Slow Cooker Steak and Kidney Pudding Recipe
This week is, in true Great British Bake Off stylie, Pudding Week. I am old school in my eating habits and love the classics. A Steak and Kidney Pudding is right up there on my list of favourite dishes. I have, however, with some none too arduous recipe testing, created this dish to be cooked in your new best friend, the slow cooker. I don’t mind steaming as a cooking method, but in your slow cooker, this old school classic quietly cooks itself. In the run up to Christmas I am desperate to claw back any time I can. So if you are looking for a trouble free dish for your family or guests, my Slow Cooker Steak and Kidney Pudding is right up your very busy, all shopped out, slightly stressed, street.
This Slow Cooker Steak and Kidney Pudding has so many stars of the show. The pastry being the first. It’s suet pastry which equals zero effort, no resting time and a crisp delicious end product. The second is the filling. I used feather steak from the Waitrose meat counter; it was less than £6 for the whole lot and is tender and flavoursome when slow cooked. Don’t be put off by the thought of kidney, if you are not the offal fan I am, then why not replace these with some sautéed mushrooms. And finally the slow cooker method is brilliant, the end result is a tender filling, gravy and super tasty pastry, and all while you carry on with your Christmas shopping, planning, making mince pies, sausage rolls, wrapping, crying, shouting or finally writing the cards *still not done mine*. My inspiration for this dish came via the wonderful Delia Smith, with thanks, she is the queen of the classics after all.
It’s winter, it’s nearly Christmas, stodge is the order of the day and there is no more delicious stodge than a Slow Cooker Steak and Kidney Pudding. It’s also good hangover food, if those festive drinks parties are all getting a bit too much. Don’t say I don’t always have you and your wellbeing in mind.
What a simple, wholesome array of ingredients, and really rather vintage too. I can highly recommend a visit to the supermarket meat counter to get your steak and kidney as this whole lot cost me less than £7.50, so this is frugal as well as bloody delicious. I chose feather steak as it was a good price and the lovely man behind the counter in Waitrose said it would be perfect for my pud. The kidneys I chose were lambs, however, if you would rather, then exchange these for some mushrooms, chestnut or Portobello would be just lovely.
Make a start of this winter warmer by switching your slow cooker onto high and heavily buttering or oiling your 2 pint/1 litre pudding basin. Next, crack on with the super simple pastry. Take a large bowl and measure in the suet and self raising flour. Season well with salt and pepper.
Add around 150ml iced/cold water and start to bring it all together using a knife. Add the final 50ml water, you may need more or slightly less, then go in with you hands and mix until you have a ball of slightly sticky dough.
Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and give the pastry a little knead to bring it all together. Cut off a quarter of the pastry and pop that to one side for the lid of the pudding. Then roll the rest of it out into a large rough circle around 35cm in diameter.
For ease of transport, roll the pastry back over your rolling pin, then unroll it over the top of your buttered pudding basin. Press the pastry into the bottom of the basin, moulding it into the shape of the bowl, letting the excess pastry hang over the edge.
Now, it’s onto the filling. Cut your steak into evenly sized pieces, and trim your kidneys or sauté some sliced mushrooms if you would prefer. Back to the kidneys for a moment, I prepared mine by by cutting the core out with scissors then snipped each one into quarters. Pop the meat and kidney into a bowl together.
I had an audience.
Stir through two tablespoons of plain flour, salt and pepper and mix well. Add the thinly sliced onion then tip into the pastry lined basin and pack right down.
Take around 200ml of beef stock and pour onto the steak and kidney filling. You want the liquid to reach just below the top of the meat, so you may need slightly less than 200ml, play it by ear. Add a couple of shakes of Worcestershire Sauce then set to rolling out the remaining pastry for the lid.
Pop the rolled out lid over the meat and fold the edges over and crimp to seal. If you have too much pastry, then trim some of the overhanging pieces first. I didn’t as I quite like a big crust of pastry, it’s one of my favourite bits of the pudding.
Cover the pudding with a piece of baking paper topped with a piece of foil, make a small fold in the middle to allow for expansion then tie with string or tuck the foil under tightly, to seal. Pop into your slow cooker.
Pour in boiling water so it reaches half way up the side of the basin then put the lid on and cook on high for around 6 hours.
The finished pudding will be smelling amazing, firm and slightly golden and bubbling. Leave to sit for 5 minutes before serving.
The winter months are not a food bloggers friend. By the time my pudding was beautifully cooked, it was too dark to photograph in natural light. So, by the magic of time travel, I photographed my pudding the following day. After a night in the fridge, my pudding turned out of the bowl nicely. On the other occasions I made this, it didn’t look as glamorous, but still tasting bloody fantastic. So don’t worry if yours flops a little and oozes gravy everywhere, that’s part of the pudding charm.
