Tourtière du Shack

A classic French-Canadian meat pie featuring a flaky butter crust filled with seasoned pork shoulder, ground pork, and mushrooms. This hearty dish combines traditional spices like cinnamon and cloves with tender braised meat and vegetables.

8 servings
8 hr 45 min

Ingredients

  • 3⅓ cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups chilled unsalted butter
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • cups low-salt chicken broth
  • whole medium onions
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 5 whole black peppercorns
  • 5 sprigs thyme
  • 2 leaves bay leaves
  • pounds boneless pork shoulder
  • to taste Kosher salt
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 8 whole button mushrooms
  • ½ cup dry white wine
  • pounds ground pork
  • teaspoon cinnamon
  • teaspoon ground cloves
  • ¾ cup grated russet potato
  • for dusting all-purpose flour
  • 1 whole egg yolk
  • 1 piece pie dish

Cooking Instructions

  1. 1.

    Pulse flour, butter, and salt in a food processor until pea-size pieces of butter form. Transfer to a medium bowl. Add 1/4 cup ice water and stir just until shaggy clumps form, adding more water by teaspoonfuls if dry. Divide dough in half; flatten each half into a disk. Wrap disks in plastic wrap and chill for at least 2 hours. DO AHEAD: Dough can be made 2 days ahead. Keep chilled.

    120 min

  2. 2.

    Preheat oven to 325°F. Combine broth, 1/2 chopped onion, 1 chopped garlic clove, whole peppercorns, thyme, and bay leaves in a medium pot. Add pork shoulder; season with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer over medium heat.

    15 min

  3. 3.

    Cover pot. Transfer to oven; braise until pork shoulder is tender and shreds easily, about 2 hours. Remove from oven; let cool.

    120 min

  4. 4.

    Transfer pork shoulder to a work surface. Shred meat with your fingers and transfer to a medium bowl. Strain pan juices through a fine-mesh sieve; add 1/2 cup juices to pork; discard solids in strainer.

    15 min

  5. 5.

    Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add remaining 1 chopped onion and 3 chopped garlic cloves; cook, stirring often, until soft, 5-7 minutes. Add mushrooms; cook, stirring often, until almost all liquid is evaporated, 5-7 minutes. Add wine; stir, scraping up browned bits. Bring to a boil; cook, stirring often, until liquid is almost evaporated, about 5 minutes.

    20 min

  6. 6.

    Add ground pork, cinnamon, and cloves. Cook, stirring to break up into small pieces, until pork is cooked through, about 5 minutes. Add potato. Cook until potato is soft, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in shredded pork with juices. Season to taste with salt and pepper; let cool slightly. Chill until cold, about 1 hour. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and keep chilled.

    75 min

  7. 7.

    Roll out 1 dough disk on a lightly floured surface into a 12" round. Transfer to pie dish, leaving overhang. Fill with cooled meat mixture. Roll out remaining dough disk into a 10" round. Place dough over meat filling. Fold overhang over top crust and crimp edges. Brush crust with egg yolk. Cut three 2" slits in top crust. Chill for 1 hour.

    60 min

  8. 8.

    Preheat oven to 400°F. Bake tourtière for 30 minutes. Reduce heat to 350°F; bake until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbling, 40-50 minutes. Let cool for 20 minutes before serving.

    100 min

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