Slow Cooker Steak and Kidney Pudding

This slow cooker steak and kidney pudding is a British classic.

Made with suet crust pastry and filled with a simple mix of onion, beef and kidney, this is a very traditional version.

The slow cooker does the hard work, so you can leave it unattended until it's ready too.

Of course, there are lots of variations if you want to experiment!

Jump to:

• ❤️ Why you will love this recipe
• 🥘 Ingredients
• 🍽 Equipment
• 🔪 Instructions
• ⏲️ Cooking Time
• 🥗 Serve with
• 🥙 Substitutions
• 📖 Variations
• 🍣 Storage
• 🍱 Prepare in Advance
• 📋 Recipe
• Savoury Pies and Tarts
• 💬 Comments

My uncle visited recently and told me that he really fancied a proper steak and kidney pudding, so I couldn't resist making one.

I've never been a fan of steaming anything on the hob, as I worry about the dog jumping up to investigate the aroma, or the pan boiling dry.

Enter my very retro 356 year old slow cooker! Rather than checking the water for hours on end, it makes much more sense to pop the pudding in the slow cooker and forget about it. Much safer than an unattended pan in the kitchen, and it means you can go out and leave it to work its magic.

Anyway, this recipe is actually quick to assemble and is so much quicker than a pie. The flavours are very simple, but it's totally delicious. The pastry just melts in your mouth and I guarantee that there won't be any leftovers.

❤️ Why you will love this recipe

• No special skills, the ingredients are just mixed together.
• Perfect for making in advance.
• Just leave the pud in the slow cooker until it's done - no checking or topping up required.
• Easy to change some ingredients if you wish.

🤔FAQs

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🥘 Ingredients

Most of the ingredients are straightforward, but here are some notes on some of the ingredients.

• Stewing beef - this is just a generic supermarket term for any beef that is suitable for braising or stewing. It's typically chuck or blade steak and benefits from a long cooking time. This often comes precut into chunks, but do check it over and remove any obvious lumps of fat or gristle and make sure that there aren't any larger pieces so that they cook evenly.
• Suet - this is just grated solid animal fat from around the kidney and loin area. It normally comes in a beef version or vegetarian version. It's a normal ingredient in dumplings and some pastries as it's very light.
• Lamb kidneys - these can usually buy these fresh in supermarkets and I got mine recently from Tesco. If not, most butchers should stock them. You will need two kidney for this dish, so I freeze the rest. You will need to cut out the tough core and then chop into even pieces.
• Butter or oil - you will need a tiny amount to grease the pudding basin and the baking parchment.

The recipe card with ingredient quantities and detailed instructions can be found at the bottom of the post.

🍽 Equipment

• large slow cooker approximately 3.5 litre / 5.3 pint capacity
• sharp knife
• chopping board
• large mixing bowl
• rolling pin
• 900ml or 1 litre pudding basin
• household string
• baking parchment or foil
• pastry brush
• measuring jug

🔪 Instructions

Put the flour, salt and suet in the mixing bowl and stir to mix.

Pour in most of the water and use a knife to stir together.

When the dough starts to come together use floured hands to bring it together in a bowl.

Use the remaining water if it seems too dry.

Lightly flour the work surface and rolling pin.

Divide the dough into a third for the lid and the remaining two thirds for the basin.

Lightly grease the basin with oil or butter, then roll out the pastry.

Line the basin with the pastry and let the excess hang over the edge.

Add the seasoning to the flour and use it to coat the beef and kidneys.

Mix in the onion and transfer to the lined basin.

Pour in the beef stock.

Roll out the pastry for the lid and place on top, pressing to seal.

Trim off the excess pastry.

Cut 2 pieces of parchment or foil with sufficient to cover the top and halfway down the outside.

Fold a pleat in the middle, which will allow the steak and kidney pudding to puff up as it cooks.

Lightly grease the underside and then tie the parchment on with string.

Tie more string around the basin like a parcel, leaving enough slack to remove the pudding safely when it's cooked.

⏲️ Cooking Time

Preheat the slow cooker on the HIGH setting.

Place the pudding inside and pour boiling water to come halfway up the basin.

Cook on high for 6-8 hours on HIGH.

Slow cookers vary and mine was cooked with the meat tender at 8 hours.

Remove the pudding carefully and leave to rest for 10 minutes.

Take off the paper and run a knife around the top edge to loosen.

Turn the pudding out onto a dinner plate to serve.

🥗 Serve with

Try some of these side dishes and a good serving of onion gravy.

• Honey Roast Chantenay Carrots
• Leeks in White Sauce
• Honey Roast Carrots and Parsnips
• Fried Cabbage with Bacon
• Roast Savoy Cabbage
• Whole Baked Cauliflower Cheese
• Roasted Green Beans and Carrots
• Roasted Long Stem Broccoli
• Roasted Swede Chips
• Rosemary Garlic Mashed Potatoes
• Roast Potatoes

🥙 Substitutions

• Suet - freeze a portion of vegetable shortening and then grate it. Use immediately.
• Kidney - if you don't like or can't get kidney, use chopped mushrooms or replace with extra beef.
• Self raising flour - use plain all purpose flour and add 2 teaspoons of baking powder.

📖 Variations

• Meat - try cubed pork and apple or chicken and mushroom.
• Flavourings - replace half of the stock with red wine or ale. Add a tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce or try mushroom ketchup or oyster sauce.

🍣 Storage

• Refrigerator - Cover and store for up to 5 days.
• Freezer - freeze the pudding uncooked and well wrapped in clingfilm and defrost overnight in the refrigerator. To freeze a portion of cooked pudding, place in a container and add some gravy then freeze for up to a month.
• To reheat - put the portion into an oven proof dish and cover with foil. Heat at 180 C / 350 F / 160 FAN / Gas 4 for 20 to 30 minutes until piping hot.

🍱 Prepare in Advance

• Prepare the steak and kidney pudding the day before cooking and bring to room temperature before slow cooking.
• Alternatively, cook the pudding for 6 hours then cool and refrigerate overnight to save time. Cook for the remaining 2 hours in the slow cooker to serve.

More beef recipes

• Mustard Glazed Cowboy Steak
• Spider Steak with Tarragon Butter
• Slow Cooker Corned Beef Hash
• Slow Cooker Beef Cheeks
• Slow Cooker Brisket
• Flanken Short Ribs
• Corned Beef Fritters
• Roast Rib of Beef
• Picanha Beef
• Chateaubriand
• Beef Olives
• Savoury Mince
• Jacob's Ladder Beef
• Flanken Short Ribs

📋 Recipe

🍲Food Safety

• Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat.
• Wash hands after touching raw meat.
• Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods.
• Never leave cooking food unattended.
• Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds.
• Always have good ventilation when using gas.

Do you have a question or did you make the recipe?

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