The FOOD LAB’s Guide TO GRINDING YOUR OWN MEAT I’m a cook by trade but a grinder by nature Nothing pleases me more than the careful, controlled deconstruction and reconstruction of what nature has so carefully put together Grinding your own meat at home is a uniquely satisfying experience There’s something profoundly beautiful to me about watching the chopped meat fall out of the grinder into the bowl, deep red interspersed with discrete creamy-white bits of fat I like the way it starts out free and pebbly as you pick it up but comes together in your hands to form a burger patty And I like how salt can make the grind sticky, ready to be beaten into a juicy sausage or a tender meat loaf I’ve never met anyone who’s decided to go back to using store-bought ground beef after having tried beef ground fresh at home Once you grind, you never rewind Why should you grind? Four reasons: • It’s safer Packaged ground beef can contain meat from hundreds, even thousands, of animals, and not necessarily from the nicest bits either This means that you’ve got to be extra careful when cooking with packaged ground meat—chances of contamination are higher • Better flavor Unless you’ve got a really great butcher, you’re stuck with whatever ground beef the supermarket has on hand Usually this is no more specific than knowing the fat content Even when it’s labeled with cuts like chuck, round, or sirloin, there’s no guarantee that you’re not just getting scraps Grinding at home allows you to control the flavor of your grind, along with the fat content • Better texture Preground meat sits in its packaging, slowly being compressed and oxidizing And it’s often ground much finer than is ideal for the perfect burger Grinding it fresh lets you keep it nice and loose, improving both moisture level and texture after cooking • It’s cool Those who grind their own beef for their sausages and burgers get instant street cred in my book You can’t help but look badass If you are still asking the question “Why should I grind my own meat?” instead of “How do I grind my own meat?” it’s possible that you’re simply hopeless For the rest of you, read on GRINDER, PROCESSOR, OR HAND-CHOPPING? ...knowing the fat content Even when it’s labeled with cuts like chuck, round, or sirloin, there’s no guarantee that you’re not just getting scraps Grinding at home allows you to control the flavor of your grind, along with the fat... improving both moisture level and texture after cooking • It’s cool Those who grind their own beef for their sausages and burgers get instant street cred in my book You can’t help but look badass If you are still asking the question... you to control the flavor of your grind, along with the fat content • Better texture Preground meat sits in its packaging, slowly being compressed and oxidizing And it’s often ground much finer than is ideal for the perfect burger