Help me make a custom burger meat mix

[clifish]

I don't have a grinder, was thinking of ordering from Wildfork to make my own custom grind/mix burgers. They offer the below in 1 lb lots. What would be a good mix? Also what would you add for spices, binder, eggs etc...?

GROUND WAGYU BEEF 80% LEAN - 1 LB $8.98/lb
GROUND BEEF PRIME RIB 80% LEAN $6.98/lb
Ground chuck - $4.98

GROUND BEEF ROUND 85% LEAN $4.22​

GROUND BEEF SIRLOIN 90% $5.48

They also have ground bison and elk?

I could also add some chopped bacon into the mix?

Any input from everyone here would be appreciated as I have never done this. The closet I do is go to my butcher for his chuck, brisket, sirloin burgers and they pretty darn good, but I think I could do better with the above?

 

[gmc2003]

Hey Cliff, to me burger meat has no binders, spices or anything mixed in. It's just the meat. Spices are added to the outside. When you start incorporating things in the mix then it's meatloaf or meatballs.

I like an 80/20 mix for burgers.

Chris

 

[SmokinAl]

Hi Cliff,
If I were you I would just buy a grinder. I think our fav burger is a mix of brisket & pork belly. But your options are endless if you can grind it yourself. Including how coarse or fine you want the grind. If you have a KA mixer, they make a grinder attachment for them.
Al

 

[chopsaw]

I've started grinding my own when ground beef prices went through the roof at the start of Covid .
Started with straight brisket , and realized what I was missing .
You know exactly what's in the grind , and it's all cleaned to your liking and fresh .

I post about buying the sub-primals and breaking them down .
I buy with end results in mind , and always include some burger grind in the plan .
I just did some that was clean trim from a whole ribeye , a whole strip loin and petite tenders . Some of the best burgers I've had .

Before pork went up , I was buying butts for around $1.49 a pound and mixing it with higher price beef trim usually from beef knuckles ( sirloin tip ) . Makes a great burger .
In these cases I'm not going by percentages , I'm using what I have trimmed off of each and mixing it together . This type of mix is also great for ground meat dishes .

Here's a bottom round flat that I broke down yesterday . Got 2 nice roast out of it , 2 smaller hunks , and some stew meat or grind .

Pretty lean , but I think you'd be surprised how well it holds together .
I also do Brat burgers or any type of sausage seasoning you want and make burger patties .
So I guess long story short , I agree with the grinder suggestion .

 

[LoydB]

Buy a grinder :)

I do 75% chuck, 20% brisket, 5% beef belly.

 

[Plinsc]

Cant go wrong with bacon! You could always ask for only a third mixed in.

 

[clifish]

Hi Cliff,
If I were you I would just buy a grinder. I think our fav burger is a mix of brisket & pork belly. But your options are endless if you can grind it yourself. Including how coarse or fine you want the grind. If you have a KA mixer, they make a grinder attachment for them.
Al

yeah I don't have that either. I just don't want another appliance just yet, a grinder will lead to a stuffer and so on. Maybe when I retire? Some of the grinds on WF are cheaper than I could buy the whole cuts here.

 

[DougE]

a grinder will lead to a stuffer and so on

Of course it will, but we wouldn't be very good enablers if nobody tried to push you that direction.
I was also going to suggest buying one, and you don't have to buy a big honking one to start out with. I'm still using a $99 Weston.

 

[clifish]

Of course it will, but we wouldn't be very good enablers if nobody tried to push you that direction.
I was also going to suggest buying one, and you don't have to buy a big honking one to start out with. I'm still using a $99 Weston.

I know, even a cheap hand grinder can be had for $30...I am not breaking down big cuts of meat that I will have off cuts like Rich, so buying whole briskets and ribeyes is not cheaper than buying pre ground at WF

 

[Suds15]

Hola again Chopsaw

That cut is on special here. Looking to get a few pounds today
Have you ever mixed this cut with pork? Is for what did you do?

 

[BigW.]

Bearcarver had a beef/pork and or venison mix that you may want to try. I like the beef/pork mix he recommended.

 

[zwiller]

Hola again Chopsaw

That cut is on special here. Looking to get a few pounds today
Have you ever mixed this cut with pork? Is for what did you do?

FYI Need to thrown an ampersand (@) in front to tag someone. chopsaw

Never made burgers with a mix yet but really liked what pork/beef mix did for sloppy joes.

 

[6GRILLZNTN]

My favorite (for me) was a Sirloin/Chuck mix. I also don't like fat content less than 20%. And yea, you need a grinder. Steve H , will throw his Jedi mind trick on you to make you buy one.

 

[DougE]

I also don't like fat content less than 20%

Me either. The wife is into this 90% lean stuff. May or may not be more healthy, but taste suffers greatly without the fat.

 

[6GRILLZNTN]

Me either. The wife is into this 90% lean stuff. May or may not be more healthy, but taste suffers greatly without the fat.

And they stay together on the grill like reject Legos.

 

[DougE]

I have a meat loaf on right now ......... half 80/20 ground beef, half of my breakfast sausage, which is around 80/20. If she only knew lol.

 

[Retired Spook]

In my humble opinion the best tasting burgers I have ever eaten are made from beef chuck with salt, pepper and granulated garlic.

 

[Suds15]

In my humble opinion the best tasting burgers I have ever eaten are made from beef chuck with salt, pepper and granulated garlic.

Hola
Thank you
I have used SPG and they are good. Always trying to improve . I just ground brisket with poutine and cooked bacon. Yum. Poutine is Canadian dish with French fries and gravy. I just cut up the cheese and added. Very good.

 

[Suds15]

I have a meat loaf on right now ......... half 80/20 ground beef, half of my breakfast sausage, which is around 80/20. If she only knew lol.

Sometimes better they don’t.