MY $3 DINNER: Jamaican Beef Patties

The second in a continuing series of reviews of frozen food from Dollar Tree. If you like, you may read this review of Dollar Tree dim sum.

I can’t remember the date, but I’ll never forget the day. I was a junior or senior in high school, and one day I accompanied my mother to our local Kroger. Oh, I wasn’t doing that to be a “nice son” and help mom with the chores. I was doing it because my mom isn’t a “snacker”. To her a “snack” was lima beans and mayonnaise or cornbread drenched in buttermilk. She almost never bought Twinkies or Fritos on her own, so my going to the store with mom was the only way my sister and I’d get Little Debbies, Hot Pockets, microwave popcorn, and all of the other delicious junk food crap we craved as teenagers.

It was while mom was looking at the meat counter that I spied them. In one of those “casket freezers”, I spotted “Tower Isles Spicy Jamaican Beef Patties”. They looked good, so I got a box. And, a few days later, I fell in love. The spicy, curry-infused meat filling, the tumeric-laden crust… it was all good!

One of the downsides to moving to Charlotte was that I couldn’t find Jamaican beef patties anywhere, aside from Caribbean specialty stores on the other side of town. But then, one glorious day, I found that my local Walmart carrying them! $2.58 for a box of two patties! And, a year or two later, my local Dollar Tree finally put in a freezer section, and had them for only $1 each!

beef_patties_01

Heating them up is easy. You can either tear the package down the side and heat it up in the microwave for 2 minutes (there’s a “crisper sleeve” on the inside of the package), or you can put them in a 375F oven for 16-20 minutes. I prefer using a conventional oven because I like my patties crispy. It’s worth the wait, I think.

Here are the patties, ready to eat:

beef_patties_02

I normally get beef patties, but this time I decided to get two beef and two chicken. And they’re delicious! One thing, though: I’m not sure if Golden Krust makes their “spicy” beef patty milder than Tower Isles, or if I’ve just become so accustomed to spicy foods that my tolerance level is that high, but they’re just not spicy enough for me. I often drown them in my homemade West Indies Hot Sauce. Oh, and I actually like the chicken ones, too! They’re not nearly as spicy as the beef ones, but they have a great curry flavor that I just love! Mmmmm.. curry!

THE VERDICT: Would I eat them again? Hell, I’d eat them every day!

For the nitpickers out there: I normally buy four patties (as shown in the pictures), but I almost always only eat three for dinner. The fourth one is a leftover for snacks. So it’s still a “$3 dinner”.

9 Replies to “MY $3 DINNER: Jamaican Beef Patties”

  1. Hello sir I really appreciate the info of how to cook them in the oven. I looked all over the package and no info for oven use. Then I went online specifically requesting info. on frozen patties and I could’ve burned them up. Thanks again for how to properly cook these delicious meals the “Old Fashione” way. Me Jamaican mon… buh buh buk!!!!!

  2. I recently found the veggie ones at my local Dollar Tree and I also buy them for a quick lunch at work. My family isn’t crazy about them from the microwave so Ill try them in the oven when I have time at home, but I’m okay with them just fine.

    1. My GF – who is 97% vegetarian – bought the veggie ones, and neither one of us liked them. The filling just tasted too… “green”, maybe? It didn’t seem like it was actual vegetables so much as some kind of “vegetable slurry”. But… different people like different stuff.

  3. This is my first time ever trying this and they are currently in the oven ONLY b/c I just moved and do not have a microwave yet. It doesn’t say anything about the oven so I thank you for the information on how to cook them in the oven regardless of how they taste. Thank You Jim! But I bet they’re good from everyone’s comments not so much on the Veggie side huh lol

  4. Simple combo cooking technique: microwave from frozen for about 1.5 minutes, then toast in a toaster oven set to medium level. Comes out great! (Although straight microwave is good, but crispy toasted is better)

  5. The ones I got from Dollar Tree were tasty but were all dough and VERY little filling. They were chicken and were OK at best. The chicken tasted alright and the dough was tasty and flakey out of the microwave. But as I said earler it was mostly dough and I wouldnt buy them again. Now my local Grocery Outlet had another brand and these were beef at $2.49 for a box of two and those were delicious with the right amount of beef filling. Costs a bit more but well worth it and certainly will buy these again.

  6. Must do!!! Cook an egg sunny side easy. Place it inside patty. Add peperjack cheese on to of egg…. Awww heaven in your mouth. Best breakfast to cook!!!

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