# Steak and Kidney Pie



## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

I'll eat kidneys once in a great while, calf or lamb usually. They taste more like liver than anything and I like liver. Beef and hog kidney can be strong tasting, requiring extra preparations, added time, so I avoid them.

Only had kidney from big game one time; elk in 1988. 5 of us took 4 bulls and 1 cow on opening morning. The guy with the biggest bull, Kenneth, a hillbilly from Arkansas, had the cooking duties on that hunt, and he had saved the bull's kidneys. He insisted on frying those kidneys with onions and gravy for the celebration dinner back at the road. "Whatever", "that's Great", "OK", we said, too busy wrangling horses, loading backpacks, and trying to get elk quarters, capes, and horns protected from the flies and the hot temperatures during the worst drought in a jillion years. Kenneth was a great cook. He made the finest mash potatoes; mashed them and whipped them up with a fork. A shot of Wild Turkey, and whip, whip, whip, another shot of Wild Turkey, and whip, whip, whip; all the while reliving how he killed his bull. Kenneth could make liver and onions like no one else, and we all liked liver and onions. So we were looking forward to his elk kidney and onions and by dinnertime we were tired and starved.

Everyone dug into their plate of kidneys and onions. Oh boy, the flavor was&#8230;uh&#8230;complex&#8230;an aromatic blend of Douglas Fir, elk urine, Wild Turkey and liver. No one had seconds. The liver, out of a yearling cow, was soaked along with the kidneys, and it didn't taste much better.

Kenneth is gone now and I often think of him, that trip, and those "complex" tasting kidneys. I've always wanted to try elk kidneys again and this year I saved the kidneys out of a spike, an elk that was killed in the same place Kenneth shot that nice bull all those years ago.

Kidneys are an epicurean delight in many parts of the world and there are as many recipes for cooking kidneys as there are the number of people that love to eat them. 

Here's a recipe for Elk Steak and Kidney pie:

Elk Steak and Kidney Pie

*Ingredients:*
2 - 9" pie crusts
2 - elk kidneys
1 1/2 lb - elk round steak, cubed
3 tbsp - vegetable oil
1 cup - chopped onions
2 tsp - salt
1/4 tsp - black pepper
1/2 tsp - thyme
1 whole - Bay leaf
2 tsp - Worcestershire sauce
3 cups - water
5 cups - diced raw potatoes or mixed vegetables
6 tbsp - flour
1 - egg white.

*Instructions:*
Remove all tubes and white membranes from kidneys and cut into small bite-sized pieces.
Soak kidneys overnight in salted milk. Drain and rinse in cold water. 
Soak kidneys in clean water 1 hour. Drain and rinse.
Brown kidney and steak in hot oil, add onions, seasonings, and 2 cups of water.
Simmer 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Blend together flour and the remaining cup of water in with the meat.
Add the vegetables, and simmer until the mixture thickens, about 15 minutes. 
Place pie crusts in pie plates.
Remove Bay leaf and pour mixture into pie crusts. 
Add pie crust top and pinch sides together all around.
Brush the crust top, lightly, with egg white. 
Cut several steam vents in the center of the crust.
Bake at 425° until bubbly and crust is lightly browned, about 30 minutes.

Serves 8

The vegetables were onions, acorn squash, potatoes, carrots and celery (not shown):










The meat has been soaked and all is ready for cooking:









Simmer and pour into pie pans:









Bake until the crust is light brown:


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## gdog (Sep 13, 2007)

Growing up my mom made kidney stew. Beef kidney (not sure if it was calf) chunks in a dark gravy with hardboiled eggs. Served it on top of toast wedges. It was my favorite dish as a kid....couldn't get enough. Like you said, had a liver taste to it.

Haven't had it in a long long time, but recently saw some beef kidneys in the supermarket. Might have to get mom's recipe and see if its still as good as I remember it to be.

So....how did the pie taste?


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

gdog said:


> Growing up my mom made kidney stew. Beef kidney (not sure if it was calf) chunks in a dark gravy with hardboiled eggs. Served it on top of toast wedges. It was my favorite dish as a kid....couldn't get enough. Like you said, had a liver taste to it.
> Seen a recipe for a dish like that.
> 
> Haven't had it in a long long time, but recently saw some beef kidneys in the supermarket. Might have to get mom's recipe and see if its still as good as I remember it to be. They sell kidneys here too.
> ...


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## GaryFish (Sep 7, 2007)

You just ain't right.


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## waspocrew (Nov 26, 2011)

That doesn't look half bad until I remember that it's kidneys!


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

This is a good recipe for a simple meat pie. Just leave out the kidneys and all the extra work soaking and rinsing that goes with offal.


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## NHS (Sep 7, 2007)

Goob. You inspire me. I am fresh out of elk kidneys, but made do with some elk steak. The pie is in the oven as I type this. I can't wait for my late lunch! :EAT: :EAT:


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

NHS said:


> Goob. You inspire me. I am fresh out of elk kidneys, but made do with some elk steak. The pie is in the oven as I type this. I can't wait for my late lunch! :EAT: :EAT:


You da man Nate. Pictures?

Great timing. Me and my best friend are sharing steak and kidney pie. Schnauzers love kidneys.

Hey, I got to thinking when I was young we ate pigeon, excuse me, squab, and sometimes we made meat pies out of them. We called them "pigeon pot pies". Has a nice ring to it.


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## NHS (Sep 7, 2007)

I followed your general recipe with a little of this and some of that. My pastry skills need some honing, nonetheless it was delicious!!


































:O--O:


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## Cooky (Apr 25, 2011)

This just keeps getting better. I love meat pies. :EAT: NHS, don’t worry about the crust, I think you have to have the word “Grandma” in your name to make a truly good pie crust.
We need a drooling smiley.


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

Hey, now it looks like a three-way tie for the December Recipe of the Month!!


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