Grinding Meat for Burgers??

I've ground chuck roast using the grinding attachment on my Kitchenaid. I like it, but I don't know if it's enough of a difference to make it worth it. I'll probably do it more often if I get Foodsaver so I can do 10+ lbs at a time and freeze it for later. Doing a small roast for a single meal is a little more work than it's worth.

1) I grind almost all my own hamburger meat, but from venison/beef fat, so it isn't really what you are talking about.  I do grind a lot of meat though.

2) Grinding it yourself, you know what is the in the ground meat.  Some people don't trust grocery stores, don't trust accurate fat/meat ratios, or are worried about more beef recalls.

2)Save money buying the meat whole and grinding it VS buying it pre-ground. In my opinion, you do not save enough to matter, especially after the effort and buying a grinder.  I would possibly do this if you ground a lot at once and did it a few times a year.

3) Cuts - you will get a lot of opinions on this, but chuck, sirloin, and brisket are the most common I see.  People play with different combinations and fat contents to get a blend they like.


I havent ground more expensive cuts of meat, but a guy a work with does.  For special opccasions, he gets Prime Rib Eyes and Filets.  He will sear the outside of both, then grind them together to make his patties.  Put them back on the grill and cook to a medium rare.  He has been doing it for years and swears it is the best hamburger you will ever eat.  Seems like a waste of good steaks to me, but this guy spends a lot of money on quality food/dining and has always been dead on with food recommendations.

The main advantage is that, unlike ground beef, you don't need to cook it to 165.

@HendersonTRKing   Grinding chuck  or sirloin at home won't really get you much different from buying it from the market.  Grinding at home gets it best results if you blend different cuts that are not available in the market.

Try a blend of 2 parts neck, 1 part each of chuck, sirloin, and short rib with a bit of filet (1/2 part).  Add enough fat/suet to make up 20-25%.  (neck meat adds good flavor but is a pain to get enough off the bones)  

Also, egg/fillers = meatloaf.  Good, but not a hamburger.

henapple said:

Kitchenaid attachment. Chuck, boneless beef ribs and ribeyes 

No bacon?

Theophan said:

jtcBoynton said:

... Try a blend of 2 parts neck, 1 part each of chuck, sirloin, and short rib with a bit of filet (1/2 part)...

I've never ground my own beef, but I often think about it, partly because I think I'd be willing to cook burgers medium rare again if I ground my own meat.  I've heard many people recommend brisket and short ribs, but I'm curious about the filet/tenderloin.  I love how soft filet of beef is, but I've always thought it had less beefy flavor than any other cut of meat.  Why add filet/tenderloin to the burger mix?  It's super expensive and I would have thought it would add nothing good.  You've been doing it, I haven't, so I'm not arguing with you, just curious.

its a good way to use up the skinney tail section

I buy chuck roasts when on sale to grind.  My local place throws ribeye fat rolled in plastic in the counter for free, so add more.  

Best burger I've grind was when I got some t-bones/porterhouses on sale cheap and grind them.  

I did these not long ago and they did NOT suck.  

http://eggheadforum.com/discussion/1187507/i-cooked-stuff-it-was-good/p1

If the meat has a fair amount of fat it is a good idea to put the meat in the freezer for an hour or so, it will make it easier to go through the grinder.

Gerhard

@theophan I steaked out a couple of tenderloins for my sons birthday. All the scraps and a chuck made for 60/40 chuck to tenderloin. Great burgers and meatloaf/meatballs. 

i began grinding pork shoulder for sausage about three years ago.   Awesome.  Then i discovered mixing ground chuck with short rib meat plus a few brisket fat trimmings that i tossed in freezer and forgot about made incredible hamburger.   I had kitchen aid attachment but went ahead and got a LEM big bite #12.   For this years super bowl i made incredible burgers.   Grind equal parts chuck and short rib meat and add another 10% worth of brisket fat to the mix. Be sure fat is frozen when you grind it.     Grind on fine plate and pack coarsley.  Do NOT press meat together tightly lest you wind up with dense rubbery pucks

As you are loosley mixing meat sprinkle some salt.  I dont have a ratio here but use common sense.    No other spicing is needed.   Then, make patties stacking  them between layers of parchment or wax paper and freeze them. Put frozen patties on hot grill for crust formation and flip to other side.  Ive had problems with cast iron grill as it held onto the meat too much. Reg stainless grill with thinner grate bars works well. Or use cast iron griddle.  

When you start making meatballs from your home ground beef and pork and make home made brats, italian, and polish sausage, you will love it that you decided to venture into meat grinding.   It is VERY therapeutic.   

I seem to have nothing but bad luck with my kitchen aid grinder.  I'm eyeing the grinder from Northern Tool.  As soon as it goes on sale again I'll jump on it.  It has great reviews.

85 percent chuck, 15 percent sirloin. I think that's Alton Brown's recipe, iirc. 85% fat is the goal, no matter what you grind. I seem to remember that Ramsey puts rib meat in his $15 burgers in Vegas... if you ever try one of those, be prepared for a mouthful that you are reluctant to swallow it tastes so good.

I like to put a dimple in the top with my thumb. Burgers expand like a football as they cook and people tend to smash them down - you lose all the fat and juices that way.

Putting a thumb sized dimple in the top gets the burger to a uniform shape as it expands under heat.