What's Cooking America » Cooking Articles » Heirloom Recipes » Grandma Miller’s Homemade Mincemeat Recipe
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Grandma Miller’s Homemade Mincemeatrecipe was shared with me by Joy Chowning of Oregon. Joy says, “This is my great grandma Miller’s recipeforhomemade mincemeat. This recipe is highly sought out by my friends and family and has been a family tradition for over a hundred years that I know of.”
Mincemeat is, very simply, a mixture of fruits and spices that are cooked with or without minced meat and generally doused with brandy, rum, or whiskey. It improves and becomes more moist as the weeks pass, so allow it to mature for at least four weeks before using.
Learn more about mincemeat and check out another Mincemeat Pie Recipe.
Grandma Miller's Homemade Mincemeat Recipe:
Prep Time
1 hr
Cook Time
2 hrs
Total Time
3 hrs
Course:Main Course
Cuisine:English
Keyword:Grandma Miller's Homemade Mincemeat Recipe
Author: What's Cooking America
Ingredients
Grandma Miller's Homemade Mincemeat:
- 2poundsvenison, elk, or beef chunks
- Water
- 1/2cupapple cider vinegar
- 6wholecloves
- 6wholeallspice
- 1largebay leaf
- 1/2poundbeef suet,finely chopped*
- 3quartsapple cider
- 2cupsbeef broth
- 3poundsapples,chopped
- 3poundsraisins(dark and golden)
- 2poundscurrants
- 1/2poundcitron
- 1tablespoon groundcloves
- 1tablespoon groundcinnamon
- 1tablespoon groundnutmeg
- 1tablespoon groundallspice
- 1firmly-packed cupbrown sugar
- 2cupsrumor Applejack brandy
Grandma Miller's Mincemeat Pie:
- Pastry for 9-inch two crust pie
- 2large tartapples,sliced
- All-purposeflour
- Groundcinnamon
- Butter
- 1quart preparedGrandma Miller's Mincemeat
Instructions
Grandma Miller's Mincemeat Instructions:
Trim fat from meat of your choice.
In a large heavy pan over medium heat, place meat; cover with water. Add cider vinegar, whole cloves, allspice, and bay leaf. Simmer approximately 2 hours or until the meat is tender and falls apart. Remove from heat and refrigerate meat in cooking liquid overnight.
Remove from refrigerator and remove meat from liquid. Remove all fat from top of liquid; discarding the liquid. Separate meat from bones, discard bones. Chop cooked meat into small cubes.
In a large pot, combine meat cubes, suet, apple cider, beef broth, apples, raisins, currants, citron, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and brown sugar. Over medium heat, let mixture come just to a low boil; reduce heat to low and let simmer until the apples are cooked. Remove from heat and add rum or Applejack brandy and mix together.
Variation: For a wonderful flavor boost, zest and juice 2 to 3 lemons and 2 orange. Add to mince before bringing to a boil.
It’s best to let mincemeat stand at least a couple of weeks before using. I store mine in the refrigerator. Freeze in air-tight containers for longer storage.
Grandma Miller's Mincemeat Pie Instructions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Prepare pie pastry.
In a large bowl, lightly toss the sliced apples with a little flour and cinnamon. Spread the apple mixture over the bottom of the pastry-lined plate. Dot with butter. Spoon prepared mincemeat over the top. Add additional rum or brandy to your taste. Cover with remaining pastry and flute. Cut slits in pastry so steam can escape. Cover edge with aluminum foil to prevent excessive browning.
NOTE: I think my great grandma added the apples to stretch the mincemeat supply. Non-mince lovers absolutely love this pie. The only downfall of making this pie so delectable that the pie doesn't last as long!
Bake pie approximately 40 to 50 minutes or until crust is lightly browned. Remove aluminum foil during last 15 minutes of baking. Remove from oven and cool on awire rack before cutting and serving.
Serve warm or at room temperature.
Makes 8 servings.
Recipe Notes
* Suet is a solid while animal fat. The best Suet comes from the fat that grows around the kidneys in cows and sheep. You can purchase packages of suet from your local butcher or from the meat department of your local grocery store. It then needs to be coarsely grated to make it ready to use. It also must be kept refrigerated prior to use and used within a few days of purchase, just like meat. You can also substite lard, shortening, butter, or bacon fat.
Related Recipes
Categories:
Apples Beef Heirloom Recipes Mincemeat Recipes Wild Game
Comments and Reviews
5 Responses to “Grandma Miller’s Homemade Mincemeat Recipe”
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Mamie
I am anxious to try this recipe.
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Elli Gull
I’m making this recipe right now, and I’m at the point where I’m boiling all the ingredients together. I only use two quarts of apple cider instead of 3, and it still seems very thin, not thick like a pie filling. Are all the proportions correct? Do I boil it down until it thickens? Thank you for your help on this.
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Linda Stradley
Since I can not ask Grandma Miller, I would boil it down.
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SeesFar
My grandmother, Nana Goodwin, taught me her aged recipe. ..yes, simmer it down. It ain’t Christmas without Mincemeat pie! In my opinion. Happy Christmas!
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Jane
This recipe looks fabulous and I will try. I make my own mincemeat but without the meat and also put chopped oranges from my own tree and dried cranberries along with the other fruit and spices. I like to use Granny Smith apples. Can it and also give as presents. My Gran used to make it the old fashion way with meat and she’s part Mennonite. Always came out great she also used lard in her pie crust and I can never make mine as flakey as hers.
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