on the stove with all those spices and everything was absolutely incredible. It was calling me and I kept going in for some spoonful's! Then a voice said stop! As a result, I put the brakes on, or we would not have any filling left for the patties. Lol!
Teamwork
One thing about Nicoletta and I, we love cooking together. This next stage of getting these Jamaican Beef Patties ready likewise , involved some wonderful teamwork on our part. Furthermore, Nicoletta is the dough whisperer, and I am the spice king so having her roll out the dough was only natural, while I manned the filling. Truly a very beautiful job she did, right? She divided the dough into six pieces and rolled them out to a somewhat round circle.
Time to fill
This is where I come in. With a spoon in hand and my filling next to me, I proceed to fill each rolled dough with a few tablespoons of the meat mixture. Furthermore, not too much, and not too little is the song and dance, as Jamaican patties are neither too fat nor skinny minnie by no means! It has to be jussssst righhhhht! Somewhat flat but not no existent!
Folding and sealing!
Here's the fun part. Time to close these babies up and get that oh so familiar edging that we all know these patties to have. We used a fork and pressed firmly but not too hard to cut through both layers of dough. It just needs to seal the deal not take it out! Lol! Now you have to admit, these look really cute and so so colorful. It brings nothing but sunshine to our kitchen!
A high five
A quick high five with my beautiful wife, and time to get these Jamaican Beef Patties in our already preheated oven.
So Beautiful!
In a word, look at these patties, beautiful! Not only the color but also the aroma of all those spices and that pastry. Wish you could smell our kitchen. It is amazing. I can't wait to bite in!
No need for utensils
For one thing, there is no need for utensils to eat these. Consequently, it is totally a hand affair! They are still warm and I slowly break one open. Ooooooh, look at that! The filling is perfect, so moist, so tender, and okay I can't wait, I have to take a bite. Mmmmmmmmmmmmm the crust is flaky, subtly crisp, and oh buttery with that hint of turmeric coming through. More so, the filling comes in like a silk blanket and the ground beef just melts at your tongue releasing the curry, thyme, pepper, allspice, paprika, and so much more. The sweet onion soothes the heat and spices nicely adding a roundedness to the flavors.
Final thoughts
All in all, I have to say these "Sunshine patties", are really delicious, lol. Now I know why they stress saying to keep that moisture in the filling: it is moist, tender, and scrumptious, and so balanced by the pastry that holds it together beautifully! Ultimately, it was so much fun, furthermore, making them with Nicoletta was truly wonderful. Hope you had fun too making these with us. As a result bringing some of that Jamaican sunshine to your kitchen! We would love to hear from you and see pictures of your Jamaican Beef Patties!
Enjoy!
Check out all the other wonderful Jamaican dishes prepared by fellow Eat the World members and share with #eattheworld. Click here to find out how to join and have fun exploring a country a month in the kitchen with us!
- Pandemonium Noshery: Pumpkin Rice
- Culinary Adventures with Camilla: Jamaican Stew Peas
- Amy's Cooking Adventures: Jamaican Chicken & Pumpkin Soup
- Palatable Pastime: Jamaican Jerk Chicken Burger
- Sneha's Recipe: Jamaican Saucy Jerk Chicken Wings With Homemade Jerk Seasonings
- CulturEatz: Jamaican Ginger Beer Recipe
- A Day in the Life on the Farm: Banana Fritters
- Sugarlovespices (us!): Jamaican Beef Patties
- Making Miracles: Jamaican Chicken Stew
- Kitchen Frau: Rice and Peas (Coconut Rice and Red Beans)
Jamaican Beef Patties
I am so excited to share with you these beautiful beef patties that Nicoletta and I made together. These are not only a delight to eat given they are a handheld food, more so they host a tender flaky crust housing the most aromatic, spiced, moist meat filling one could imagine.
- Prep Time: 1 hours 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours 20 minutes
- Yield: 6 patties 1x
- Category: Meat, Snacks
- Method: Cooking/Baking
- Cuisine: Jamaican
Ingredients
For the butter pastry dough:
- 225 g (1 ½ cups + 2 Tbsp) all-purpose flour or farina 00
- ½ cup (110 g) unsalted butter
- ½ tsp (2 g) salt
- ½ Tbsp (7 g) sugar
- ½ Tbsp (7 g) turmeric powder
- 115 g (½ cup) ice-cold water
For the beef patties:
- 500 g ground beef
- 1 ½ cups beef broth
- 1 tsp yellow curry powder
- ½ tsp allspice
- ½ tsp white pepper
- 1 tsp paprika
- ½ tsp coriander
- 1 tsp thyme
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- 2 green chili peppers, finely chopped
- a pinch of dried red chili flakes
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 yellow onion, minced
- ⅓ cup breadcrumbs
- 1 tsp chives
- 1 Tbsp butter
- 1 Tbsp chopped parsley
Instructions
For the pastry dough:
- In the bowl of a food processor add the flour, salt, turmeric powder, and butter. Pulse 6-8 times or until you get a crumbly texture.
