First time grinding my own burgers


 

DaveF in IL

TVWBB Member
Like many, I love burgers, but I was always a bit underwhelmed with my efforts at home. I never seemed to be able to get close to the really good burgers that you can get in some restaurants. Just about everything I've ever heard or read about making better burgers starts with "grind your own meat", but I've never gotten around to it. Honestly I was always skeptical about how much difference it would make. Lately though I've been annoyed with the supermarket ground chuck I usually get. Our local grocery chain (Jewel) must be one of those places that adds red dye to their ground beef or something - you can cook that stuff until it's practically leather and yet whatever juice is left still comes out red. That makes it tough to judge doneness on the grill and makes an unappetizing mess on the plate too. I know this could be solved by going to a better butcher but kids and schedules and everything else make that tough.

Today I had a bit of extra time so I decided to give it a go. I picked up the grinder attachment for our KitchenAid and picked up a chuck roast from Costco (starting simple). Did the double grind that many here recommend, made some 6oz patties, S&P, grilled, topped with cheddar and the usual toppings on a toasted bun. Nothing fancy here, just wanted to see if the meat really made much difference.

I was amazed at how great it tasted. Definitely the best burger I've ever made at home. A lot of that was texture - much better than store bought. It just had a softer, more "melt in your mouth" feeling in addition to better flavor. I think I'm a convert!

Anyway, I know this isn't news to anyone here, but I'm mostly putting this out there for anyone in the future like me who hadn't bothered trying their own grind yet. Highly recommended. The grinding process itself is quick enough, so I don't think it adds a lot of complexity to an otherwise simple meal. Now I'll have to work on trying some mixes of other cuts of meat in the grind.
 
FWIW, best burgers are 80/20 (80% meat and 20% fat). The fat gives it the flavour so don't skimp and go leaner.

For a bit of a change, try 60/20/20 (60% beef, 20% pork and 20% fat). Gives it a slightly different flavour that is really good too.
 
Yep, agree. I like to use a mix of cuts. Usually chuck, and brisket and if I can find it short rib. I know all about using the KitchenAid (you can look me up if/when you break yours www.themixerdoc.com You'll want to be mindful that the plastic housing of that grinder will crack (unlike the old original model from Hobart which I use) though I have found I actually like the ground beef I make in my food processor even better than using the meat grinder.
Another tip for that nice silky texture on a burger is do your first grind with the coarse blade in the grinder than mix it up by hand chill it for a bit and do a second grind with the small/fine blade. That will get rid of any of the little hard bits of fat or gristle you don't get out with the initial knife trim of the basic meat cuts. When I do "buy" ground meat I buy it from a local meat market out here called Countryside Meats. He uses chuck and tenderloin tips in his.
I also recommend if you're in the NW Burbs a place in Arlington Hts called Thuringer Meats. I actually go there weekly with my dad and buy most what I need. They only sell "Prime" grade (even their pork and lamb is highest grade available) and he will grind custom for you on the fly. One day on a whim I asked him to grind a nice chuck roast for me. It was absolutely hands down FAR FAR better than even if I ground it myself because the large commercial grinder can do it at a lower blade speed and in one pass so the meat is not heated up like using a small high speed grinder as in the KA attachment. Which reminds me I am going to ask him to grind me some meat next week when I stop there.
The nice thing is he sells Prime grade beef WELL below what you'll pay elsewhere i.e. Mariano's or Costco. Give him a try here http://www.thuringermeats.com/ is their web site. You won't be sorry
 
Burgers

FWIW, best burgers are 80/20 (80% meat and 20% fat). The fat gives it the flavour so don't skimp and go leaner.

As my butcher once remarked: for ground beef, Fat is the F word: flavor. He grinds 70/30 and sometimes, 65/35. I never go leaner than 70/30, and never "grass-fed."
 
The Kitchen Aid works best when everything is ice cold -- even the attachment. I usually cube the meat and "almost freeze" it for 45-60 minutes in the freezer and then grind it as quickly as possible. Texture is a bit of personal preference. We like it twice through the large die.

As far as meat mixes go, we like 2 parts chuck, 2 parts brisket and 1 part pork rib trimmings.

Jeff
 
I recently made a batch, using silverside and short ribs.
Double ground through the coarse plate.
It's pretty good!

@jan smith: what is the aversion against grass fed beef?
 
