Last Updated on January 7, 2024 by Carne Diem
Protein: 
Origin: Taste of the Islands, Jamaican
Method: Stovetop and Grill, Smoker or Oven
Jump to RecipeThese homemade Jamaican beef patties are filled with seasoned beef and Scotch bonnet peppers and then cooked on a grill. These flaky beef pastries make for the perfect side for your Caribbean or Jamaican inspired meal.
Table of contents
Making the Grilled Jamaican Beef Patties
To make the homemade Jamaican Beef Patties, you will need to make the beef filling, prepare the pastry, and then form an cook the patties.
Making the beef filling
These Grilled Jamaican Beef Patties are made with mostly easy to find ingredients. To season the ground beef you will need white pepper, beef broth, garlic powder, sweet paprika, ground all-spice, Caribbean Curry powder, olive oil, white onion, garlic, thyme, green onion, parsley, and scotch bonnet peppers. If you can't find scotch bonnet peppers you can substitute habanero peppers. If you have problems finding Caribbean style curry powder you can buy it fairly cheap on Amazon.
You only need one pound of ground beef for the recipe. We typically use 80/20 beef but you can certainly go leaner if you want.
To make the filling for the Grilled Jamaican Beef Patties, first heat the olive oil over medium heat and then add the minced onion. Cook for about 3 minutes, or until softened. Next add the garlic and diced scotch bonnet and cook for 1 more minute.
Next, add the beef and stir to combine, followed by the beef stock. The meat should just be covered. If not, add a little additional water.
Stir in the seasonings and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.
Simmer the meat, uncovered, until most of the liquid is evaporated. This typically takes about 30-45 minutes. When finished the meat consistency should be similar to that of sloppy Joe's. It should not be overly wet, but you certainly do not want it dry at this point either.
Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the green onion and parsley. Finally stir in the bread crumbs, a little at a time. The breadcrumbs will thicken the mixture and absorb the excess liquid.
Cover and if necessary refrigerate until needed. The meat filling can be made a couple days ahead of time if you desire.
Making the pastry for Jamaican Beef Patties
In a stand mixer or food processor with a dough hook combine all of the dry ingredients.
Add in the butter and lard a little at a time and mix until crumbly.
Slowly add the cold water until the dough forms a ball. You may not need all of the water, or may need a little extra. The dough should not be sticky, but should form a uniform ball around the dough hook.
Cover the ball and place it in a refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. The dough can also be prepared a day ahead of time, and covered in plastic wrap in the refrigerator to prevent drying out.
When you are ready to make the patties, remove the dough from the refrigerator and divide into 2 portions. Roll out the dough to about ⅙ of an inch thick. We love using a rolling pin with adjustable thickness so you can roll out the dough perfectly every time.
Cut into 6 inch rounds using a dough cutter, bowl, or large mouthed cup. Use the excess dough to form another ball and repeat the process until all of the dough is used.
How to fill the Jamaican Beef Patties
Fill each of the pasty circles with about 3-4 tablespoons of meat filling. You want them to be pretty full, but not so full that you can't seal them.
Next, fold the dough over the meat to form a half moon shape, and press the edges together to seal. Use a fork to crimp the edges.
Some people elect to do an egg wash for the Jamaican Beef Patties, but we have found this step unnecessary when we are grilling them. If you are cooking them in the oven an egg wash may be useful to bring out that perfect golden color.
Cooking the Grilled Jamaican Beef Patties
Prepare your grill, oven, or smoker by heating to 350 degrees. If using a grill or smoker set up for indirect heat. We made these Jamaican beef patties on our Big Green Egg but they turn out great on any BBQ grill or smoker. We have even made them on our Breeo Firepit and they turned out great.
Cook the Grilled Jamaican Beef Patties for 15 minutes, then flip over and cook for an additional 15 minutes.
Remove the patties from the oven or grill and serve warm.
Serving the Grilled Jamaican Beef Patties
The beef patties pair perfectly was part of a Caribbean inspired meal with roasted veggies, jerk chicken, and Caribbean Rice and Beans. Make it a Caribbean feast with some Jamaican Style Cast Iron Oxtail Stew or Grilled Red Snapper Escovitch and a cool glass of Coconut Mai Tai.
Eager to try more meat encased pastries from around the world? Be sure to try our Kiwi Mince and Cheese Pies: Beef and Cheddar Hand-Pies, or Argentinian Empanadas with Beef Tenderloin.
If you found that you have leftovers, the Jamaican Beef Patties freeze well and can be quickly reheated.
Frequently Asked Questions
While the patties have a little bit of spice from the Scotch Bonnet Peppers, they are not overly spicy.
Yes, leftover beef patties can be from and reheated later. We recommend reheating the frozen beef patties in an oven at 350 degrees for about 15-20 minutes until heated back through.
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📖 Recipe
Grilled Jamaican Beef Patties
Equipment
- Medium sized pot
Ingredients
Beef Filling
- 1 Pound Ground Beef
- 1 Cup Beef Broth
- ½ teaspoon All-Spice Powder
- 1 teaspoon Paprika
- 2 teaspoon Fresh Thyme 1 teaspoon dried
- 1 Small White Onion Minced/Fine Dice
- 2 Garlic Cloves Minced
- ½ teaspoon White Pepper
- 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 Scotch Bonnet Diced (for mild). Add more for spicy
- ¼ Cup Bread Crumbs
- 1 teaspoon Caribbean Curry Powder or other yellow curry powder
- 1 Tablespoon Parsley
- 2 Green Onions Chopped
- 2 Tablespoon Olive Oil
Pastry
- 4 Cups Flour
- 2 Tablespoon Sugar
- 2 teaspoon Turmeric
- 1 Tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar
- ½ Cup Butter Softened
- ½ Cup Lard or Shortening
- 2 teaspoon Salt
- 1 Cup Cold Water
Instructions
Making the beef filling
- Heat the Olive Oil over medium heat and then add the minced onion. Cook for about 3 minutes, or until softened. Next add the garlic and diced scotch bonnet and cook for 1 more minute.
- Add the beef and stir to combine then add the beef stock. The meat should just be covered. If not, add a little additional water.
- Stir in the seasonings and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Simmer uncovered, until most of the liquid is evaporated, typically 30-45 minutes. the meat consistency should be similar to that of sloppy Joe's.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the green onion and parsley then stir in the bread crumbs, a little at a time.
- Cover and if necessary refrigerate until needed.
Making the pastry
- In a stand mixer or food processor with a dough hook combine all of the dry ingredients.
- Add in the butter and lard and mix until crumbly.
- Slowly add the cold water until the dough forms a ball. You may not need all of the water, or may need a little extra.
- Cover the ball and place in a refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
- When you are ready to make the patties, remove the dough from the refrigerator and divide into 2 portions. Roll out the dough to about ⅙ of an inch thick.
- Cut into 6 inch rounds using a dough cutter, bowl, or large mouthed cup. Use the excess dough to form another ball and repeat the process until all of the dough is used.
- Fill each ball with about 3-4 tablespoons of meat filling. Fold the dough over the meat to form a half moon shape, and press the edges together to seal. Use a fork to crimp the edges.
- Heat your over or smoker to 350 degrees. If using a grill or smoker set up for indirect heat.
- Cook for 15 minutes, then flip over and cook for an additional 15 minutes.
- Remove from the oven or grill and serve warm.
Susan
Kids have been requesting these since we got back from Jamaica last year. The last recipe I tried didn't taste quite right. Tried your recipe this time and it was spot on. Tasted just like we had on the beach in Jamaica. Thanks for sharing!