Grinding your own beef

[Addie]

I watched Cook's Country today. They had a section where the public was asked to taste test ground beef from a supermarket and home ground in the form of a hamburger. Everyone chose the home ground. I use to grind my own beef all the time. I have the attachment for my KA. Every tester stated that the home ground was jucier. I use to see what chuck meat was on sale and grind it, then freeze it in one pound packages. I need to get back to doing that again. Anytime I make a hamburger, I put a small pat of butter in the middle of the patty. Time for me to get back to basics.

 

[justplainbill]

I watched Cook's Country today. They had a section where the public was asked to taste test ground beef from a supermarket and home ground in the form of a hamburger. Everyone chose the home ground. I use to grind my own beef all the time. I have the attachment for my KA. Every tester stated that the home ground was jucier. I use to see what chuck meat was on sale and grind it, then freeze it in one pound packages. I need to get back to doing that again. Anytime I make a hamburger, I put a small pat of butter in the middle of the patty. Time for me to get back to basics.

Agreed, but cleaning the 4 mm holes in the grinder plate can be a chore and ideally meat grinding should be done in a walk in refrigerator; would not like do it in the kitchen during May through September. Did what's likely my last batch of pork and venison for the season a few days ago and am looking forward to the meatballs made from them this evening.

 

[Vanitas]

I found an old fashioned meat grinder at a garage sale a few weeks back and have been itching to try it out. I'm excited to try grinding all sorts of things!

 

[justplainbill]

I found an old fashioned meat grinder at a garage sale a few weeks back and have been itching to try it out. I'm excited to try grinding all sorts of things!

Cut meat into ~1" square cubes and partially freeze.
Then do about 5 lbs of meat and you'll -
... get a good workout
... get a good insight onto how hard people worked years ago.

 

[Vanitas]

Cut meat into ~1" square cubes and partially freeze.
Then do about 5 lbs of meat and you'll -
... get a good workout
... get a good insight onto how hard people worked years ago.

Thanks for the advice!

I imagine it will be quite the workout, but thinking about the delicious results make it all worthwhile. I attempted to make home-made butter after reading about it on a blog. Basically you shake cream in a container until butter forms. Wow. Couldn't feel my arm for days. And all I had to show for it was a couple tablespoons of mushy substance that was sorta like butter.

 

[justplainbill]

I watched Cook's Country today. They had a section where the public was asked to taste test ground beef from a supermarket and home ground in the form of a hamburger. Everyone chose the home ground. I use to grind my own beef all the time. I have the attachment for my KA. Every tester stated that the home ground was jucier. I use to see what chuck meat was on sale and grind it, then freeze it in one pound packages. I need to get back to doing that again. Anytime I make a hamburger, I put a small pat of butter in the middle of the patty. Time for me to get back to basics.

Butter's great but I find reasonable amounts of the chuck fat works pretty well both in the taste department and for lubricating the grinder.

 

[FrankZ]

Thanks for the advice!

I imagine it will be quite the workout, but thinking about the delicious results make it all worthwhile. I attempted to make home-made butter after reading about it on a blog. Basically you shake cream in a container until butter forms. Wow. Couldn't feel my arm for days. And all I had to show for it was a couple tablespoons of mushy substance that was sorta like butter.

I have made butter with my KA. Whisk attachment and a quart of heavy cream. Butter in about 15 minutes.

 

[taxlady]

I made butter by shaking it in a jar once. I had South African boy friend who had no idea how butter was made. So we made it together and took turns shaking it. He was amazed that it could be made without fancy machines.

 

[Addie]

I have an Oxo kitchen brush that cleans out those holes very easily. And I too have made butter with my KA. Unintentionally. Don't turn your back when you are making whipped cream. Son #1 bought me a blender for Mother's Day when he was about 12 years old. He was playing around with it after he heard about how to make butter. He was surprised that it worked. The only thing he forgot was to put salt in it. So I had him mix it in by hand. I had a WWII glass butter dish and he put the butter in that and formed it into a brick. I was quite impressed with him.

My mother had one of those old metal hand grinders. She used to make hash all the time. My favorite was Red Flannel Hash. I still make it about twice a year now.

 

[Aunt Bea]

Agreed, but cleaning the 4 mm holes in the grinder plate can be a chore and ideally meat grinding should be done in a walk in refrigerator; would not like do it in the kitchen during May through September. Did what's likely my last batch of pork and venison for the season a few days ago and am looking forward to the meatballs made from them this evening.

I am sure you have used this trick, when we used to grind meat we would run a cup of oatmeal through at the very end to help clean out the plates. Then we would add that ground oatmeal to some of the meat for a meatloaf or meatballs. Grinding the oats does not eliminate the need to give the plate a good cleaning but it does help to get rid of much of the meat residue.

 

[taxlady]

I am sure you have used this trick, when we used to grind meat we would run a cup of oatmeal through at the very end to help clean out the plates. Then we would add that ground oatmeal to some of the meat for a meatloaf or meatballs. Grinding the oats does not eliminate the need to give the plate a good cleaning but it does help to get rid of much of the meat residue.

I run an onion or two after the meat.

 

[Aunt Bea]

I run an onion or two after the meat.

That is a great idea but, it made me think of the Mysterians!

"96 tears, too many teardrops for one heart to be cryin"

 

[Vanitas]

I am sure you have used this trick, when we used to grind meat we would run a cup of oatmeal through at the very end to help clean out the plates. Then we would add that ground oatmeal to some of the meat for a meatloaf or meatballs. Grinding the oats does not eliminate the need to give the plate a good cleaning but it does help to get rid of much of the meat residue.

Thanks for the fantastic suggestion! I have tucked this away in the memory bank for when I try my grinder.