The Kitchen Aid works best when everything is ice cold -- even the attachment. I usually cube the meat and "almost freeze" it for 45-60 minutes in the freezer and then grind it as quickly as possible. Texture is a bit of personal preference. We like it twice through the large die.

As far as meat mixes go, we like 2 parts chuck, 2 parts brisket and 1 part pork rib trimmings.

Jeff

The trouble with it is it does not stay cold long. So yeah as soon as you first start all is great but the grinder heats up really fast and than it starts melting the fat and it turns into globs inside the grinder (I have the old Hobart all metal grinder). Perhaps the plastic ones are better in this regard but they break all the time so I'll stick with my old metal one. I think the food processor does a little better job because you can chill the meat down really well and there isn't a lot of "mass" that causes contact warming of the meat/fat mixture. I too would use pork in my grind BUT I have a wife with a severe allergy to pork (yes discovered by Dr. not something in her head) and I have to be VERY careful of cross contamination down to using different utensils on the grill if I am cooking both
 
Just does not taste good to us: way too lean, little marbling, metallic tasting. I don't know of any notable steakhouse that serves grass fed.

While there are some breeds of grass-fed cattle that taste ok, I'm inclined to agree. I stumbled on a suggestion that worked for burgers. I only had some grass fed beef and mixed it with about 40% shredded mushrooms. Sounds crazy, I know, but the flavor and texture were very good.

Jeff
 
I suppose it is what you are used to....
I happen to eat both happily
Our local cattle eats everything that is available and it makes for pretty awesome stewing meat
 
I enjoy grass fed beef, even the GF burgers on occasion. I also enjoy the butter from grass fed. One huge advantage to GF is the fat from those animals (butter, intramuscular, etc) is far more healthy and higher in Omega 3 much like how much fish is.
 
even the GF burgers on occasion.

Not exactly a ringing endorsement of grass fed beef. I don't eat corn-finished for its alleged health benefits -- I eat it because it tastes good. Again, fat is flavor. Each to his own. My LDL is less than 40 and HDL greater than 70.
 
I agree with Jan.
Fat is one of the reasons bacon and brisket fat tastes so damn good. Oh, and that crispy fat edge on a pan fried or grilled pork chop too.
A 75/25 grind works best for me, if it's quality corn fed beef.
 
I prefer a 70/30 mix, if I'm going to eat a burger I want a juicy flavorful one. The fat I cut off my yearly brisket gets saved (frozen) along with other beef fat and mixed in with my chuck steak and bottom round roast. I find the bottom round roast adds great beef flavor but I only use it at about 15% of the grind as it is very lean.
I really don't pay much attention to how the beef was fed, kind of hard to do with supermarket meat. Maybe I'll try to find some known corn fed beef and see if I notice a difference.
 
Not exactly a ringing endorsement of grass fed beef. I don't eat corn-finished for its alleged health benefits -- I eat it because it tastes good. Again, fat is flavor. Each to his own. My LDL is less than 40 and HDL greater than 70.

My issue os not one of lacking the desire for GF beef it's a lack of being able to even FIND it don't read more into it than that. If I had my choice I would go to GF almost entirely not just for taste but for the health benefits.
 
I only had some grass fed beef and mixed it with about 40% shredded mushrooms. Sounds crazy, I know, but the flavor and texture were very good.
I've been grinding my own burger meat for a few years now and every so often I'll cook some button mushrooms until they're nicely browned and then pass them through the grinder along with the pieces of beef. 1 pound of raw mushrooms to 1 pound of beef works pretty good.

I also cube the meat a day ahead of time and give it whatever seasonings I want. If I'm using mushrooms I mix them in at this point and then everything spends the night in the fridge until I grind it the next day.

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I've been grinding my own burger meat for a few years now and every so often I'll cook some button mushrooms until they're nicely browned and then pass them through the grinder along with the pieces of beef. 1 pound of raw mushrooms to 1 pound of beef works pretty good.

I also cube the meat a day ahead of time and give it whatever seasonings I want. If I'm using mushrooms I mix them in at this point and then everything spends the night in the fridge until I grind it the next day.

ChuckMushroomBurger20161218_3.jpg


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I'd be willing to try that.
 
My go to mix for burgers is equal parts sirloin, chuck and short ribs. I only grind once. Everyone says that the texture is perfect!
 
I had a gal give me an old hand crank grinder a while back, but I have yet to use it.
Are those old things a chore? I'd like to do up about 5lbs worth.
 

 

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