Smoked Beef Short Rib, Guinness & Bone Marrow Pie
A show stopping smoked beef short rib & Guinness pie with a roasted bone marrow poking through the pie lid! The filling is incredibly rich & the pastry is crisp & flaky, what’s not to love?!
If you’re feeding a crowd & want to impress then making this smoked short rib, Guinness & bone marrow pie is the way to do it! Inside a crisp pie crust, there’s a rich Guinness sauce that’s packed full of pulled, slow cooked beef short ribs, veggies & fresh herbs. Then there’s an eye catching piece of roasted bone marrow sticking erupting out from the centre. This not only looks cool but the bone marrow inside melts away into the filling as the pie bakes, for even more beefy flavour!
This beast of a pie will easily serve 6 people so there’s plenty to go around. It is a bit of a project but the results speak for themselves! And it’s really not that difficult to make. Serve this rich beef pie with some extra gravy & either crispy chips or creamy mashed potatoes and you’ve got yourself a next level dinner. Also, you don’t have to smoke the short ribs. I’ve also included how to cook them in the oven instead.
For more smoked meat & grilling recipes, take a look at our barbecue recipe collection! Here you’ll find smoked pulled pork, grilled chicken, steaks, pulled lamb shawarma & lots more. And for some sides to serve with your pie, check out our collection of side dish recipes!
Components Of This Pie
- Smoked Beef Short Ribs – We’re cooking beef short ribs in a smoker until they develop a deep bark then we braise them in the oven in Guinness. Once cooked, these beef ribs are tender, smokey & packed full of flavour. These are cooked low & slow, so the meat falls off the bones! I’ve included my bbq rub recipe but feel free to use a ready made seasoning instead, if you’d prefer.
- Guinness Sauce – The beef for this pie is braised in Guinness & beef stock, which we’re going to be thickening then using as the sauce for the filling. There’s onions, carrots, celery & fresh rosemary & thyme in there as well!
- Hot Water Crust Pastry – I tend to use hot water crust pastry for the base for most of my savoury pies as it’s robust enough to hold pretty much any filling. Plus, it’s got a crisp texture & rich flavour, so is perfect for a beef pie.
- Puff Pastry – We’re using puff pastry for this pie’s lid, as the flakiness gives some contrasting texture. I also just really like puff pastry pie lids! Feel free to use just hot water crust pastry if you’d prefer or shortcrust.
- Bone Marrow – The star of the show! For this pie, you’ll need a 12cm long, centre cut bone marrow, which we’re placing into the centre of the pie, through the lid. As the pie bakes, the bone marrow will melt into the filling then any extra can be scooped out to serve. To remove some of the impurities from the bone marrow, I like to soak it overnight in cold, salted water. This is optional though.
Smoked Short Rib & Guinness Pie Filling
The filling for this pie features tender, smoked pulled beef short ribs which are stirred into a rich Guinness sauce! The short ribs are smoked until they’ve developed a deep bark then they’re braised in Guinness & beef stock until they fall off the bone. This braising stock is then thickened up & mixed with the pulled beef to make the filling…
Smoking Beef Short Ribs
Smoking the beef ribs is super easy! However, you’ll need a barbecue/smoker that can be cooked on indirectly. Plus some good quality charcoal & a chunk of wood (unless you’re cooking on an offset smoker that runs on just wood).
Smoking beef short ribs can be broken down into just a few steps! First, we coat the ribs in a mustard slather then season with our homemade bbq rub. To cook, we smoke the beef ribs at 250°f/120°c for 4-5 hours until a deep bark has developed. After 3 hours of smoking, we’ll be spritzing the beef with a 50/50 mix of vinegar & water every 30 minutes to help with bark formation.
Braising
Braising is when meat is gently cooked in a liquid (usually stock, red wine or stout) in the oven, until tender. The main benefit of this cooking method is that added flavour can be added to the braised meat, via the braising liquid.
Once our beef ribs have been smoked, we’re going to be braising them in the oven until the meat is tender, which will take another 2-3 hours. The braising stock is made by frying onions, carrots, celery & garlic in a pan then deglazing with tomato paste, Guinness & beef stock. There’s plenty of fresh herbs in the stock as well!
To braise the short ribs, we add them into the braising stock then cover the pan with foil & slow cook in the oven for a couple of hours, until the meat is tender. Once cooked, we’re going to be pulling the short ribs then stirring the meat through the sauce, once we’ve thickened it up.
Thickening The Sauce
There’s a few different ways to thicken a stock/gravy base pie filling. We’re going with a cornflour & cold water slurry but you could use gravy granules, a beurre manié (a paste made with butter & flour) or even potato starch. Though I find cornflour the easiest ingredient to use & it won’t affect the flavour of the pie filling, unlike gravy granules.
To thicken our beef & Guinness sauce, we first need to bring it the boil over a medium heat. Whilst that’s happening, we add equal amounts of cornflour & cold water into a bowl then stir together to make a smooth paste (or slurry). The cornflour paste gets stirred into the sauce then we cook it out for another 2-3 minutes, until thick. We add a splash of Worcestershire sauce into the sauce, stir in the pulled beef then season to taste with salt & pepper.
A quick note: I’d recommend chilling the pie filling in the fridge overnight. This ensures that it’s completely cold when we assemble the pie but also helps improve the flavour of the filling.
The Pie Crust & Lid
When I make a savoury pie, my go to pastry combination is a hot water crust pastry base & a puff pastry lid. Using these 2 pastries means that you get a firm yet crisp pie base that’s sturdy enough to hold pretty much any sort of filling & a flaky pie lid for some contrasting texture.
We’re going to be making our own hot water crust pastry but using a ready rolled sheet of puff pastry! The hot water crust pastry is super easy to make though. We heat butter, lard & water in a pan, to melt then bring it to the boil. We pour the hot fat mixture into a bowl containing flour & a pinch of salt, mix to combine then add in an egg yolk and knead gently to make a smooth dough. The dough then needs to rest for 20 minutes then it can be uses to line the pie dish.
How To Assemble A Bone Marrow Pie
Before we can assemble our bone marrow pie, the filling needs to be completely cold. And if you’ve soaked your bone marrow, make sure to dry it well. If there’s any excess fat or sinew on the bone, this can be trimmed off if you like, for a neater presentation.
- First, grease a 9″ pie dish with either butter or lard then set to one side.
- Roll the hot water crust pastry into a 4m thick disc then use to line the base of the greased pie dish. The pastry should overhang the edge of the pie dish by a couple of centimetres.
- Stand the bone marrow in the middle of the pie dish then spoon the cold beef filling around the bone, to hold it in place & to fill up the pie dish.
- Next, fold the sheet of puff pastry in half then roll it out so that it’s big enough to cover the top of the pie. Cut an “x” in the middle of the puff pastry, so that the bone marrow will go through.
We’re folding the sheet of puff pastry in half so that we can roll it out to the right size. If we use it straight out of the packet, it probably won’t be big enough to completely cover the filling! - Brush the edge of the pie dish with a light coating of egg wash (where the pastry sits on the lip of the dish) then lay the puff pastry on top, pushing the bone marrow through the “x” that you cut into the pastry. Mould the pastry around the bone marrow, to seal it in.
- Lightly press down along the edge of the pie dish, to stick the 2 pastries together, crimp with a fork then use a small knife to trim the overhanging pastry off, so that it’s sitting flush with the edge of the pie dish.
- Chill the assembled pie in the fridge for at least an hour before baking.
The Best Way To Bake Pies
One of the most common problems when baking pies is that the bottom of the pie isn’t fully cooked. Now the easiest way to get around this is to preheat a large baking tray, the same time as your oven so that it’s scorching hot. Then when you put the pie in the oven, place it on top of the preheated tray & bake following the recipe. The heat from the baking tray will ensure that the base of the pie is crisp & golden, like the top!
The other method for ensuring crisp pastry is to chill your pie in the fridge for at least an hour before baking. This way, the fats in the pastry will be completely cold, which means that they won’t melt too quickly. Chilling pastry also prevents it from shrinking.
One last thing. Once your pie has been cooked, make sure to let it sit in the tin for at least 30 minutes before cutting into it. This gives the pastry time to firm up & the filling time to thicken & set slightly. This means that it will be easier to cut your pie into portions that hold their shape.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here’s how to cook a beef short rib pie in an Aga! Use the boiling plate to make the braising liquid then cook in the simmering oven until the ribs are tender. This will take a bit longer; closer to 6-8 hours! Use the boiling plate to melt the fats for the pastry then bake the pie in the roasting oven, on a baking tray placed on the floor.
If you don’t have a smoker, the short ribs can be cooked in the oven! To do this, sear the short ribs in a pan, instead of smoking them then take them out of the pan & make the braising liquid. Add the ribs into stock then braise in the oven until tender. This will take around 4-6 hours.
Yes, beef & Guinness pie filling can be made without alcohol. To do this, replace the Guinness with the same amount of beef stock.
Leftover beef short rib pie needs to be stored in the fridge & is best eaten within 3 days. Leftover pie can be served hot or cold.
The best way to reheat leftover beef pie, is to bake it at 180°c/356°f until the filling is piping hot. You might need to cover the pies with foil if the pastry starts to brown too much. If you’ve got just one portion portion of pie to reheat, you could also do this in the microwave.
In short, pretty much whatever you like! However, like most pies, a smoked beef short rib pie goes really well with some sor potato side dish, like chips, mashed potatoes or roast potatoes, plus some extra gravy. You could also serve your pie with roasted veg, carrot & swede mash or a simple salad.
More Dinner Recipes To Try!
- Black Garlic Roasted Picanha (Beef Rump Cap)
- Roast Chicken, Bacon & Mushroom Pies
- Beef Burritos
- Brisket Style Smoked Pork Belly
- Foolproof Roast Chicken (Slow Roasted)
- Black Garlic Hanger Steaks
Watch How To Make This Pie
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Smoked Beef Short Rib, Guinness & Bone Marrow Pie
Equipment
- Smoker/Barbecue
- Baking Tray
- Spray Bottle
- Large Ovenproof Saucepan
- Mixing Bowls
- 9" Pie Dish
Ingredients
- 4 Beef Short Ribs (See Notes)
Rub/Seasoning
- 20 g Fine Sea Salt
- 20 g Demerara Sugar
- 10 g Coarse Black Pepper
- 1 tsp Smoked Paprika
- 1 tsp Garlic Granules
- 1 tsp Onion Granules
- French's Mustard (To Slather)
- 100 ml Apple Cider Vinegar (For Spritz)
Braising/Pie Filling
- 2 tbsp Vegetable Oil
- 2 White Onions (Peeled & Finely Diced)
- 3 Carrots (Peeled & Cut Into A ½ cm Dice)
- 2 Sticks Of Celery (Washed & Cut Into A ½ cm Dice)
- 4 Garlic Cloves (Peeled & Grated)
- 1 tbsp Tomato Paste
- 500 ml Guinness
- 500 ml Beef Stock (See Notes)
- 6 Sprigs Fresh Rosemary
- 6 Sprigs Fresh Thyme
- 3 Bay Leaves
- 2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
- 3 tbsp Cornflour
- 3 tbsp Cold Water
Hot Water Crust Pastry
- 300 g Plain Flour
- ¼ tsp Table Salt
- 45 g Unsalted Butter
- 45 g Lard
- 100 g Water
- 1 Egg Yolk
To Assemble
- 1 Centre Cut Bone Marrow (Roughly 12 cm Long – See Notes)
- 320 g Ready Rolled Puff Pastry (1 Pack)
- 1 Egg
- 1 tsp Milk
Instructions
Seasoning The Short Ribs
- Add all of the ingredients for the rub into a bowl & stir to combine.
- Next, coat with a light coating of French's mustard then sprinkle the rub all over. Let the ribs sit at room temperature whilst you preheat your smoker.The ribs should be completely coated in the rub!
Smoking The Ribs
- Light your smoker/barbecue & leave to preheat to 250°f/120°c. Make sure that your barbecue is set up for indirect cooking. I'd recommend letting your barbecue saturate with heat for at least 15 minutes once up to temperature.I used a mixed hardwood charcoal & a chunk of birch wood.
- Once the smoker is up to temperature, add in the beef ribs so that they're facing meat side up then let them cook undisturbed for 3 hours.
- In the meantime, add the apple cider vinegar & 100ml of cold water into a spray bottle then set aside. We'll be using this to spritz the ribs.
- After 3 hours have passed, continue cooking until the ribs have developed a deep bark, spritzing them with the vinegar every 30 minutes. This will take another 1½-2 hours of smoking.
Braising
- Preheat an oven to 150°c/130°c fan (302°f/266°f).
- Start making the braising liquid when the ribs have almost finished smoking. To do this, set a large heatproof saucepan over a medium heat, add in the vegetable oil then leave to heat up for a minute or so.The braising liquid will take around 30 minutes to make, including prepping the veg.
- Next, add the onions, carrots & celery into the pan, along with a pinch of salt then cook, stirring frequently until the veg has started to soften & has browned lightly. This will take around 10 minutes.
- Whilst the veg is frying, use a piece of butcher's twine to tie the rosemary & thyme sprigs together then set to one side. This will make it easier to take the herbs out of the sauce later on.
- Once the veg is cooked, add in the grated garlic then fry for another 30 seconds. Then stir in the tomato paste, cook for another 30 seconds then add in the Guinness, stirring to deglaze the pan.
- Next, add in the beef stock, the bundle of herbs & the bay leaves then bring the stock to a simmer. Take the pan off the heat, add in the beef ribs then cover the pan with foil (or a heatproof lid).
- Place the pan into the preheated oven then cook the ribs until the meat is tender & the bones slide out easily. This will roughly take 2-3 hours.You'll be able to tell when the ribs are done, when the meat is falling off the bones!
- Once the ribs are done, carefully lift them out of the stock then place them onto a tray & set to one side. Take the bundle of herbs & bay leaves out of the sauce & discard.
- Set the pan of stock over a medium heat & bring to the boil. Then in the meantime, add the cornflour & cold water into a small mixing bowl and stir to make a smooth paste.
- Once the stock is boiling, stir in the Worcestershire sauce followed by the cornflour paste then cook out for 2-3 minutes, until thick. Take the pan off the heat.
- Next, use your hands to pull the short rib meat, keeping it fairly chunky then add into the sauce. Make sure to discard any bones & sinew.A pair of food safe gloves come in handy here! You could use the bones to make a beef stock.
- To finish, stir the meat into the sauce then season to taste with salt & pepper. Then transfer the pie filling to a shallow dish, leave to cool then chill in the fridge overnight.Chilling the pie filling overnight will improve the flavour & also ensures that it will be completely cold when we assemble the pie. The short rib rub is fairly peppery so you probably won't need to add much extra to the sauce.
Hot Water Crust Pastry
- Add the flour & salt into a large mixing bowl then whisk to combine. Set this to one side. Add the egg yolk into a separate small mixing bowl then beat lightly.
- Next, add the butter, lard & water into a saucepan then set over a medium heat. Cook, stirring regularly until the fats have melted then bring to the boil.
- As soon as the water & fats are boiling, pour them into the flour, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon as you do.
- Once the fats have been mixed in, add in the egg yolk then knead gently for a couple of minutes, until a smooth dough forms then cover the bowl & leave to rest for 20 minutes.The pastry will still be warm when you knead it. A pair of food safe gloves comes in handy here! The pastry should still be slightly warm when we roll it out.
Assembly
- Grease a 9" pie dish with butter or lard then set to one side. Add the egg & milk into a small bowl, whisk together to make an egg wash then set aside as well.
- Roll the hot water crust pastry out on a lightly floured surface so that it's roughly 4mm thick.
- Carefully roll the pastry around your rolling pin, unroll into a 9" pie dish then gently press the pastry into the tin. The pastry should be overhanging the edge by a couple of centimetres.
- Take the bone marrow & stand it up on its' end in the middle of the pie dish. Spoon the cold pie filling around the bone marrow, to fill the pie dish & hold the bone in place. Set this to one side.
- Next, unroll the puff pastry, fold it in half then roll it out on a lightly floured surface so that it's big enough to cover the top of the pie. Cut an "x" in the middle of the pastry, that's big enough for the bone marrow to fit through.
- Brush a light layer of egg wash around the edge of the pie dish then carefully place the puff pastry on top, pushing the bone marrow through the "x" that you cut in the pastry. Mould the pastry around the bone marrow to seal it in.
- Lightly press along the edge of the pie dish to seal the edge then crimp all around the edge with a fork. Trim the excess pastry flush with the edge of the pie dish then chill in the fridge for at least an hour before baking.When crimping, dipping the fork in flour stops it from sticking to the pastry.
Baking
- Preheat an oven to 210°c/190°c fan (410°f/374°f). Place a baking tray in the oven at the same time. Make sure to give the oven & tray plenty of time to heat up.
- Brush the pie with a light coating of egg wash then leave to chill in the fridge for 20 minutes or so, whilst your oven heats up.
- Once your oven is up to temperature, brush the pie with another light coating of egg wash then place the dish onto the tray in the oven. Bake for 55 minutes – 1 hour, until the pastry is a deep, golden brown and the filling is piping hot.
- Once baked, let the pie sit for 30 minutes – 1 hour then carefully remove the bone marrow, cut the pie into portions & serve. Scoop out the bone marrow with the end of a spoon then serve with the pie!Letting the pie sit after baking helps the it hold its' shape when you cut it!
