Steak and ale pie with tallow shortcrust

Pull the chuck roast apart at the seams into several steaks, using a knife only where needed; trim out the intermuscular fat, keeping the marbling.

Put the fat trimmings in a cold pot with a little water over moderate heat and slowly render out fat; add more water if they brown before much fat comes out. Remove and discard the chunks.

Season the steaks heavily with pepper and salt.

Sear the steaks in the hot fat, biggest first, without crowding the pan; flip and brown the sides without letting the bottom burn.

Pile the meat to one side, add the sliced onion and keep it moving, using its water to scrape the bottom of the pan.

Stir in a small squeeze of tomato paste and let it brown for a minute.

Deglaze with the ale, top off with beef broth, bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover and braise until soft; flip the steaks after an hour. Braised three and a half hours in total.

Chop sage leaves fine for the crust.

Weigh about 200 g flour with half a teaspoon of kosher salt; cut in 100 to 130 g cold tallow until mealy.

Bring into a dough with the minimal amount of water or beer; wrap and refrigerate at least half an hour so the flour hydrates.

Slice the carrots and celery at an angle, saving the celery leaves.

Saute the vegetables in very hot tallow, letting them sit a couple of minutes to brown; stop while half cooked and set aside.

When a knife pushes through the steaks with minimal resistance, lift them into a two and a half quart pie dish over some vegetables in one layer; put the rest of the vegetables on top.

Boil the braising liquid down by about a third.

Thicken with a cornstarch slurry, starting with a spoonful dispersed in cold water or beer, stirring aggressively at a simmer.

Taste; add plenty of fresh pepper, a tiny splash of vinegar and the chopped celery leaves at the last minute. Pour the sauce into the pie dish.

Roll out the crust on a little flour, rolling a little and turning; lay it over the pie, leaving a hole to vent steam.

Bake at 400F, 200C, for about half an hour, until the pastry looks cooked.

Rest until the dish can just barely be held by hand; serve a whole steak with extra sauce and peas on the side.