Ground Beef Stinks
- Thread starter DampCharcoal
- Start date
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If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
Have you considered changing butchers, markets, going for a leaner cut, or trying Bison? I buy lean. It's a little more expensive, but haven't encountered gristle since I ate at a fast food place. Alternately, you can go with ground veal, chicken or turkey.
Greg Who Cooks
Executive Chef
Frank, I'm not sure it's even worth the trouble to seek higher authority in a store. Honestly I don't use hamburger all that much. Sometimes I buy "buffalo" burger, sometimes I just buy what's in the meat case, sometimes I trim my own steak and give it a quick run through my food processor. If I were using hamburger all the time I might go to some effort but more often than not I cook things that don't have any relevance to hamburger. In fact off hand hamburgers are the only thing I can think of where I use ground beef.
I had the same problem with whole chickens. They didn't have any halves and I wanted them to saw a whole one in half for me. "We don't want to clean the saw for just one chicken." I ended up getting a cleaver and between that and my shears I prefer my cutting my own whole chickens now anyway, I always buy them whole whole and either cut them in half or do that thing where you make them lay flat like road kill.
I had the same problem with whole chickens. They didn't have any halves and I wanted them to saw a whole one in half for me. "We don't want to clean the saw for just one chicken." I ended up getting a cleaver and between that and my shears I prefer my cutting my own whole chickens now anyway, I always buy them whole whole and either cut them in half or do that thing where you make them lay flat like road kill.
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No meatloaf or meat balls?
Greg Who Cooks
Executive Chef
Not very often. I'm single. I usually end up cooking things that can be conveniently cooked for one person. That's why I've been on an Asian kick lately: tastes really good, easy to cook one portion. And I eat a lot of chicken and shrimp anyway. I eat beef probably less than once a week, and when I eat beef it's mostly steak. If my situation changes and I end up cooking for more people on a regular basis then my diet will probably change too, and maybe I'll make meatloaf and meatballs more often.
Andy M.
Certified Pretend Chef
When I was single, I often made larger meals and froze meal-sized portions for later use. Chili, tomato sauce with meatballs and sausages, soups, meatloaf, etc. I didn't really get into Asian cooking until later.
Kathleen
Cupcake
What kind do you have? I found one in a second-hand shop, but Frank felt that it did not work well at all.
ACK!
What kind do you have? I found one in a second-hand shop, but Frank felt that it did not work well at all.
ACK!
But I hear that yogurt maker is working well.
What kind do you have? I found one in a second-hand shop, but Frank felt that it did not work well at all.
ACK!
I got it at an outdoor sports wholesaler. Not sure what it is and it's buried right now. I works great! and easy to clean. Start with large grind and go to small.
It is cast iron and I keep it wrapped in a cotton towel!
Claire
Master Chef
Can't help but answer that one. No one likes a smart ass. As I've often told a certain nephew, there's a huge difference between being smart and being a smart ass. If you treat the butcher badly, it's probably not going to get you good meat!
That said, choose a piece of beef (or whatever), and ask them to grind it. Sometimes you'll have to go at the end of their day. I had a hard time getting ground pork that I needed for tourtiere. So I picked a pork shoulder and asked for it to be ground. No. Cannot do it. Ok, didn't think much of it. As I shopped my name was called on the store's PA system. I went back to the meat counter. "We were about to sterilize the grinder anyway, and so ground your roast for you." I was thrilled. They simply were not allowed to use the grinder on pork without sterilizing it before doing beef.
When you're nice to people, it is amazing what you can get.
lyndalou
Head Chef
I agree, Claire. If you've ever worked in a job where you are dealing with the public , the smart asses can get you down. It's very hard to maintain your cool when you are being treated badly.
DampCharcoal
Executive Chef
Claire, I didn't mean to suggest that I would act as a smartass. That was a poor choice of words on my part, I meant more of like just joking around in a good natured way.
My bad!
My bad!
Soma
Senior Cook
I never trust pre-ground meat anymore, not unless done specifically by a butcher when I ask him to.
and I've recently discovered that i prefer pork to beef for meatloaf, so buy loin of pork and grind it in my food processor.
and I've recently discovered that i prefer pork to beef for meatloaf, so buy loin of pork and grind it in my food processor.
justplainbill
Executive Chef
This thread makes me doubly happy that in 1964 I bought my, then 65 year old, Grandmother an Oster meat grinder for Christmas; doubly happy because it's still going strong. I took me about 15 minutes today to grind 1 1/2 lbs of pork butt for meatballs that are currently cooking in a batch of tomato spaghetti sauce. It took about 1/2 hour to clean and dry the grinder.
IIR the Oster cost ~$65.
IIR the Oster cost ~$65.
Kathleen
Cupcake
It took me about 35 minutes to grind 12.5 pounds of chuck today (with the bulk of that the cutting and fat removing).
I used Lucille to do the heavy lifting on the grinding.
I used Lucille to do the heavy lifting on the grinding.
DampCharcoal
Executive Chef
"I used Lucille to do the heavy lifting on the grinding."
You named your grinder?
Excellent!
You named your grinder?
Excellent!
Kathleen
Cupcake
"I used Lucille to do the heavy lifting on the grinding."
You named your grinder?
Excellent!
There was a DC contest to name the KA when he got it. Lucille fits.
His food processor became Red Bettie.
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Lucille:
I got her some bling and she grinds the meat...
I got her some bling and she grinds the meat...
Greg Who Cooks
Executive Chef
That reminds me of the last thing a bug thinks when it splats on your windshield: "Big!!! Shiny!!!" {splat!}
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