- Add in the ice-cold water and pulse until ingredients are starting to come together and a shaggy dough forms.
- Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and quickly knead it together. Form a ball, flatten it, then wrap it in plastic and place in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or overnight.
For the beef filling:
- Add the ground beef into a saucepan over medium-low heat. Pour in 11/2 cups of beef stock and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. The meat should be submerged in liquid. Break up the meat with a spoon or fork, and simmer for approximately 20 minutes, or as the meat has absorbed most of the broth.
- At this point, toss in the chopped onions, minced garlic, grilled green peppers, red chili flakes, paprika, thyme, coriander, yellow curry, onion powder, garlic powder, white pepper, and allspice and stir till well combined. If you need to add some stock to the ground meat do so, the meat should be juicy.
- Next, add in the butter and chopped parsley. Stir to combine.
- Lastly, sprinkle in the breadcrumbs a little at a time and mix. Time to taste for seasoning and add if needed. Again, just make sure there is enough liquid to absorb the breadcrumbs. Then, remove the beef from heat and set aside.
Assembling the patties:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
- Remove chilled dough from the refrigerator, place it onto a floured surface, and divide it into 6 equal parts.
- Roll each piece into a ball and flatten it with a rolling pin to a rectangle, roughly about 5 by 8 inch.
- Fill each pastry disc with 2 heaping tablespoons of filling on the lower part of the pastry.
- Overlap the pastry dough to close the patty to resemble a rectangle with curved side, press the edges all around with your finger, then seal with a fork.
- Place the 6 patties onto the lined baking tray and bake in the middle rack for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. In the last minute you can turn on the grill. Just keep an eye on them.
- Take out of the oven, place patties on a cooling rack.
Notes
Since there are a few steps involved: making the pastry, making the filling, assembling, and baking, you can make the pastry dough the day before and let it rest in the fridge overnight.
You can have some filling leftover, that would be good to make meatballs, burritos, meatloaf.
The baked patties freeze well, wrapped individually in plastic wrap, and then placed in a Ziploc bag.
The amount of turmeric in the dough makes them yellow and can stain your hands/napkins but it's well worth it 😉 . You could replace turmeric with yellow curry.
The cook time reflects both the simmering of the filling and the baking of the patties.
When I am not cooking, I enjoy playing musical instruments, singing, writing. I have learned over the years to live in gratitude and enjoy the moment.
Wendy Klik says
I love these little hand pies. They sound so amazing and flavorful. Thanks for a very informative post.
Thank you! We had so much fun making them and truly enjoyed them. So so flavorful with a lovely texture!
Cheers!
Amy's Cooking Adventures says
Don't these look tasty? That pastry dough look just amazing!
Thank you! Nicoletta did an amazing job on the dough as usual. I loved the turmeric, it adds so much flavor to the pastries!
Happy cooking!
Bernice Hill says
Darn it anyway! I had a recipe 3/4 way ready for this month but I've run into some health issues and didn't get it quite finished.
I've ALWAYS wanted to make Jamaican patties. They are so tasty and I love working with pastry. I would love to try the shrimp ones for sure and when I do, I'll use your pastry. It's really difficult to find Scotch Bonnet peppers but worth seeking them out...heat be damned! lol
Hi Bernice, hope you are feeling better. Seems to be something happening to many this year, health issues. Well on the flip side these Jamaican patties were just what the doctor ordered and it did bring lots of sunshine for my taste buds! As for the scotch bonnets I do see them here sometimes. I used the green chilis that I roasted on the BBQ and preserved in olive oil. It provided a subtle heat which was just perfect. I am sure the scotch bonnet would put a fire in our bellies. I love your ides of making the shrimp ones. They would be so tasty!
Wishing you good health and peace!
Loreto out!
Juli M says
Jamaican beef patties are one of my favorite foods, ever! Such a treat!
I agree Juli, easy to eat, very delicious and so much fun to make. Truly a win win in my eyes!
Have a great day!
FOODHEAL says
I love that you added turmeric to the dough, it makes the whole recipe awesome. I've never eaten Jamaican food, but from this recipe, it sounds spicy, I'd love these patties
So glad you liked these. We toned down the spiciness a fair bit. I used some green chilis I grilled and preserved in olive oil. Usually they use scotch bonnet peppers which have a fair bit of heat. All in all your right about the turmeric it made the sunshine in the dough! Always a first time to try Jamaican food! Thank you for checking these out!
Happy cooking!
Margaret @ Kitchen Frau says
Those look so appealing! I want to bite into one right now. That combination of spices in your filling looks amazing - so rich and nuanced. They'd be the perfect snack anytime, or just a meal by themselves.
Great recipe.
Thank you Margaret! These were so so good. Nicoletta and I had so much fun making them. It is wonderful to work as a team. The pastry was so tender and flaky and that filling luscious! I sure do hope you get to try these or maybe we will make some and delivery!
Have a wonderful week!
Cheer!
veenaazmanov says
Buttery crust and flavorful filling. I just want to grab a bite of it. Looks perfect for a party snack too.
