These Venison Meat Pockets are the best make ahead freezer meal you can find. Delicious filling and a flakey crust, what could be better?
I love meat pockets! Something out a delicious cheesy filling wrapped up in an amazingly flakey pie crust. These remind me of coming home from school and immediately unwrapping a plastic covered Pillsbury Pizza Pop and sticking it in a microwave. As a Canadian Kid in the early 2000’s, these were the ultimate after schoo snack.
I may be a bit of a hyporcrite but despite how much I loved them, I won’t buy them for my kids. In fact, I avoid the freezer section as much as possible, excluding the odd bag of frozen veggies.
Instead, I make these.
These venison meat pockets make amazing freezer meals. Whip up a huge batch and when you are craving something yummy or don’t want to cook, just pop them into the oven!
What You Need to Make Venison Meat Pockets
- Ground Venison
- Shredded Cheese
- Eggs
- Bell Peppers
- Garlic
- Onion
- Tomato Paste
- Sourdough Pie Crust
- Chili Powder
- Salt and Pepper
How to Make Meat Pockets
You will want to start by prepping your ingredients. That will include chopping your peppers, onions and garlic.
Get a large cast iron skillet on your stovetop and preheat it on a high heat. Begin cooking your peppers, onions and garlic. Once vegetables are tender, add in your meat and cook until you can no longer see any pink pieces. Add in your spices and tomato paste. Combine well.
Remove your filling from the heat and allow to cool completely. Once cooled, add your cheese into the filling and stir.
Preheat your oven to 400°F.
Make your pie crusts while the filling is cooling or you can use a pre-made one. Roll out the pie crust and using a large cookie cutter, cut out the circles that will become the crust for your meat pockets.
Scoop approximately 2 tablespoons of the filling into the middle of each individual pie crust. Use a fork to seal the edges.
Transfer the finished pies onto a baking sheet. Create an egg wash by whisking together one egg and one tablespoon of water. Brush the tops of each pie with the egg wash and place them into your preheated oven.
Bake the pies for 15 minutes.
The crust should be a nice golden brown colour when finished.
How To Store Venison Meat Pockets
You can easily store these venison meat pockets in the fridge for up to a week in an air tight container.
If you would like to freeze your meat pockets, I suggest flash freezing the meat pockets and then placing them into a freezer bag. You may also use vacuum sealed bags for longer storage. I have stored these in the freezer for up to 6 months with great success!
How To Reheat Meat Pockets
You can easily reheat these meat pockets from frozen by preheating your oven to 450°F and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F.
To reheat meat pockets stored in the fridge, simply place them in the microwave or in the oven on a low temperature until fully heated.
Venison Meat Pockets
These Venison Meat Pockets are the best make ahead freezer meal you can find. Delicious filling and a flakey crust, what could be better?
Ingredients
- 1 pie crust
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 chopped onion
- 1 chopped pepper
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1 lb ground venison
- 1 cup grated cheese
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1/2 tbsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- Egg Wash 1 egg + 1 tbsp of water
Instructions
Prep your vegetables by finely dicing the pepper, onion and grating the garlic.
Begin by preheating a large cast iron skillet on high heat. Add in a tablespoon of oil or preferred cooking oil.
Add in your garlic cloves, onions and peppers and cook until tender.
Add in your ground venison and cook until done, meat should no longer be pink.
Mix in your tomato paste and spices, combine well. Your filling should be rusty in colour.
Transfer filling into a bowl and set aside to cool fully.
Add your cheese into the meat mixture and stir. Feel free to taste test here and add any extra seasoning you may need.
Roll out your pie crust, if not done yet and use a circular cutter to cut pie crust into discs.
Scoop roughly 2 tbsps of filling into the middle of each disc, fold over into a half-moon shape and use a fork to seal the edges.
Transfer the pockets onto a lined baking sheet.
Preheat your oven to 400°F (205° C).
Make your egg wash by whisking one egg and 1 tbsps of water together. Brush the tops of each pocket. This step is optional. I tend to skip it frequently and they come out just fine. This simply adds an extra crisp to the crust.
Put baking sheet with pockets into your oven and bake for 15 minutes.
Other Venison Recipes For You to Enjoy!
Deliciously Flakey Super Simple Sourdough Pie Crust Recipe – A Little Blue Home
30/03/2021 at 7:24 pm[…] I love the simplicity of this recipe. It is extremely low maintenance and so easy to have done quickly for any upcoming event or last minute meal. And yes, this is the recipe that I use for my meat pies! […]