So I got a meat grinder...

[Stu Clary]

...at a garage sale.

Old but new in box.  I've never ground my own hamburger before, thought it would be fun to give it a whirl.

First, what meat?  I went with beef short ribs, tri tip and bacon.  I cubed the beef and cut the bacon into thirds.


OK.  Lets grind!  I expected it to be harder than it was.  Crank turned easily. 


Then I formed the patties.  first, 1/4 balls...


Then I covered the balls with wax paper and flattened with a cookie sheet.


So of course I screwed up and didn't get any shots of the burgers actually cooking.  But I DID remember to do this:


In retrospect, They ended up tasting pretty good.  Not great, but good.  I didn't use any binder....just the meat.  The burgers were real loose, I'll use a binder next time.  Any suggestions?  Egg?  Also, I think maybe I should have added a cut with less fat.  There's probably a reason sirloin and chuck are popular burger meats. 

[Travis]

If you use too much fat or if you use too big of a die you can have an issue with your burgers not wanting to bind. You shouldn't need a binding agent at all. It actually looks like your burgers have quite a bit of fat.

Try getting a quality chuck roast from your butcher (The fresher, the better) When cutting it separate the fat from the meat and you can eyeball "80/20".  It's a good place to start and you can build from there.

Also, making sure your meat is cold and your  equipment will help your grinding process. I'll store the auger, tray and hopper in the freezer for an hour or more before I grind.

I have 2 dies with my grinder. A course and a fine. I grind course first then back through on the fine. My particular grinder suggest using the fine one for burgers, but I have tried patting them with the course. It didn't work as well.

They also have a medium size die. If I ever get up that way to where they're sold, I would like to try that size.

You'll love grinding your own hamburger, sausage etc... It's a good feeling knowing what your eating is your work.

Have fun with it! I hope that helps and I'm sure some more good info is on your way!



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk