Taking a shot at steak and kidney pie.

a reply to: intrepid
The commercial version of the pie (e.g Fray Bentos) usually incorporates a good thick gravy. Adding that might help to give it a more acceptable flavour.

a reply to: intrepid

Thus looking for tips.

What did the leper tell the prostitute?

Keep the tip!

originally posted by: DISRAELI
a reply to: intrepid
The commercial version of the pie (e.g Fray Bentos) usually incorporates a good thick gravy. Adding that might help to give it a more acceptable flavour.

How i miss Chuck wagon steak and kidney pies blathered in mushy peas and chips as was served back in the early 80s after staggering out of Yorkshire night clubs at 2 in the morning...

"Dribbles"

Lags

I'm of limited help, but this outlines a pre-soaking step and warns that if you don't do it, they kidneys will have a strong, unpleasant flavor.

Maybe your pie will come out better if you simply prepare your kidneys correctly? I know when I watch Bizarre Foods, Zimmern remarks time and again that certain things, like intestine, need to be prepared thoroughly and meticulously in order to help take care of the bad tastes. Kidneys, being an organ meat, are likely one of those items.

a reply to: ketsuko
Yes, there is definitely something which needs to be taken out. My local supermarket, which has a butcher's counter, will sometimes offer pre-prepared packs of steak-and-kidney mixture, which is what I use if I'm thinking of making a pie at home. However, I don't suppose that American supermarkets would take the trouble.

a reply to: DISRAELI

They don't, or at least, ours doesn't. You can buy the kidneys, but the look exactly like what they are, so they are assuming that if you buy them, you know what you are doing with them.

a reply to: intrepid

Kidneys ! Haha

A good old friend of mine , who may have been a very very early member of ats , and was lectured in uni by Albert Einstein , when ever he was making a steak and kidney pie ,he would put the kidneys in a bucket and have his wife piss on them , and leave them over night to ferment , the pies didn't taste to bad ,but up to you. ? !!

a reply to: intrepid

Done this and its about as good as it gets

londonist.com...

a reply to: intrepid

I have been watching this gentlemen for awhile, and he has a video showing how he tackles Steak & Kidney Pie...



Hope it helps

Use the kidneys for fishing bait.
Catfish go for it.

a reply to: intrepid

Ox/Beef kidney can have a very strong taste, if you can get them from calves they're a lot milder. Alternately you could use lamb kidneys which are easier to get.

My personal preference is to make the gravy separately and include oxtail, adds loads of flavour from the meat and marrow. You just need to pick the meat off the bones into the sauce when cooked. You just add this to the steak/kidney once fried off. Be sure to use a cheap cut such as braising steak/chuck/skirt/shin.

If you're making pastry you can try adding a teaspoon of Colmans mustard powder. Too much effort for me normally as you can get some decent frozen stuff these days.

This sounds weird but I quite like adding a handful of small silver skin pickled onions, the vinegary flavour mellows during cooking and helps contrast and cut through the richness of the sauce.

You'll be onto hotpot next

a reply to: intrepid

Steak and kidney pie is a great way to eat offal if you don't like it much. Guessing it's the B12 boost you're needing?

Yo D

I can't stomach the taste of kidney, but I barely notice it in a well-made S&K pie. Jack's post looks like a good recipe. I found one over here that has a high level of kidney. Make sure it's beef kidney because pig and lamb cook much quicker than the steak and will spoil your pie; beef kidney cooks same as steak. The Worcester sauce is a good addition and a little extra OXO can also boost the meaty taste of the gravy. Obviously, you can leave it out if it's nostalgia food you're after - not a lot of UK kitchens had Worcester in the 50s-80s.

If you haven't already, pick out a deep dish to cook it in. Nothing worse than shallow S&K pies with half of it being a crust.