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Grind your own?

BaysidebobBaysidebob Posts: 489
edited July 2012 in EggHead Forum
I've ordered a meat grinder.  I love my burgers but having no idea what's in them bothers me.  If you grind your own what cuts do you use for burgers?
My actuary says I'm dead.

Comments

  • brianwdmnbrianwdmn Posts: 366
    Chuck
    Marietta, East Cobb, GA
  • Hillbilly-HightechHillbilly-Hightech Posts: 966
    I've ordered a meat grinder.  I love my burgers but having no idea what's in them bothers me.  If you grind your own what cuts do you use for burgers?
    Here, read this: 

    http://eggheadforum.com/discussion/1134763/burger-grinding-egg-speriment-results#latest

    Have fun!!
    Rob
    Don't get set into one form, adapt it and build your own, and let it grow, be like water. Empty your mind, be formless, shapeless — like water. Now you put water in a cup, it becomes the cup... Now water can flow or it can crash. Be water, my friend. - Bruce Lee
  • BrownieBrownie Posts: 1,023
    Cool post! Thanks for your info.
  • AleBrewerAleBrewer Posts: 555
    I always use chuck. What kind of grinder did you get?
  • BaysidebobBaysidebob Posts: 489
    I always use chuck. What kind of grinder did you get?

    Deni 3500 800-Watt Professional Grade Meat Grinder from Amazon $95.  I had one before and loved it but eventually burned it up grinding chicken (with bones) for dog food.  The dogs still eat "raw" but must grind their own bones.  They don't mind and this one is for me.

    My actuary says I'm dead.
  • AleBrewerAleBrewer Posts: 555
    Nice....enjoy it.  And enjoy making fresh ground burgers, and home made sausage, and home made horseradish....etc...

    I have yet to try brisket with the chuck....might give that a whirl soon.
  • ChefBubbaChefBubba Posts: 10
    alton brown says half chuck / half sirloin. america's test kitchen says flap meat
  • allitnilsallitnils Posts: 109
    Big respect for going your own way to mincing your own meat.
    I've been doing this for years.
    I love eating, and love to eat good food.To be honest, I don't know how others will react, but this is my own view, and you can agree or not:
    As such, I see no difference in investing on a big juicy steak, or meat to mince.
    When I mince my meat, I generally buy ribeye angus steaks and mince them.
    The taste of angus ribeye is fantastic as a steak, and incredible as a burger.
    If you're going through the trouble of mincing your own beef, don't settle for a lesser cut.
  • BaysidebobBaysidebob Posts: 489

    From Wikipedia:  I'm so very glad I ordered the grinder!

    In a study in the USA in 2008, eight different brands of fast food hamburgers were evaluated for water content by weight and recognizable tissue types using morphological techniques that are commonly used in the evaluation of tissue's histological condition. The study found that the content of the hamburgers included:

    • Water content 37.7% to 62.4% (mean, 49%)
    • Meat content 2.1% to 14.8% (median, 12.1%)
    • Skeletal tissue
    • Connective tissue
    • Blood vessels
    • Peripheral nerve tissue
    • Plant material
    • Adipose tissue
    • Bone and Cartilage ("Bone and cartilage, observed in some brands, were not expected; their presence may be related to the use of mechanical separation in the processing of the meat from the animal. Small amounts of bone and cartilage may have been detached during the separation process"
    My actuary says I'm dead.
  • GriffinGriffin Posts: 7,650

    There was a great article on Serious Eats about mastering the burger blend. Good info going into taste, texture and fat content located HERE

    I've only had two attempts so far, a chuck and skirt steak blend (it was so so) and a chuck and short rib blend (much better). I think I'm going to try some brisket next time and would love to try their recommendation of sirloin, brisket and oxtail.

    Rowlett, Texas

    Griffin's Grub or you can find me on Facebook

    The Supreme Potentate, Sovereign Commander and Sultan of Wings

     

  • LitLit Posts: 6,847
    I am going to try some brisket mixed in next time with chuck and short ribs. Chuck and short ribs are a staple and I experiment from there. Below are some tri tip, short rib and chuck burgers. Did one with cow lick, one brown sugar and onion (Always goes over the best), and some umami. Also some salmon burgers with Feta, capers, onion, sun dried tomatoes etc.image.image.image.image.image
  • MickeyMickey Posts: 18,644

    I have the butcher grind brisket for the best burgers (IMO). Why do your own?

     

    image
    Salado TX Egg Family: 2 Large and a very well used Mini, added a Mini Max (I'm good for now). 

  • BaysidebobBaysidebob Posts: 489
    Factory ranchers and meat processors can make or break a congressional campaign.  Connective beef tissue is spun in a centrifuge yielding "pink slime", a great binder.  Salmonella and other bacteria may be a problem so it's treated with ammonia which the FDA allows to be called a "processing ingredient".  The other ingredients in "ground beef" may include anything not worth selling as cuts.  I feed my dogs "raw".  The only problem I ever had was including "on sale ground beef".  I view my dogs' stools a a bellweather.  If it's not good enough for them, It's not good enough for me and mine.
    My actuary says I'm dead.
  • twlangantwlangan Posts: 299
    Factory ranchers and meat processors can make or break a congressional campaign. 
    Factory ranchers? Make or break a campaign? This takes the cake. There are so few farmers (as a percentage of the population) that ag is almost nonexistent on their radars. About the only time ag shows up on the political radar is when food prices start to rise. This year's drought may make that happen.
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