jamaican beef patties

[Luckylies]

I belive jamaican beef patties are one of the perfect foods. Flaky pastry, tender meat, and a bit of perfect scotch bonnet heat...what more is there in this crazy world. I also love that they freeze beautifully, I can eat many in one sitting and that my boyfriend hates them (zero competition) I've been trying to find the recipe from the nyt to no avail..but obviously family recipes are much better. Anybody have anything tried and true to set me foreward? I hope to be surrounded by the wafting aroma of beef suet by tomorrow evening... thanks

live long and patty

[crouching tyler]

I couldn't agree more - they are the perfect food. Except for the fact that I haven't found anyone in Seattle that makes them. If it helps at all, the Jam. Beef Patty recipe from the NYTs was in the July 20, 2005, paper. If I had a flat bed scanner, the recipe would be yours in a heartbeat. Alas, I do not. But perhaps you can fetch it from the NYT archives for a small fee ?

I would also be interested in seeing family recipes.

[prasantrin]

I have the NYT recipe. If you pm me your e-mail address, I'll send it to you. It's really not much different from the other recipes you can find on the internet--I've tried them all and none have come close to my favourites (which no longer exist, since the woman who made them disappeared--at least from me). I think there's a mass conspiracy of patty makers, and they all hide their secret ingredients from the masses so we'll be forced to buy them.

[Jason Perlow]

My recipe usually involves opening up a box of Tower Isles HOT and setting the toaster oven at 350 for 15 minutes.

[spaghetttti]

Jason, I love your recipe! Tower Isles are good in a pinch. But back in the '70s I used to make a beef patty run over to this place in Brooklyn where they had goat patties that were out of this world!!

[NYC Mike]

My recipe usually involves opening up a box of Tower Isles HOT and setting the toaster oven at 350 for 15 minutes.

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haha

mine is a quick ride to White Plains Road. Patties and Coco Bread, the best in NYC.

[Luckylies]

My recipe usually involves opening up a box of Tower Isles HOT and setting the toaster oven at 350 for 15 minutes.

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yeah, they really are good.

I also found out that golden krust delivers to me (also quite good) perhaps I'm wasting my time on this endeavor. I'm okay with pastry, but really, why mess with a good thing.

[Jason Perlow]

Golden Krust is excellent, and I'd be jumping for joy if there was one here in Northern NJ.

We have a few Jamaican bakeries around here, one makes its own patties. I like them, but they aren't as good as Golden Krust. So far they all appear to be at least 40 minutes from where I live.

[Luckylies]

I was hoping to get a more flaky, almost translucent (read: arterial doom) crust with a deep flavor from adding a few too many scotch bonnets... tweaks and modifications...the perfect patty...

In my future I see..frustration...flour everywhere....suet in my hair....and broken dreams...

I usually reserve sundays for the projects that may not work out... Happy Sunday!

what a rant.

[WHT]

I found several on foodtv.com but a lot of the differ in what they use. After I test a couple I will post the results. Google also turned up a lot of hits.

[NYC Mike]

asked my wife...I just do the eating.

There is a good one in the Caribbean Culinaria. Not sure if you would agree that the Culinaria books seem fairly authentic.

[MichBill]

I like this recipe. It has been consistently good. Hope you enjoy. Link here

[Chris Amirault]

Looks good, but I'm surprised that there's no allspice in the filling.

[Luckylies]

I like this recipe.  It has been consistently good.  Hope you enjoy.  Link here

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habanero?? suspect... though it does include bread crumbs, which the Times recipe omits. I suspect the crumbs or white bread addittions may contiribute a squishy texture to the meat, which I like...so onwards! recipes will be combined! thanks MichBill!

[Luckylies]

Okay! I found out today that habanero peppers are in the same family as scotch bonnets... I might have to sub because I cant seem to find scotch bonnets anywhere in NYC (anyone?)

The dough from the nyt recipe was quite sticky and wet a bit like play dough. I also used some veg. shortening as well as the suet, as I didn't have enough...(12 oz!) I thought of using butter, but didn't want to eff with the recipe too much. The color was a light yellow color, not the taxi yellow of Tower Isle (perhaps it bakes up darker?) I'm off to search for that one damn pepper...

[Luckylies]

okay. the end result from the nyt recipe.

firstly. I added one more scotch bonnet pepper (dean and deluca). I added four slices of white bread (pepperidge farm) cut into cubes. I also added a pinch of msg

I also rendered my own suet (check the suet thread) and didn't end up with enough, so I also added vegetable shortening.

Okay, so the pastry turned out like a shortbread crust. It's very good but I always think of pattys as more flaky and less crumbley. I also didn't love the addition of curry in the crust. I think next time I'll just stick with tumeric for color and thats it. I also needed to bake the patties a little longer than the prescribed 30 mins.

The meat was just right- soft and tender and well flavoured. It was not spicy enough and next time I'll add more peppers but otherwise it was on the money. I liked the addition of white bread. without it the filling would have had a more chili like consistancy and I wanted a bit more of a paste. The recipe made exactly 12 regular patties and 2 little scrap patties.

I'll try this again, but I hope to get a better idea of the true meaning of "suet"

sorry no pictures but all and all a smashing success thanks for the help guys.

this recipe was also cheap to put together and rather easy from start to finish, just needed a little leg work sourcing the ingrediants.

sorry I can't spell.