The Butte Pasty is a Montana icon, a hearty, portable meat and vegetable pie brought to the copper mines of Butte by Cornish immigrants in the late 1800s.

Known as a “letter from ‘ome” by miners, this savory half-moon pastry was a practical, filling meal for workers, with a crimped edge serving as a handle to keep dirty hands from the food.

Below is a traditional Montana-style Butte Pasty recipe, inspired by sources like The Taste of Montana, Southwest Montana, and Butte’s Heritage Cookbook.

Ingredients:

Pastry:

• • 3 cups flour
  • 1/2 -1 tsp. Salt
  • 1 1/4 cups Lard or Shortening
  • 3/4 cup Very Cold Water
  • Measure Flour and Salt
  • Cut in lard until dough resembles small peas.
  • Add water and divide into 6 equal parts.

Filling:

• • 5 or 6 Medium Potatoes (red are best)
  • 3 Medium or 2 Large Yellow Onions
  • Parsley for Flavoring
  • 2 pounds of Meat (loin tip, skirting or flank steak)
  • Butter (to taste)
  • Salt and Pepper (to taste)

Directions:

• • Roll dough slightly oblong.
  • Slice in layers on dough, first the potatoes, then the onions and last the meat (sliced or diced in thin strips).
  • Bring pasty dough up from ends and crimp across the top.
  • Making the pasty oblong eliminates the lump of dough on each end.
  • Bake at 375° for about one hour.
  • Brush a little milk on top while baking.

The Butte pasty is deliberately simple, seasoned only with salt and pepper to reflect its humble mining roots. Cornish tradition emphasizes chopped (not minced) meat and sliced vegetables. Rutabaga is authentic, often mislabeled as turnip in old recipes.

Lard yields a more authentic texture, but butter works well. Some modern recipes use cream cheese for extra crust flakiness.

For a modern twist, try ground pork with beef or add carrots and cheese, though purists may object. Smaller “cocktail pasties” are great for gatherings.

You can wrap and refrigerate leftovers for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. Reheat at 350°F for 20-30 minutes (keep foil on if frozen).

Serve your Pasty up with a local brew like Kettle House’s Shady Hazy IPA for a true Butte experience.

The pasty, pronounced “PASS-tee,” became a Butte staple due to its portability and heartiness, fueling miners in the copper boom. Though Cornish in origin, it’s often called “Irish Butte Pasty” due to the city’s large Irish population.

The crimped edge allowed miners to hold the pasty without contaminating it, discarding the soiled crust.

Here’s a cool recipe for Baked Trout in Wine Sauce, inspired by recipes from sources like Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks for a simple, flavorful dish that highlights trout’s delicate flavor with a light, elegant wine sauce. This preparation is perfect for a fresh catch or store-bought trout.

Ingredients:

• • 10 to 12″ trout (1 fish per serving)
  • Fresh Mushrooms or Canned
  • Onions (chopped)
  • Parsley (chopped)
  • Bread Crumbs
  • Seasoning *to taste (salt, pepper, thyme, and bay leaves)
  • Butter
  • White Wine

Directions:

• • Sauté fresh or canned mushrooms, onions, and parsley in butter.
  • Toss with breadcrumbs and seasoning (to suit own taste).
  • Stuff trout cavities.
  • Place in greased baking dish, place lemon slices on top (2 for each trout).
  • Melt butter in pan, add equal amount of white wine and 1/4 as much lemon juice.
  • Baste frequently with wine sauce.
  • Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in hot 400° oven.

This Baked Trout dish is light yet flavorful, with the wine sauce enhancing the trout’s natural taste.

If you’d like a grilled or pan-seared variation, or a specific wine pairing, let me know!

Here’s a submission for Pan-Fried Trout straight from the camp.

To prepare fresh brook or other pan-sized trout, clean and scale if necessary, soak in salted water for 1/2 hour to remove film from fish.

Rinse thoroughly and remove head (optional). Dry. Dip in beaten egg and roll in rich cracker crumbs sprinkled with seasoning salt.

Fry in hot fat.

When golden brown on one side, turn and brown on the other. Turn only once.

These are especially good, fresh caught, cooked over a campfire in a heavy skillet, using the grease from fried bacon strips.

Fire should be hot but not flaming so fish will not cook too fast or burn.

Cook your pan-fried trout only until they flake easily when tested.

Top with crisp bacon.

J. McGrath

Note: Here is a good accompaniment for pan-fried fish when not using bacon for frying.

Sauté chopped green onions with fresh or canned mushrooms in butter.

Add a little sherry or white wine and heat.

Do not boil.

Serve with fish for brunch, along with minted fresh fruit and blueberry muffins.

The Montana Special Venison Roast is a hearty, flavorful dish that highlights the rich, earthy taste of venison, often prepared with simple ingredients and slow-cooking methods to ensure tenderness.

Ingredients:

• • 3-4 lbs Venison Roast (shoulder, neck, or rump; bone-in or boneless)
  • 1 (large-sliced) Onion
  • 1 can tomatoes, no.303
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 can tomato hot sauce
  • Salt (to taste)
  • 1 tsp Black Pepper
  • 2 tbsp Flour (for gravy, optional)
  • 1 tsp Garlic Salt (or garlic powder for less salt)
  • 2 tbsp Oil or Shortening (for searing)

Directions:

• • Trim the roast of fat and bad spots.
  • Cut the roast as thin as possible.
  • Sprinkle salt, pepper and garlic both sides of each piece of the roast.
  • Then flour both sides.
  • Use enough oil or shortening to cover the bottom of fry pan.
  • Heat, brown on both sides.
  • Put the pieces in a roaster or covered pan.
  • Put the rest of the ingredients over the top the roast and bake in the oven at 300° for about 3 hours or until done.
  • Take the meat out and use the rest for gravy.

Serves 10 to 12.

Mrs. J. Denton

Mrs. Denton’s recipe for The Montana Special won first prize in the Wild Game Cooking section of the Montana Standard recipe contest several years ago.

Why It’s “Montana Special”

Montana’s hunting culture emphasizes simple, hearty preparations that let wild game shine.

The combination of slow cooking, local ingredients like apples, and a creamy, savory gravy reflects the state’s rustic culinary tradition, perfect for cozy gatherings after a hunt.

If you’d like a different cooking method (e.g., oven or Dutch oven), a specific Montana twist (like huckleberry glaze), just let me know!