Minced Ground Meat, "how-to" Beef, Pork, Poultry and even Salmon

[dragnlaw]

Believe I posted this once before when I found a tough piece of steak cheaper* than some ground beef I needed. Do I do this? No, not everytime I need but often enough.
From the Woks of Life here's the video which is pretty self explanatory with the visuals.
Here is their full posting on How to Grind Meat without a Grinder.

*I once needed a pound of ground (aka minced) beef for a recipe. There were only huge packages of ground beef available costing 15$ and up. I did NOT want 15$ worth of beef! Saw a small piece of steak, for $7.xx (something, don't remember exactly). Bought that and did the above way to chop and was very happy with the results.
I have done this with chicken. I've also chopped salmon, using the food processor, into pieces approx 1/4" whiich is absolutely perfect for salmon patties.

You have honest texture not mush. I truly think should you try it, you will be seriously impressed with the results.

 

[pictonguy]

How much of that "huge" portion of ground beef could you have portioned and used at a later date?

Anyway, the point your trying to make is valid and sometimes cheaper roast cuts will be less per lb than ground beef and I look for those deals all the time.

First of all, you know what your getting when you buy a piece of meat for grinding and less change of contamination as well.

I've made ground by that method quite a bit, but generally just specific to a recipe only and would never attempt to grind a 5 lb roast with that method.

I have 2 cleavers one is European and the other is Chinese which make easy work but if someone is going to attempt this, then a good heavy chefs knife will help, and very sharp otherwise it could be somewhat frustrating.

 

[dragnlaw]

@pictonguy perfectly true your comments. My point was I did NOT want to portion out for later. I just wanted a small amount for then and there.
LOL, absolutely a sharp knife if essential or it will be, as said, frustrating!

I'm trying to remember back... I believe the smallest and cheapest package of ground was $25.00. Weight? don't remember. This little steak was $7 something and the perfect weight for what I was making.

What made me think of all this was you and caseydog talking about using the sous vide for hamburger patties and not wanting them to have a mushy mouthfeel.
My first ever experience was making ATK's salmon patties and they used the food processor doing only 2 or 3 pulses. I was amazed at the texture of the patties.
Then I saw the posting by WOK and first tried it with some chicken.
I refuse to buy ground chicken as I think it seems to become tasteless and the extra expense just never made sense. I've always just pass over any recipes I see with ground chicken, never bother to even read them.

 

[pictonguy]

@pictonguy perfectly true your comments. My point was I did NOT want to portion out for later. I just wanted a small amount for then and there.
LOL, absolutely a sharp knife if essential or it will be, as said, frustrating!

I'm trying to remember back... I believe the smallest and cheapest package of ground was $25.00. Weight? don't remember. This little steak was $7 something and the perfect weight for what I was making.

What made me think of all this was you and caseydog talking about using the sous vide for hamburger patties and not wanting them to have a mushy mouthfeel.
My first ever experience was making ATK's salmon patties and they used the food processor doing only 2 or 3 pulses. I was amazed at the texture of the patties.
Then I saw the posting by WOK and first tried it with some chicken.
I refuse to buy ground chicken as I think it seems to become tasteless and the extra expense just never made sense. I've always just pass over any recipes I see with ground chicken, never bother to even read them.

A food processor does come in handy for some application, no doubt about that. Personally not for salmon cakes though but I make a Chinese street food that resembles a pancake filled with ground beef and many other Asian ingredients that are really overworked in a food processor which gives it a consistency that works very well. Also if I'm making a filling for ravioli or tortellini i will use a FP. Of course tartare is best when using a knife as well, a food processor would be considered an abomination, lol.

 

[pacanis]

My sister just passed this down to me. I'm not sure who had it before her. Not our mother. I would have remembered her using it. Maybe our grandmother.

 

[dcSaute]

we have one from my mother and one from my grandmother - I suppose that means we can "double grind?"

my parents would buy/freeze (some fraction) of a cow from a local farm - and that hand grinder got a lot of use as they didn't get "ground beef" in their order.

my fav trick as hamburgers come up on the menu plan . . . watch for the highly discounted (better grade/cuts) of steaks at the market - usually slashed half or more as they approach the 'sell by' times . . . trim and grind for burgers.
way far more tasty than the ready made / prepackaged "ground beef"!

 

[dragnlaw]

My mom had a grinder like that and I got one when I got married. Don't remember if my grandmother had one but I assume she did.

I remember mom making hash with left over roast beef, potatoes, onions best. Not remembering hamburgers at all until my teens.

 

[Jusa]

The butchers where I shop will do it for free. But I have ground up steak in my food processor at home before. I found that cubing and partially freezing the meat, along with chilling the FP blade and housing, prevented the meat from turning into a paste.

 

[taxlady]

I never see beef or pork that is cheaper than the same quality of ground beef or ground pork. I would happily give that method that uses a very sharp knife or cleaver.

 

[In A Pickle]

I have just been looking at mincers because I’m thinking of doing a sausage making course (just a day thing to get to grips with it) and watching the ‘woks of life’ clip again has convinced me buying a mincer is the way to go, my thumbs started to ache just watching it

Just to be extra lazy I’ll be making sure it can all go in the dishwasher too