I decided to try it.

I used choice chuck roast that I cut up and partially froze, then ground, mixed, double ground 1/2 of it and mixed again.

I made burger with it but it did not knock my socks off. I could not really taste that much difference than store bought ground chuck.

What's the secret?

How did you cook the burger? If you grilled it, there's your answer

FIDO*98* said:

---

How did you cook the burger? If you grilled it, there's your answer

---

You can't grill it if you grind the beef yourself?

When you grill a burger you're just gonna have more competing flavors. I prefer a Burger cooked on a flat top because I want to primarily taste the meat and the seared crust. A grilled burger is going to pick up smoke, vaporized fat, and flame. Those are strong flavors that will make it more difficult to distinguish the freshly ground meat from store ground.

Also, when I grind meat at home I usually blend different types of beef so it will be more unique. Typically chuck, brisket trim, oxtail, etc

fwiw, I generally don't grind my own unless I am trying to use the scraps that I typically keep in the freezer. Overall it probably isn't worth it unless you have game meat that you need to blend

Depends what you're using it for. If you're wanting it for burgers, they need to have enough fat in them (20% minimum), and most people don't, so the burgers don't taste as good. For me, it's more of a texture thing, because you can make a looser patty that isn't tough. Also, I worry less about cooking a medium rare burger and getting sick.

I did it a couple times with chuck but it's kind of a pain in the ass. The taste of the burger was improved, but not worth cleaning all the parts of the grinder. If I do it again I'll probably try the food processor. Anyone have any experience with that?

Yes, it works well. Chop the meat uniformly by hand first, then pulse a couple of times. Just be careful that you don't overdo it.

When I grind my own meat for burgers, I do it to make a grind I can't buy. Favorite so far was a mix of short rib, bacon and sirloin. But yes, its a serious pain in the ass. I try to make a lot of extra to vacuum seal and freeze.

When I grind meat, I use my Kitchenmade mixer w/ grinder attachment and its not that big of a hassle. Its more of a hassle than opening a chub of plastic wrapped beef but not that big of a deal.

What other special blends are people creating?

Dan_the_Enchanter said:

---

I usually buy a brisket when I find them cheap and grind those up for burgers. I do think brisket makes a better burger.

---

Do you grind everything? Even the deckle fat? Or do you trim a little bit of the hard fat? I would like to try this, but would like a little more detail before trying it.

I usually buy a packer brisket and trim off the most of the outside fat. Then i cut it up in 1/2" strips and shove it in grinder. I did buy some additional plate discs that are a little more coarse than what came with the grinder.

Besides having a better flavor, the meat doesn't have as much water as the ground stuff you buy from the store.

FIDO*98* said:

---

How did you cook the burger? If you grilled it, there's your answer

---

Flat top.

BEaggie08 said:

---

When I grind my own meat for burgers, I do it to make a grind I can't buy. Favorite so far was a mix of short rib, bacon and sirloin. But yes, its a serious pain in the ass. I try to make a lot of extra to vacuum seal and freeze.

---

I haven't mixed in bacon, but I do sirloin and short ribs.

Helped my dad dabble in it and it was 100% not worth it in my case. The output just never justified the work in my eyes.

Caveat of course for us not having to process our own harvested meat though.

So if you are buying meat just to grind, I have a hard time seeing the benefit honestly. Proper seasoning and cook methods gets the store bought stuff just as good IMO.