Grinding Burger at home

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Ask-A-Butcher

Senior Cook
Joined
Feb 2, 2008
Messages
345
Location
Ft. Myers, Fl
This is the only way to know what is in your hamburger.

I think the best meat for burgers come from the Beef Chuck, followed by the Beef Round. Both are tasty, the Round being leaner than the Chuck. Buy Boneless Chuck Roasts, Boneless Underblade Roasts, etc and Boneless Beef Chuck Shoulder Clod. The Brisket Point will make one of the best burgers you've ever had. If you opt for the leaner, buy Top Round, Eye Round or Bottom Round Roasts. Occasionally you will find whole Sirloin Tips on sale and these make good burger, also, but extra fat may have to be added.

Ground Sirloin
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Cut the meat into one, or two inch, chunks for easier grinding. You will not need to remove any of the excess fat, unless it looks like an exorbitant amount. Eye ball* it before cutting and think in your mind that the total fat needs to be some where in the 10 to 15% range (more or less depending on your preferences). Make sure the meat is COLD while grinding. Partial freezing won't hurt. I would try running the meat thru the medium plate first, you might be surprised. Grind twice for the best results. If need be, use the coarse plate first and then switch to the medium or fine to finish.

* "Eye balling" it takes years of experience, so if you don't think you are up it, just trim all exterior fat from the meat and then weigh the lean to the fat for the correct ratio. For example: if you have 5 pounds of lean meat, add ¾ pound of fat back for 85/15 Ground Chuck (best for burgers on the grill) or 1 pound fat for a 80/20 mix. Keep in mind that if the meat is marbled well (a good USDA Choice or Prime), you can figure almost 5% fat is already there, so cut back on the fat addition.

Also, if you happen to cut your own steaks at home for the NY Loin Strip or the Rib Eye, save your clean fat trimmings in 1 pound bags for the freezer. It will come in handy one day :)

Ground Chuck
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1) if you have the time and the room.....place the head of the grinder/attachment in the fridge for at least 30 minutes prior to grinding meat.

2) place the trimmed meat chunks in a bowl or on a cookie sheet in the freezer for approx 20-30 minutes before grinding.

Both of the above ease the procedure of grinding the meat.

3) If you are using the Brisket Point, remove all the external fat. There should be enough marbling in the interior to give you a good 80/20 or a 85/15 Ground Chuck. If it looks too lean, you can always add some extra fat from the trimmings.

4) After the first grind, the meat is going to look fatty. This is normal. Gently toss by hand a few times to mix and run through the grinder the second time, it will look better.

5) Put the ground meat back into the fridge while you clean the grinder. Keeping it cold makes it easier to work with.

Bacon makes a good additive :-p
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As far as value, that would be entirely up to you. If you can find any meat around $2.00 a pound these days, that's a good buy! Check with your butcher or Sam's/Costco/BJ's, etc for a price on whole primal cuts, such as Boneless Chuck, Shoulder Clods, Gooseneck (Bottom) Rounds, Peeled Top Rounds or Sirloin Tips. I would avoid buying "marked down or reduced" steaks or roasts for grinding UNLESS you are going to use the burger that day. It's already got an 'age' on it and defrosting it will add some more time to it.
 
Is that bacon laying on top of the meat or fat trimmings? If it is bacon, why? :)

That indeed IS bacon :)

Why? Two reasons...... 1) to add fat to the meat if it's too lean. In this case the meat was Top Round and it definitely needed some more fat (in my opinion). And 2) the bacon imparts an excellent flavor to the burger

:D
 
For those of us who don't have a grinder, and don't use enough ground meat to make it worthwhile getting one, will a food processor work as a substitute?
 
For those of us who don't have a grinder, and don't use enough ground meat to make it worthwhile getting one, will a food processor work as a substitute?

Yes. The meat will have a different texture, but for all intents and purposes it is still 'chopped meat'. You might have to use smaller cubes, make sure they are chilled and only pulse a few at a time, otherwise the meat will turn to mush.
 
Looks like it does a good job . May I ask what brand and how much did it cost? I may get a stand alone grinder, the Kitchen Aid attachment does not really do a good job .
 
I want one !! Just wondering to you that have this grinder or another.
do you use it very much > Is it worth buying? Thanks !
 
If you buy enough meat to keep your family in burger for a month, and knowing what's in it, "YES", I say it was worth it and probably will pay for itself within a year.
 
Barb, the primary reason why I bought one is because I grind for the dogs. I supplement their diet with raw food. I grind about once every 2 months in batches. It's much cheaper than buying prepackaged.

I've also grounded other meats for us but not nearly as often. It did pay for itself in about a year so it was a good investment for us.
 
Barb, the primary reason why I bought one is because I grind for the dogs. I supplement their diet with raw food. I grind about once every 2 months in batches. It's much cheaper than buying prepackaged.

I've also grounded other meats for us but not nearly as often. It did pay for itself in about a year so it was a good investment for us.

I plan to grind some chicken for the cats.
 
I'm waiting for the big brown truck, suppose to bring the grinder today. Looking forward to using the workhorse. ;)

I plan to grind some chicken for the cats.

Excellent! Don't know if you are planning to grind bones but I've used it on chicken bones with no problem.

Disclaimer: Northern does not endorse or recommend grinding any kind of bones and it will void the warranty of the grinder. Even though they mention about feedbacks from those of us who do on their website. :)
 
Excellent! Don't know if you are planning to grind bones but I've used it on chicken bones with no problem.

Disclaimer: Northern does not endorse or recommend grinding any kind of bones and it will void the warranty of the grinder. Even though they mention about feedbacks from those of us who do on their website. :)

no problem, I did not plan to grind bones anyway.
 

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