My Own Mincemeat Pie Filling

This traditional mincemeat pie filling really includes the meat, in the form of ground beef -- plus all the delicious other flavors of apples, dried fruit, spices, brown sugar, and brandy. Simmer it and use it with your favorite crust.

• Preparation Time: 30 mins
• Cooking Time: 1 hr 10 mins
• Total Time: 1 hr 40 mins
• Calories: 569 Calories

Ingredients

• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 1 cup brandy
• 1 pound ground beef
• 4 apples - peeled, cored and chopped
• 0.5 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 0.5 teaspoon ground cloves
• 0.5 teaspoon ground allspice
• 0.5 cup chopped dried mixed fruit
• 0.5 cup ground suet (white beef fat)
• 0.75 cup raisins, chopped
• 0.5 cup walnuts, chopped
• 0.5 cup candied mixed fruit peel, chopped

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Place the ground beef into a skillet over medium heat, and cook and stir until the beef is well browned, about 10 minutes, breaking it up into small crumbles as it cooks. Drain excess fat.

Step 2

In a large cast-iron or other heavy skillet over medium heat, mix the cooked beef, suet, apples, brown sugar, brandy, raisins, walnuts, dried mixed fruit, mixed fruit peel, lemon juice, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon, allspice, and cloves. Stir the mincemeat until thoroughly combined and the sugar has dissolved, and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, and cook until the flavors have blended and the mincemeat filling is thickened, about 1 hour. Stir occasionally.

Step 3

Use as mincemeat pie filling.