Welcome to the EGGhead Forum - a great place to visit and packed with tips and EGGspert advice! You can also join the conversation and get more information and amazing kamado recipes by following Big Green Egg to Experience our World of Flavor™ at:
Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Instagram  |  Pinterest  |  Youtube  |  Vimeo
Share your photos by tagging us and using the hashtag #BigGreenEgg.

Want to see how the EGG is made? Click to Watch

Tips on grinding certain cuts for burgers?

Options
jls9595
jls9595 Posts: 1,533
in Beef
I assume I need to add some fat to things like a brisket flat, where do I get it? What about a chuck roast, do I need to add fat to that? I assume none is needed for something like a ribeye. What about the ends and chain of a tenderloin?
In Manchester, TN
Vol For Life!
· Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Comments

  • buzd504
    buzd504 Posts: 3,824
    Options
    Ground chuck comes out great as-is.
    NOLA
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Zmokin
    Zmokin Posts: 1,938
    Options
    It all depends upon how much % fat you want.  I've been grinding my own beef for 3 decades now.  I used to go for ultra-lean, but lately, I've taken to grinding up the meat and fat from short ribs for making hamburger for hamburger patties.  I then save the rib bones to roast, then boil for canning my own beef stock.
    Large BGE in a Sole' Gourmet Table
    Using the Black Cast Iron grill, Plate Setter,
     and a BBQ Guru temp controller.

    Medium BGE in custom modified off-road nest.
    Black Cast Iron grill, Plate Setter, and a Party-Q temp controller.

    Location: somewhere West of the Mason-Dixon Line
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Lit
    Lit Posts: 9,053
    Options
    Don't get a flat to grind get a whole packer. Its cheaper per pound and has all the fat you'll need. Brisket burgers are all I do now.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • jls9595
    jls9595 Posts: 1,533
    Options
    sounds good @Lit  I have to drive about 30min to the 'boro to get a whole packer but it will yield a good amount of ground beef.  
    In Manchester, TN
    Vol For Life!
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Lit
    Lit Posts: 9,053
    Options
    I also grind the meat twice now. Usually the first time through it will get clogged up a little but the second time I get a good grind. I use the kitchenaid grinder so if you have a better grinder you may not have this issue. I watched a local butcher and he put his through 3 times and that was with a copy machine sized commercial grinder that he was dropping whole briskets into.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • td66snrf
    td66snrf Posts: 1,822
    Options
    I wait until chuck roasts are on sale and have the butcher at the grocery store double grind it. I did sirloin a couple of times but it was too lean. I haven't tried brisket but it sounds really good.
    XLBGE, LBGE, MBGE, SMALL, MINI, 2 Kubs, Fire Magic Gasser
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • BugCollector
    BugCollector Posts: 42
    Options
    I grind half packer and half chuck.  I leave all the fat on. I have been thinking about adding more fat because the patties fall apart while grilling or searing on the range.  The results are certainly worth the effort as my burgers taste better than any I can get at restaurants.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Lit
    Lit Posts: 9,053
    Options
    If you add and egg or 2 depending on how much your grinding the patties will stay together.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Zmokin
    Zmokin Posts: 1,938
    Options
    Lit said:
    I also grind the meat twice now. Usually the first time through it will get clogged up a little but the second time I get a good grind. I use the kitchenaid grinder so if you have a better grinder you may not have this issue. I watched a local butcher and he put his through 3 times and that was with a copy machine sized commercial grinder that he was dropping whole briskets into.
    I also do a double grind, but I grind with a course cut disc the first time which never clogs up, and then the 2nd grind through the fine cut disc, which because it is the 2nd grind, it won't clog.  I also have medium disc.
    Large BGE in a Sole' Gourmet Table
    Using the Black Cast Iron grill, Plate Setter,
     and a BBQ Guru temp controller.

    Medium BGE in custom modified off-road nest.
    Black Cast Iron grill, Plate Setter, and a Party-Q temp controller.

    Location: somewhere West of the Mason-Dixon Line
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Skiddymarker
    Skiddymarker Posts: 8,522
    edited March 2014
    Options
    Best results I get is to sort lean and fat and grind separately. Mix gently by hand after the grind. Easy to weigh and target an 80/20 mix. If being used for meatloaf, pork fat is often mixed with beef. 
    Delta B.C. - Whiskey and steak, because no good story ever started with someone having a salad!
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • NDG
    NDG Posts: 2,431
    Options
    Last time I made burgers I ground 75% chuck and 25% short ribs - one coarse grind and it turned out very nice.  I would like to try a brisket/chuck combination to compare.
    Columbus, OH

    “There are only two ways to live your life.  One is as though nothing is a miracle.  The other is as if everything is” 
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Eggpharmer
    Eggpharmer Posts: 479
    Options
    Don't know if you have seen this or not, good comparison of different cuts

    http://mobile.aht.seriouseats.com/archives/2009/10/the-burger-lab-best-burger-blend-profiles-of-eight-cuts-of-beef.html
    Austin, TX
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Mickey
    Mickey Posts: 19,674
    edited March 2014
    Options
    Been doing brisket burgers for the past two years. S&P with chopped red onions only. image
    Salado TX & 30A  FL: Egg Family: 3 Large and a very well used Mini, added a Mini Max when they came out (I'm good for now). Plus a couple Pit Boss Pellet Smokers.   

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 32,754
    Options
    if you buy a chuck roll you can cut out the chuck eye roast for a great potroast or for pulled beef and you get alot of good fatty beef from the cuttings, thats pretty much all i use. if you use the KA grinder, throw out the small plate, its useless, and look on ebay for bigger aftermarket plates
    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • NoJokeSmoke
    NoJokeSmoke Posts: 42
    Options
    Kelley (EggObsessed) and I along with a few other couples did a blind tasting of 5 different burger cuts:  Ribeye, Chuck, Brisket, Sirloin and New York Strip.  We put different colored tooth picks in the patties to identify the cuts after the tasting.  As you might imagine, the Ribeye won hands down, receiving all first place votes, but Brisket was a close second receiving all but one of the second place votes.  The winning order was:
    1. Ribeye
    2. Brisket
    3. Chuck
    4. Sirloin
    5. New York Strip

    My Favorite mix is 50/50 brisket/Ribeye. However, I usually do a mixture of 70% brisket and 30% chuck.  Brisket by itself at times seems to be too lose and wants to fall apart, but if I add chuck into the mix it seems to hold together better. 

    For the grind, I found that I can go to my local HEB and ask them to grind it for me and they do it for me. Some HEBs have are not as agreeable as others, but in the Austin area the Westlake HEB is so accommodating.  I ask them to add fat in if they are just grinding the flat, but if grinding the point to not to add anything.  I do the same when I grind it myself.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • TexanOfTheNorth
    TexanOfTheNorth Posts: 3,951
    Options
    I agree with @Lit about grinding the whole packer. Make sure your equipment and meat are really cold before you grind, that should help keep some of the clogging down. You also don't want the fat to begin to melt while grinding.
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Well, "spa-Peggy" is kind of like spaghetti. I'm not sure what Peggy does different, if anything. But it's the one dish she's kind of made her own.
    ____________________
    Aurora, Ontario, Canada
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • jls9595
    jls9595 Posts: 1,533
    Options
    @NoJokeSmoke that is very interesting. Thanks
    In Manchester, TN
    Vol For Life!
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Categories