Serve, piping hot with peas and mash if you like and a rogue parsley garnish if you are as old school as I am.
The pastry is crisp, the meat is tender with a flavourful gravy and for so little kerfuffle. I have taken to making this as a Saturday night supper as it seems like such a treat. I have to confess, Clyde and I managed to eat three quarters of the pudding between the two of us with the last portion being inhaled the next day. We are self confessed hogs and aren’t ashamed who knows it.
Lucy x
Slow Cooker Steak and Kidney Pudding Recipe
Serves a good 4 to 6 hungry folk
You will need a 1 litre pudding basin and a slow cooker, or steamer if you would prefer
Pastry
350g self raising flour
175g shredded suet, beef or vegetable
Salt and pepper
200ml cold water, you may need a little more or a little less
Filling
500g beef, I used feather steak from the meat counter, you need something used for braising or slow cooking
4 lambs kidneys, again from the meat counter, do sub with 100g sliced mushrooms, sautéed in a little butter, if you’d prefer
I x small or half a larger onion, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons plain flour, seasoned
A good shake Worcestershire Sauce
150ml to 200ml beef stock
Greens and mash and maybe gravy, to serve
Butter your pudding basin and switch your slow cooker onto high to heat up.
Make a start with the pastry. Take a big bowl and measure in the flour and the suet. Add a generous amount of salt and pepper then stir in 150ml of iced or cold water. Mix with a knife until you have a lumpy dough. Add the final 50ml of water as needed to form a soft, slightly sticky dough. Turn it out onto a floured work surface and knead briefly until smooth.
Cut off a quarter of the pastry and put to one side for the lid later. Then roll out the rest of the pasty into a large circle roughly 35cm in diameter. Roll it over your rolling pin and lay over the top of your pudding basin. Press the pastry into the bottom of the bowl, using your fingers to mould it. Leave the pastry overhanging the edge of the bowl.
Cut your beef into bite sized pieces and add to a bowl. Trim your kidneys, removing the white core bit with scissors then snip each one into 4 pieces. If you are using mushrooms, slice and sauté in a little butter, and season them with salt and pepper.
Add these to the beef then sprinkle with the 2 tablespoons of plain flour and salt and pepper. Mix well, ensuring everything is coated, then add the thinly sliced onion. Tip the whole lot into the pastry lined bowl and press down to level the top. Shake in a good couple of dashes of Worcestershire sauce then pour on the beef stock until it reaches just below the top of the meat.
Roll out the final quarter of the pastry into a lid to fit on top of the pudding and crimp the edges with the overhang of pastry to form a crust. Cover the top of the pudding with foil lined with baking paper and tied with string or scrunch up the foil to seal. Or, use a lid if your pudding basin has one.
Place into your slow cooker and pour in boiling water to half way up the basin. Close the lid and cook on high for around 6 hours. Your finished pudding will be golden and smelling divine. Leave to settle out of the water for 5 minutes before inverting onto a plate, to serve, piping hot. Garnish with parsley and serve with greens, mash and gravy if you like.
If you would rather, this pudding can be steamed in the traditional way, for 5 hours on the stove, topping up the water every so often.
H says
Looks a bit dry to be sadly honest. Would need lashings of gravy.
Lucy says
Thanks for that, Heather. It wasn’t dry at all, but you could serve with gravy, of course. Lucy x
Rick James says
Looks really lovely, thanks for making my mouth water 🙂
I’m going to try it!!
Lucy says
Oh thanks so much, Rick. This really is perfect comfort food for such unsettled times. Lucy x
Jacky barker says
Fabulous recipe, very easy to do and sooooo tasty. Made it for supper tonight, warm day but I hate rabbit food a k a salad/lettuce etc so would eat this at any time. Ref. Previous comment it was not at all dry the pastry was moist and lots of juice inside but I did add extra gravy as well. I have sent this on to my sister in N Z (winter on the way) and she is always looking for new recipes to try in the new slow cooker
Lucy says
Oh thanks so much, Jacky, that’s really kind. So glad you liked it. I could eat this sort of food everyday. Hope your sister loves it too. Lucy x
Sue says
Mine is in the slow cooker! Can’t wait to eat it it. X
Lucy says
Oh thanks so much. We had this again this weekend, it’s much needed comfort food. Hope you love it. Lucy x
Beverley Nunes says
This is so simple, easy and tastes incredible! I was always afraid to make a steamed pudding but knew it was tasty. It worked so well, thank you! (wasn’t dry at all, the pastry is so rich and flakey)
Lucy says
Thank you so much, Beverley, that’s so kind. This is a total fave of mine, I’m so glad you agree. Lucy x
Maz says
I would be leaving for work at 6am and not back till 6pm would it still work the same if I set slow cooker to low please!