Most definitely Veena. The crust and filling are a perfect dichotomy of texture and flavor! Wish we could hand one to you through the screen, would that not been super excellent!
Cheers!
Ashley says
Those turned out beautiful! I need to try this recipe!
Please do Ashley, we would love to hear your thoughts on how you made out. I am sure you will do an excellent job and will enjoy them tremendously!
Cheers!
Rebekah Hills says
I am going to have to save these to try soon - they sound wonderful!
Thank you Rebekah, Such a wonderful hand patty and so so delicious! Super excited for you to try them.
Thank you!
Paula Montenegro says
I'm not familiar with Jamaican food but very used to eating empanadas. I LOVE the combination of spices in this recipe! I'm thinking of making a large batch and freezing them. Thanks for sharing.
Thant is a great idea. Just don't keep them over a few months in the freezer, however they warm up nicely and so nice to have on hand when needed. Thank you so much for checking these out!
Happy cooking!
Ramona says
Yummm, my husband makes something similar for us and they are delicious! I will definitely try to make these myself as they look amazing and the colour fo the look perfectly golden brown! thank you for sharing this recipe.
You are so welcome Ramona, so glad you liked them! Can't wait for you to try them, and would absolutely love to hear how you made out. Happy Jamaican patty making!
Cheers!
Marisa F. Stewart says
The meat pies look so good and are perfect for the lunch I'm planning for the grandsons. They love finger food and I can prepare the patties ahead of time. I'm so glad to find another use for turmeric - that is such a great spice. And your crust looks melt in your mouth good. I'll have to make sure to set some aside for Hubby and I because I know those boys will go right through them.
Hi Marisa, yes those young boys have such an appetite don't they. Especially if they smell these baking in the kitchen. I would definitely hoard some for yourselves. Thank you so much for sharing!
Gunjan says
This is such a delicious recipe. The combination of ingredients are simply mind blowing and totally worth trying it out.
I Love that Gunjan, mind blowing. It describes the flavors and textures to a teeeee!
Thank you!
Chandice Probst says
I love handheld food too especially savory ones with yummy beef filling like this! Fantastic, easy to follow a recipe thank you!
Thanks Chandice. You are so right about handheld foods, casual, fun, easy and most of all super scrumptious!
Have a wonderful week!
Laura Arteaga says
Such a great recipe! Never tried Jamaican Patties but It's definitely in my list. The pastry looks absolutely delicious!
Thanks Laura, yes that pastry with some turmeric gives it great color and amazing flavor. It was so flaky and delicious, a great partner to the beef filling!
Cheers!
Connie says
Mmm! I've been to Jamaica. Montego Bay, specifically and I just loved everything about their culture. The food, the music, the people! Just a wonderful experience all around. These beef patties bring back so much joy. Can't wait to make this!
Hi Connie, it is a wonderful thing to experience culture, and you are so right about Jamaica and Montego bay. Absolutely wonderful!
Have a great day!
Debra says
YUM.....everyone loved them. I'm going to make them again....half the size and serve them as an appetizer for Thanksgiving. Super tasty.
Thank you Debra so much for trying these. What a great idea making them smaller and having them as an appetizer. So glad you liked them.
Happy cooking!
Kate Hahnel says
I love Jamaican beef patties! This recipe nailed it!
Thanks so much. So happy to hear that! It was our first time making them and we wanted to do them proud!
So Glad you tried them!
Marvin Thomas says
Look forward to giving these a try soon!
That's fantastic. so excited to see how you make out and if you like them!
Happy patty making!
Cheers!
Marvin Thomas says
Finally made this and it was absolutely delicious, next time I will follow your advice and add a tablespoon of tumeric in the pastry. Thank you
Wow, that is just super, so happy you finally made them. Yes that turmeric adds such a nice color, fragrance and flavor to the pastry. Thanks again for trying this, good on you!
Cheers!
Eric says
Beef recipe is a little convoluted but informative.
I simplified as follows:
1 lbs ground beef
1 1/2 cups beef broth
1/3 breadcrumbs
I/2 tsp chives, thyme, coriander, allspice
4 tbsp onion flakes
2 tsp minced garlic
1/4 tsp grinded red pepper flakes
1 tbsp sugar (because Patty King has 5 grams per patty, and to balance heat and amplify flavours)
Hi Eric, thanks for pointing this out. We will look at the recipe. Although the flavor and the pastry was amazing. May try the sugar thing next time!
Cheers!
Tony says
Made these today with my wife & daughter. Wonderful recipe. The flavors remind me of the ones I used to buy in the neighborhood I grew up in.
We're so happy you made them and loved them! They're one of the recipes we crave a lot! Thank you!
Ian Douglas says
Jamaican patties are the best, lunchtime snacks made popular by our oriental brothers & sisters for a quick grab & go meal for breakfast, lunch or dinner.
You are right on point with those thoughts, we love these from the pastries to the filling, absolutely lovely. Thank you for commenting and sharing!
Cheers!