Not just any burger

[Brett-EDH]

We stopped buying store made ground beef a few years back and started grinding our own.

Tonight’s burgers were double ground Chuck Roast. I buy the whole roast at Costco, break it down into logs that’ll fit into the grinder feeder tube. And then double grind the beef

The trick to keeping the fat in the burgers and not the grinder is to partially freeze the cut logs before grinding and not overstuff the grinder.

Cooked these over Cowboy Hardwood coals to 130° and then moved them to indirect to rest.

The flavor difference between store ground beef versus grinding your own is huge. A fresh Chuck is a great way to start grinding your own and you can then do blends after.

The dogs are Nathan’s Famous.

 

[DanHoo]

What do you use to grind the meat?

 

[Brett-EDH]

What do you use to grind the meat?

I attach this to my KA mixer. I freeze all the parts for 1 -2 hours before grinding to keep everything cold when working with the meat.

Meat Grinder Attachment for KitchenAid Stand Mixers, Accessories Included 2 Sausage Stuffer Tubes, Durable Metal Food Grinder Attachments by Kitchood, Silver https://www.amazon.com/dp/B089VKNHG8/?tag=tvwb-20

 

[JimK]

Those look outstanding! I've been wanting a meat grinder for that very reason.

 

[Brett-EDH]

Those look outstanding! I've been wanting a meat grinder for that very reason.

Thank you. I really like the grinder I bought. One trick to using it it to tighten the screw on cover and release it 1/4 turn. You actually want a little jiggle room for the grinding plate to move so you don’t get metal shards in your meat. In the reviews some people complain about metal in their food because they over-tighten the plate screw.

We also grind our own pork shoulder too. Works great for Italian meatballs, meat sauce and Asian style cooking too (wontons, shu mai, potstickers, any kind of dumplings).

When you’re comfortable using the grinder, our favorite burger recipe is 50% sirloin, 25% short rib, 25% brisket. You need the brisket fat cap on or save some trimming to ensure you have a 75/25 meat/fat ratio. Formed into a 5oz pre cooked weight and you’ll have a very fine restaurant quality burger that’s better than 95% of burger restaurants (not fast food but restaurants).

Next goal for us is sausages. With football season here, I’ll hopefully get this done soon.

 

[Mark Foreman]

We do the same. I like ground chuck as you can see. I like my ground meat a bit coarser. My grinder is a LEM #5.

 

[Brett-EDH]

We do the same. I like ground chuck as you can see. I like my ground meat a bit coarser. My grinder is a LEM #5.


View attachment 36325

That’s a serious grinder. Look like you can do fingers and up to the wrist

Any special blends you like for proteins? I once did a fillet mignon (small one) and added brisket fat. Was quite amazing. A real steak burger.

 

[EricV.]

In my opinion, grinding meat via a KA, is a slow boat to China. Spend the extra $$ & get a grinder like an LEM & never look back, It's a time saver. Pre freezing the meat isn't anything new it's basically a requirement if your going to grind meat.

 

[Mark Foreman]

That’s a serious grinder. Look like or can do fingers and up to the wrist

Any special blends you like for proteins? I once did a fillet mignon (small one) and added brisket fat. Was quite amazing. A real steak burger.

Yeah… actually up to the elbow. Got the LEM as I make a lot of sausages.
To answer your question, not too many special blends except for meatloaf. I do keep a couple of pounds of hard fat to add when needed.
Not only do I partially freeze the meat, but the grinder parts as well.

 

[CaseT]

We grind our own. We get whole cuts from our local restaurant supply. Which cut depends on what’s on sale. Typically clod or round of some sort. We usually do 40-50 pounds at a time. Split between two families. Vac packed into 1 1/2 pound portions. Partially frozen works best as you mentioned. Also freezing the metal parts of the grinder ahead of time helps when you’re doing large batches.

 

[Rich Dahl]

Barb and I do exactly the same thing as you do including the KA attachment. We watch for chuck roast on sale and get about 10 pounds at a a time.
And you're right no comparison to store ground.
We found an article on chopping up mushrooms and adding it to the second grind. I did that on about 1/3 of the last batch we did. I have to say the burgers we made with that grind were outstanding great flavor and very moist.

 

[Brett-EDH]

In my opinion, grinding meat via a KA, is a slow boat to China. Spend the extra $$ & get a grinder like an LEM & never look back, It's a time saver. Pre freezing the meat isn't anything new it's basically a requirement if your going to grind meat.

I think it was your recent sausage batch that was posted and was very impressive. I have t moved to a pro machine yet due to amounts and frequency we grind meat. Beef has become more special when we do have it due to eating less of if these days. The brisket I just bought is only my second one for this year.

 

[Brett-EDH]

We grind our own. We get whole cuts from our local restaurant supply. Which cut depends on what’s on sale. Typically clod or round of some sort. We usually do 40-50 pounds at a time. Split between two families. Vac packed into 1 1/2 pound portions. Partially frozen works best as you mentioned. Also freezing the metal parts of the grinder ahead of time helps when you’re doing large batches.

That’s some serious meat buying and packing. When you go whole cut, what does your average price per pound come down to if I may ask?

 

[Brett-EDH]

Barb and I do exactly the same thing as you do including the KA attachment. We watch for chuck roast on sale and get about 10 pounds at a a time.
And you're right no comparison to store ground.
We found an article on chopping up mushrooms and adding it to the second grind. I did that on about 1/3 of the last batch we did. I have to say the burgers we made with that grind were outstanding great flavor and very moist.

Yeah, mushrooms and beef go together really well. I take dried shiitake mushroom and run them through the blender to turn them into dust and sprinkle some on my dry rub brisket. It gives a nice earthy flavor that compliments the beef flavor well. Sounds like you’re making some seriously good burgers at your place!

 

[EricV.]

I think it was your recent sausage batch that was posted and was very impressive. I have t moved to a pro machine yet due to amounts and frequency we grind meat. Beef has become more special when we do have it due to eating less of if these days. The brisket I just bought is only my second one for this year.

I purchased an off-brand grinder via Ebay several years ago, it is very similar to the link below. It comes with 4 different grinders plates & 2-3 sausage tubes. I like to use the coarse ground plate most of the time. I have never had any problems with mine & I usually grind between 10-20lbs. at a time. It also has a fairly small footprint for storage & the price is easy on the pocket book.

3200W Powerful Commercial Electric Meat Grinder Sausage Maker Mincer Stuffer USA | eBay

Locked Motor 800W Approx. Power 3200W. The Stainless Steel & Plastic Housing and sturdy design makes it the perfect fit for a modern kitchen. Perfect Running Condition Fast Grinder. 1X Sausage adapter.

www.ebay.com

 

[JimK]

I purchased an off-brand grinder via Ebay several years ago, it is very similar to the link below. It comes with 4 different grinders plates & 2-3 sausage tubes. I like to use the coarse ground plate most of the time. I have never had any problems with mine & I usually grind between 10-20lbs. at a time. It also has a fairly small footprint for storage & the price is easy on the pocket book.

3200W Powerful Commercial Electric Meat Grinder Sausage Maker Mincer Stuffer USA | eBay

Locked Motor 800W Approx. Power 3200W. The Stainless Steel & Plastic Housing and sturdy design makes it the perfect fit for a modern kitchen. Perfect Running Condition Fast Grinder. 1X Sausage adapter.

www.ebay.com

That's very tempting at that price. Thanks.