Method:

Set your smoker to 150°C and load it with a few hours' worth of the Hunters Blend or Sage Flavoured Bisquettes.

Allow that to come to temperature and begin to prepare the beef joint for smoking.

Slice into 2-inch-thick rounds, and rub them with the salt, pepper, onion and garlic powders. Place these onto a rack in the centre of your smoker and allow to cook for 30 minutes.

After the 30 minutes has passed, turn the oven of the smoker down to its lowest setting of 30°C and continue to smoke and cook on a low temp for a further 2 hours.

Meanwhile, prepare the mashed potatoes. If you prefer a smooth mash, boil the potatoes whole with skins on. After they have cooked through, drain and cool until you can safely handle them. Peel off the skins. If you prefer skins, you may want to cut your potatoes into halves for a quicker cook time.

Simply boil until cooked, drain, then cool until you can safely handle them.

Boil together the milk, butter, and mustard powder.

While doing this, grate the white cheddar.

Roughly mash the potatoes, add the mixture of boiled milk, butter, and mustard powder, along with the grated White Cheddar, and salt and pepper to taste. Mash all together until you reach your desired texture.

Set aside.

When you have finished smoking the Beef, turn off your smoker and begin to cook the rest of your pie filling.

In a large saucepan, heat the oil on medium heat. Add the carrots and onions. Allow to cook for about 10 minutes until brown.

Dice the beef into small, cubed portions. Add to the carrot and onion. Allow to cook a further 3 minutes, then add the minced garlic.

Cook for another minute or so, then add the flour into the saucepan. Give it a good mix, and once all has been coated, add the tomato paste, the Worcestershire sauce, and the thyme, rosemary, and sage mix.

After another minute or so, add the bottle of Newcastle Brown ale (or another dark ale) into the saucepan.

Turn down the heat to med-low and allow it to bubble and cook down for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, mix your beef stock cubes with 750ml of hot water until dissolved. Now add the stock into the saucepan with all the rest. Let all simmer together for 1 hour.

Remove the saucepan from heat and pour the filling into a buttered pie dish.

Place the whole thing in the fridge for an hour (or more!) to allow to cool completely. At this point, if you wanted to freeze the filling for use another time – that is perfectly okay to do for up to 3 months.

When ready to bake, begin to cover the contents of the pie dish with the mashed potatoes.

Start by filling around the edges and work your way into the centre. When covered, smooth the potato across the top of the pie. Now if you would like, drag a fork across to create raised lines across the pie.

Bake for 30mins-1 hour at 160°C Allow to cool for a further 30 minutes before serving.