Chef-tested recipe
A deep Québécois celebration pie of pork, veal, beef and potatoes beneath homemade pastry
Tourtière du Lac-Saint-Jean is the deep, slow-baked meat pie associated with festive tables in Quebec’s Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region. Unlike a shallow ground-meat pie, it is generously filled with small pieces of meat and potato that cook together with stock beneath a sturdy pastry lid. It is an ideal make-ahead centrepiece because it portions neatly and freezes well.
Recipe at a glance
- Servings
- 10 servings
- Prep Time
- 1 hour
- Cook Time
- 5 hours
- Resting Time
- 30 mins.
- Chilling Time
- 1 hour.
- Total Time
- 7 hours 30 mins
- Cuisine
- Québécois Canadian
- Course
- Main dish
- Cooking Method
- Pastry making, assembling and slow baking
- Difficulty
- Advanced
- Best Served With
- Québécois fruit ketchup, beet pickles, coleslaw, a sharp green salad, or steamed winter vegetables.
Before you begin
Ingredients & equipment
Gather what you need first, then cook through the method with confidence.
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Equipment
- Deep 26paid link–28 cm covered casserole or pie dish
- Large mixing bowlspaid link
- Rolling pinpaid link
- Pastry brushpaid link
- Chef’s knifepaid link
- Cutting boardpaid link
- Digital kitchen scalepaid link
- Instant-read thermometerpaid link
Ingredients
For the pastry
- Plain flourpaid link: 700 g
- Fine sea saltpaid link: 12 g
- Unsalted butter: 350 g, cold and cubed
- Leaf lard: 180 g, cold and cubed
- Ice-cold water: 240–270 ml
For the filling
- Pork shoulder: 500 g, cut into 1.5 cm cubes
- Veal shoulder: 500 g, cut into 1.5 cm cubes
- Beef chuck: 500 g, cut into 1.5 cm cubes
- Floury potatoespaid link: 1.2 kg, peeled and cut into 1.5 cm cubes
- Brown onions: 400 g, finely diced
- Garlic: 20 g, finely chopped
- Fine sea saltpaid link: 24 g
- Freshly ground black pepper: 6 g
- Dried summer savorypaid link: 4 g
- Dried thyme: 3 g
- Ground nutmegpaid link: 2 g
- Ground cinnamon: 1 g
- Ground cloves: 0.5 g
- Unsalted beef stock: 1.2 litres, kept hot
- Bay leaves: 2
For finishing
- Egg: 1
- Whole milk: 15 ml
Preparation Overview
Rub the butter and lard lightly into the flour and salt, leaving some pea-size pieces. Add enough ice water to form a dough, divide into two pieces, wrap, and chill for 1 hour. Cut the meats and potatoes evenly so they finish cooking together. Mix all filling ingredients except stock and bay leaves.
Method
Heat the oven to 160°C conventional or 140°C fan. Grease a deep 26–28 cm covered casserole or springform-style pie dish.
Roll the larger pastry piece to about 5 mm thick and line the base and high sides, leaving an overhang.
Fill the case with the seasoned raw meat-and-potato mixture, placing the bay leaves midway through.
Roll the remaining pastry into a lid. Cover the filling, seal firmly to the base crust, and cut a 3 cm steam chimney in the centre.
Whisk the egg and milk and brush the top. Pour hot stock gradually through the chimney until the liquid sits just below the filling’s surface.
Cover the top loosely with foil or the casserole lid and bake for 4 hours. Check every 90 minutes and add a little more hot stock through the chimney if the filling looks dry.
Remove the cover and bake for 1 further hour until the crust is deeply golden and a skewer passes easily through the potatoes.
Rest for 30 minutes before cutting. Remove the bay leaves when portioning.
Beginner Technique Notes
Keep the meat and potato cubes close to the same size. Large pieces can remain firm while small ones dissolve.
The deep pastry must be thick enough to contain the stock through a long bake.
Add stock gradually. The filling should be moist but not floating above the pastry rim.
Tips and Variations
Assemble the pie the night before, cover and refrigerate, then add 15–20 minutes to the covered baking time.
Venison or other local game can replace part of the beef where appropriate.
For clean meal-prep portions, cool the baked pie for 1 hour before slicing and refrigerate before packing.
If leaf lard is unavailable, replace it with additional cold butter, though the crust will be less traditional.
Serving Ideas
- Cut generous wedges at the table and spoon any concentrated juices from the dish around each portion.
Storage
Refrigerate covered for up to 3 days. Freeze fully cooled individual wedges for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight and reheat covered at 170°C until the centre reaches 74°C, uncovering briefly to re-crisp the pastry.
Nutritional Value
Allergen Notes
Contains wheat, gluten, milk and egg. Check prepared stock for celery, soy or other allergens; homemade unsalted stock gives the clearest control.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is this different from ordinary tourtière?
The Lac-Saint-Jean style is deeper, contains potatoes and substantial pieces of meat, and bakes slowly with stock for several hours.
Can ground meat be used?
Some family versions use it, but small cubes retain the distinctive hearty texture of this regional style.
Can the pie be frozen before baking?
Yes. Wrap it securely for up to 2 months, bake from frozen at 160°C, and allow approximately 45–60 minutes of extra time.
Why is the bottom pastry soft?
This is a stock-rich deep pie, so the base is tender rather than brittle. Resting before cutting prevents it from collapsing.
