Every summer, my cousins (all 20+ of them) and I would tumble out the back door of my grandmother’s house, each holding some makeshift berry basket — an old Cool Whip tub, a plastic produce container, whatever she had on hand. She’d hand them to us with a nod toward the thicket and send us off to pick blackberries while dinner finished on the stove. We’d come back scratched, sticky, and purple-hued, baskets overflowing with whatever we didn’t sample.
When I grew up, I couldn’t wait to have my own blackberry bush. When the time came, my grandmother dug up a few of hers to pass along. So for me, blackberries aren’t just nostalgic because of their sweet, summery flavor, but for all the sweet (and sticky and scratchy) memories they carry with them.
That same flavor for simpler times is what inspired pitmaster Pat Martin (founder of Martin’s Bar-B-Que and Hugh Baby’s) to share this recipe from his mom, Pam, in his cookbook Life of Fire. She swears by serving them at room temperature, when the flaky crust softens just enough to meld with the jammy blackberry filling.
Whether you grew up picking berries or just want a bite of summer, these fried pies are a quintessential summer classic.
Blackberry Fried Pies
Equipment
- Pastry cutter
- Rolling Pin
- Dutch Oven
- Kitchen thermometer
Ingredients
Crust
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- ½ cup chilled shortening cut into small pieces
- ½ cup cold whole milk or as needed
Filling
- 16 ounces blackberries about 3 cups
- 1 cup sugar
- Juice of ½ lemon
- Half of a 1.75-ounce packet light pectin
Assembly
- All-purpose flour for rolling
- 1 egg beaten with 1 teaspoon water (for egg wash)
- Peanut oil for frying
Instructions
Crust
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, and salt. Using your fingers or a pastry cutter, work in the shortening until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with no pieces larger than a pea. Add the milk a few tablespoons at a time, stirring just until a dough forms. Shape into a ball, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Filling:
- In a medium saucepan, combine blackberries, sugar, lemon juice, and pectin. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring constantly. Cook until berries begin to break down, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool completely.
Assembly:
- On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to ¼-inch thickness. Use a 4-inch round cutter to cut as many rounds as possible. Gather scraps, re-roll once, and cut additional rounds. Discard remaining scraps.
- Spoon 2 tablespoons of filling into the center of each round. Brush edges with egg wash, fold over into a half-moon shape, and press edges closed with a fork. Chill pies in the refrigerator while you heat the oil.
Frying:
- In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, pour in 1 to 2 inches of peanut oil and heat to 360°F. Line a wire rack with paper towels and set it inside a sheet pan. Working in batches, fry 2 pies at a time until golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer to the rack to drain. Let cool before serving.