Lucy says
Hi Maz, I’m not sure about that as I’ve only ever cooked it on high. Could you cook it the night before and re-heat at supper time either in the microwave or by popping in back in the slow cooker for half an hour? Sorry not to be more helpful. Lucy x
julie anne charles says
Have just made this, thank you for the recipe, it was lovely..
Lucy says
Oh thanks so much, I’m so glad you liked it. Lucy x
karen says
hi lucy
i have a steak and kidney cooked pudding in my freezer can i reheat it once thawed in the slow cooker if so how??
thanks
karen
Lucy says
Hi Karen. I’m not entirely sure is my honest answer as I’ve never tried doing this! But I imagine it would work to reheat it in the slow cooker, but maybe on high for an hour or two with some more water in the bottom of the slow cooker? Or in the microwave if you have one? Definitely check it’s piping hot in the middle before serving though. Let me know how you get on and sorry not to be more help! Lucy x
Brian says
steak and kidney cooked out of the freezer works fine defrosted ,
i like 2oz of finely cut leeks mixed in the pastry cook for half hour if basin in water or 1 hour if just steaming
Lucy says
That sounds lovely, Brian, thank you. Lucy
Robert Beauchamp says
OMG!! Googled “slow cooker steak and kidney pudding” and chose this recipe and am so glad I did!! I’ve never made it before, mainly down to lack of confidence, but followed this to the letter and it turned out absolutely fabulous!! So tasty and dare I say it….moist! (The wife hates that word)
Thank you Lucy, I’ll definitely be making this again!
Lucy says
Oh wow, Robert, that’s so kind of you to say so and congrats to you for making a delicious, moist *agh!* pudding. Lucy x
Jan says
Just saw this very early this morning and HAD to make it. So, I’ve just popped it into the slow cooker for tonight. I too hate rabbit food! This is right up my street. Looking forward to this, Jan.
Lucy says
Oh thanks so much, Jan. I hope you love it, it’s so comforting. Lucy x
Bob Nich says
Much too dry by my version of conventional S & K pudding which really has to be steamed with a linen cover over greased paper rather than sealing beneath kitchen foil. This allows the steam to penetrate into the pastry lid keeping it soft and slightly doughy – definately not crisp! These are matters of choice however and do not alter the basic fact that it is soooooo delicious and much easier with far less messing about to use the slow cooker. Nice one!
Lucy says
Well thank you, Bob, appreciate your comments. Lucy
Pauline Oliver says
Wow you made it so easy to create a delicious S&K pudding in the slow cooker.
My mum used to use a pudding cloth so I was a little sceptical with the foil and the brown colour of the suet crust. But it was amazing.
Thank you so much. Definitely on the ‘successful, must do sgain’ slow cooker lost.
Lucy says
Thank you so much, Pauline, I’m so glad you liked this. I love it too! Lucy x
Doug. says
I am 81 years of age live alone and I have always loved S&K my mom was born 1897 so she never saw a slow cooker and had to make the S&K the old fashioned way.
She covered the pudding in the old fashioned way with linen and cooked it in her old clothes boiler .
I am about to use your recipe but use baking parchment and an old shirt.
As for the lady who asked about high and low slow-cooker just add 2 to 3 hours to the time.
Lucy says
Oh thank you, Doug, what a lovely bit of background history. Please let me know how you get on with the pudding. Lucy
Steve says
Hi
Used your recipe it was fantastic the taste was out of this world.
Something went wrong though the pudding collapsed can anyone tell me what I did wrong or forgot
Thanks
Steve
Lucy says
Oh I’m so glad it tasted amazing. I wouldn’t worry that it collapsed, I try and leave mine to cool a little before turning out as it has more chance of holding it’s shape. I much prefer food that tastes good but looks terrible to the other way around! Lucy
Mary Cushing says
Made this for tea tonight as a surprise for my husband who has been out all day. I have a very happy man tonight. Thank you very easy recipe to follow and delicious. We had with mash peas, asparagus and extra gravy. He’s hot half of it left for another day.
Lucy says
Oh Mary, how lovely, thank you so much for letting me know. So glad it was a success. Lucy x
Rob Beauchamp says
Just made this and it turned out perfectly! With some mash and green beans this was a big hit, thank you. Will definitely be making it again!
Lucy says
Thanks so much, Rob, so glad you loved it. Lucy