does it make sense to grind our own hamburger ?

[pineywoods]

We ended up buying 8 briskets, smoked 1 and son is getting 1, will grind 1 and leave the others frozen till we need to smoke 1 or some ground, $1.99 from krogers is hard to beat

Heck of a deal we haven't seen them that low in a very long time around here

 

[sandyut]

Heck of a deal we haven't seen them that low in a very long time around here

same here...

 

[cal1956]

top round steak at sams is the closest thing price wise that i have seen to HB

 

[sawhorseray]

A bottom round with a fat cap gives a better mix of lean and fat than a top round. Chuck roast is about perfect, as is tri tip if you're in the West.

I used to grind tritip for our burger meat when we lived in Elk Grove, not cost effective anymore Ray.

If you really want to cut the cost of burgers you can always try making hipshots, it's the only ones my wife will eat, I make a batch every year. RAY

30 lbs Hipshot Burgers

Someone was hinting that it was time I made some hipshot burgers, we hadn't had any since the move to AZ three months back Hipshot Burgers 18 lbs. eye of round 12 lbs. porkbutt 1&1/8 cup Soy Protein Concentrate 9 tbsp canning salt 1/3 cup powdered dextrose 1/3 cup ground pepper 3cups cold...

www.smokingmeatforums.com

 

[noboundaries]

I used to grind tritip for our burger meat when we lived in Elk Grove, not cost effective anymore Ray.

I can still get untrimmed Select grade TTs on sale occasionally for $2.98/lb and $3.98/lb. I have several in the freezer. Zero trim. Grind. Easy peasy. Still less cost than the ready-ground, unchubbed ground meat.

I've mixed meats to make a version of your Hipshots. Never used soy protein or the other add-ins. Thanks for the ideas, RAY.

I do regularly mix ground meats when I make meatloaf, but that's another thread.

Ray.

 

[dls1]

To me, it makes a lot of sense to grind your meat for burgers. With one exception, I haven't purchased pre-ground meat in a store for over 30 years. I just grind my own for burgers, or meatloaf, or, on rare occasions when I'm pressed for time, have my local neighborhood butcher grind it for me.

My rational for grinding my own meat is pretty simple. First, I've always been leery of exactly what goes into those packages of ground meat sitting in the cooler. I know that the meat is sprayed with a supposedly harmless chemical to help retain the reddish tint of fresh cut meat while it's on display, but I didn't know what else is included. Then, a few years ago, a fellow I knew, who was a reporter for the New York Times, did an article about a woman who suffered some serious consequences after eating a burger made with ground meat produced by Cargill, which makes 80% of the ground meat in the US. Confirming my concerns, that article sealed the deal for me.
https://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/04/health/04meat.html

Second, my preferred mix for burgers is an equal blend of chuck, brisket, and short rib meat. Unless you find a very high end (high cost) purveyor of a similar mix, you're not going to find that at any store. Naturally, I always try to stock up when I find those cuts on sale, but that doesn't always happen.

Do I save money by doing what I do? I don't know, but I'm comfortable in doing what I do with both food safety and a great tasting burger in mind.

 

[cal1956]

i'm glad i started this thread because i am learning that different cuts of meat can be used that i never considered, such as brisket , otherwise i would have never thought to use it in HB

 

[bbqjefff]

The prices can change so it depends. The other day ground beef was cheaper than a chuck roast so we just bought it ground already. But we do grind it ourselves sometimes. Just depends on if ground beef is cheaper or chuck roast.

 

[cal1956]

i think we have decided to give it a try with 5-10 lbs and then we will decide if we want to keep doing it

 

[mike243]

My kitchen Aid ground 1/2 a brisket Saturday, finished eating it Sunday, best burgers and Hamberger steaks I have made in a long time.

 

[cal1956]

now thats something i love : a good hamburger steak with a strip of bacon around it

 

[smokerjim]

If you have a local store you shop at ask the meat manager if you could buy a piece of beef in the cryovac and cut it yourself, they'll usually sell it for a little bit over cost.

 

[cal1956]

i was thinking about that with some of the bulk cuts from sams club

 

[millerbuilds]

Agree with above, catch larger cuts on sale. I also save my trimmings from squaring up roasts/briskets and grind. It is a family project between grinding and packing, and I believe in teaching my son skills like this has long term benefits!

- Jason

 

[DougE]

I haven't bought a piece of beef from the store and ground my own burger, but most of the ground beef we eat around here comes from animals I've raised and had processed. It's way better than any ground beef I've bought in the store.

 

[civilsmoker]

Hand selected cuts and ground at home will always be better than store ground in my book! Its a mater of if you want to spend the time for the improved burger.....

 

[Schwarzwald Metzger]

FWIW, by grinding you can dial in your own blends which can get expensive. My favorite blend after experimenting with so many is beef navel, chuck, and inside round.... The flavor and juiciness are next level.

 

[Bigheaded]

Ralphs (Krogers) here has beef on sale every week. I got Tri-Tip last week for even a little cheaper than the ground beef. Don't have a proper meat grinder (yet) but my food processor did an awesome job. Also made Joshua Weissman's burger bun recipe for the 1st time. FANTASTIC burgers, and even if you don't bake, the bun recipe's not hard to make and so so so much better than bagged buns.

While I have zero problems eating a burger made with preground and a sack of buns from the store. Grinding your own + baking your own buns is perfection. Neither is that hard, and the difference is huge. Just my opinion, but if you don't want to grind your own, or you don't have a grinder or food processor to do it. At least make the buns, you don't need a stand mixer or anything beyond a few ingredients.

 

[cal1956]

wife like to bake , where do i find the recipe ?

 

[cal1956]

thank you