The Yooper Pasty: A Taste of the Northwoods
In the rugged, pine-scented wild of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, the pasty (pronounced pass-tee) isn’t just a meal—it’s a cultural icon. Born in the deep copper and iron mines of the 19th century, this portable “hand-pie” was the ultimate survival food for Cornish miners, designed to stay warm for hours and provide the stamina needed for a grueling shift underground.
Upper Michigan Pasty
Ingredients
To make the pastry
- 8 oz Lard or Crisco Shortening
- 1 cup Water – boiling
- 4 cups All-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp Salt
To make the filling
- 1 lb Ground Beef – Lean
- 12 tbsp Butter unsalted
- 2 cups Russet potato diced
- 1/2 cup Parsnip diced
- 1 cup Peas. frozen
- 2 tsp Salt
- 1/2 tsp Black Pepper
- 1/2 tsp Onion powder
- 1/4 tsp Garlic – granulated
Instructions
To make the pastry
- Mix together the flour and salt in a large mixing bowl.
- In a second large mixing bowl, break up the lard into chunks using a spatula or wooden spoon.
- Pour the boiling water over the lard and stir until the lard has completely melted.
- Add the flour and salt to the lard, and stir well until the dough is fully even and incorporated leaving no pockets of dry flour.
- Cover the bowl with kitchen wrap and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.
To make the pasty filling
- Add all the diced vegetables to a large bowl. Crumble up the ground beef and add it to the vegatable mixture.
- Add all the remaining seasonings to the mixture and stir well so everything is evenly distributed.
Pasty assembly
- Preheat an oven to 350ºF.
- Divide the doiugh into 8 equal pieces. Use a kitchan scale to help with this. Roll into a smoth ball.
- On a well floured work surface roll out each ball into an 8 inch circle about 1/8" thick.
- Spoon approx 1/8 of the mixture onto one half of a pastry circle leaving a 1/2' clear around the edge for sealing. Top the mixture with 1 tbsp of butter. Moisten the edge of the pastry and then fold the other half over and press down. Crimp with a fork to seal.
- Transfer to a parchment lined baking tray. Repeat with the remaining 7 pastry balls.
- Bake for 1 hour, until the pastys are a golden brown. If they brown too quickly, cover with aluminum foil.
- When cooked, transfer to a wire rack. Melt 4 tbsp of butter to brush the tops of the pastys as they cool.