Directions

• Meat Pie Dough:
• Using a pastry blender or your fingers, cut the butter into the flour and salt until the mixture resembles coarse pebbles.  Using a fork, stir in the ice water until the dough pulls together, then use your hands to knead for a few minutes until it’s smooth and evenly blended.
• Roll the dough into a rectangle and fold it over itself three times like a letter.  Repeat this process four times and reshape to a rectangle, and refrigerate until firm, at least 15 minutes.
• Meat Pies:
• Heat the vegetable oil in a 12-inch cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the meat, salt, cayenne, paprika, chili powder, white pepper, cumin, and black pepper and cook, using a metal spatula to break up the meat, for 5 – 8 minutes, or until the meat is lightly browned.
• Add the onion, bell pepper, jalapeño, tomatoes, dried thyme, bay leaves, and Worcestershire sauce and cook, stirring, for an additional 5 – 10 minutes, until most of the juices have evaporated and the vegetables have softened.
• Dust the flour over the meat and add water, stirring to combine (this should tighten up the mixture enough so it won’t leak moisture when it’s encased in the dough).  
• Stir in the scallions and hot sauce and transfer the mixture to a baking pan (or dish) to cool for 20 minutes at room temperature and at least 15 minutes in the refrigerator.
• When you’re ready to prepare the pies, line two baking sheets with parchment paper and a dusting of flour.  Divide the dough into four even sections to make it easier to work with.  Return three of the sections to the refrigerator.  Dust the counter with a sprinkling of flour and roll out the first section until it’s just under 1/4-inch thick.  Using a 4-inch thick biscuit cutter (or a similar size bowl or jar lid), cut the dough into rounds.  Save the scraps; they can be rerolled if needed.
• Lightly brush the outer edges of each circle with beaten egg.  Place 2 1/2 tablespoons of filling in the center of each round.  Fold the circle over the filling to make a half circle.  Using the back side of fork tines, press around the edges to seal the pie.  Transfer the pies to the prepared baking sheet.  Repeat the process with the remaining dough sections.
• When you fill a baking sheet, place it in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes so the dough stays firm when you try to fry it.  You can also freeze the uncooked pies.  Just freeze them on the sheet pan first, and then when they are fully frozen, transfer them to a plastic freezer bag.
• To fry the pies, that 2 1/2 inches of oil in a large cast-iron skillet or Dutch oven to 350°F.  Fry the chilled pies in batches of four to five at a time, cooking for about 8 minutes, until golden.  (Frozen pies will need 12 – 14 minutes).  Transfer the cooked pies to a sheet pan lined with paper towels or newspaper, and keep warm in a low oven while you fry the remaining pies.