21 hours Ago By [email protected] (Jay Wilson)
Virtually every grocery store in the country sells ground beef, but there really is just something about doing it yourself that hits the spot. Grinding your own beef can give you a fresher result than the store-bought kind, and allows you to keep an eye on the exact fat-to-meat ratio of your finished result. As well as this, it allows you to start with quality cuts that virtually guarantee a tastier end product — and you can impress all your friends with the fact that you didn't rely on Walmart or Target to process your meat for you.
However, one of the biggest mistakes you can make with ground beef is starting with the wrong cut. Cuts of beef vary enormously in flavor, density, and fat content, and different types will give you massively different results. As such, it's important to learn from the experts on which cuts of beef you should be using in your grinder, and how the ground beef they make can be used in different recipes.
So we decided to do just that. We spoke to Justin Owens, cattle rancher and owner of Manzo Piedmontese , to get the lowdown on all things ground beef. Chuck steak Chuck steak is one of the all-time go-to options when it comes to ground beef, and for good reason.
"Chuck comes from the shoulder, conventionally there is more fat content in this primal," explains Justin Owens. "The fat content can help hold the ground together, so this is a favorite of chefs when they are making burgers and meatballs." The fat-to-meat balance of chuck is ideal for these slightly denser food options as it doesn't tip into being too loose, which Owens points out is a real risk.
"Functionally, the fattier the content of the ground beef the looser it will be as it warms up," Owens says — but chuck has enough pure protein in it to keep your patties compact while still being moist. Chuck steak also has a beefy, meaty, rich flavor which carries over when you grind it. However, it's useful to remember that ground chuck steak may not be the best choice for every dish.
Owens states that it's best to go for another option when you're making ground beef tacos, which may benefit from a slightly leaner option that has a touch more chewiness to it. This may also be the case if you're using your ground beef for bolognese, where it'll be moistened by the sauce. Sirloin You may be more used to eating sirloin whole, but when you grind it up things can get even better.
Sirloin steak "works well because of the finer texture of the muscle group," explains Justin Owens. This fineness can give it a more appealing texture, but it also has a leanness to it that stops it from becoming too heavy or gluey when it's ground. Having said this, Owens states that you may want to find a way to boost its fat content for more tenderness.
He says that some people prefer to grind their sirloin in tandem with a fattier cut to balance out the leanness and give it more flavor. Alternatively, get your fat from elsewhere. "You could get adventurous and take advantage of it being a lean cut to mix in a different fat source to go in a new direction with flavors (butter, cheese, duck fat, pork fat, lamb fat, or some good ol' bacon)," suggests Owens.
Adding in bacon, for example, will give the beef a sharper, smokier flavor, while lamb fat will add a gaminess and richness to the meat that works well in burgers and beef-based ragu sauces. Brisket In our opinion, brisket is a pretty underrated choice to use for ground beef. "Brisket has a rich flavor," says Justin Owens, and he's right.
This cut has a beefy flavor that makes it a top choice to throw on the barbecue, but it also works really well in most ground beef dishes. It can be a little bit fatty, but grinding brisket after removing the deckle fat can give you a good meat-to-fat ratio. Alternatively, Owens suggests it with some leaner cuts to reduce the overall fat content and improve the flavor.
Brisket is a particularly good choice for grinding as you can often end up with a big bunch of brisket trimmings after preparing it for a barbecue. These trimmings can be a little tricky to use, but by repurposing them and popping them in your meat grinder, you can make an entirely new meal. If you're not ready to use them straight away, just pop them in the freezer in a Ziploc bag and thaw when you're ready to grind.
As a bonus, grinding brisket breaks down its connective tissue, which further reduces wastage and stops you from having to trim it away. Oxtail If you haven't ground oxtail yet, now is your time to start. Oxtail is an especially tasty beef cut, thanks to its collagen content.
As oxtail cooks, this collagen breaks down and creates a silky-smooth, ultra-beefy flavor sensation (which is part of the reason why oxtail stew is so tasty) — but you can supercharge that sensation by grinding it into beef. "I would expect a mouthwatering, and very juicy dish," says Justin Owens. We like the sound of that.
Crucially, though, oxtail is one of the harder cuts of beef to grind, and its unique shape prevents a lot of people from doing it. "We see chefs more commonly using our oxtails in stews and broths. This route is going to be more time intensive than anything else," states Owens.
"Trimming everything away from the bone will be a task, however it will be well worth the effort." It's also important to remember that oxtail is one of the pricier cuts of beef out there; while it used to be fairly cheap, the demand for it has skyrocketed its price. You may therefore want to think about getting the most out of your ground oxtail, and using it in dishes where it can really shine.
Avoid adding heavy or spicy sauces to it which will cloud its flavor — save your cheaper ground beef for those dishes. Skirt steak If you're unsure which cut to choose for ground beef and you just want a solid choice, it's hard to go wrong with skirt steak. Conventional skirt has a moderate fat content, making it an option worth considering when you're staring at the rows of meat in the butcher section of your grocery store," says Justin Owens.
It's pretty readily available, and while its price has slightly increased in recent years it remains cheaper than a lot of other beef cuts out there. Skirt steak, Owens says, "would be a good option for burgers and meatballs , as the natural fat content would bind the meat and help keep it together for cooking." Importantly, though, you may find that it's not as tender as some other options out there.
"Keep in mind skirt is a highly utilized muscle, meaning it is tougher than other cuts because of cross connective tissue," warns Owens. You may therefore want to mix it with a fattier cut to increase its tenderness, or use it in dishes where you're going to be cooking your beef low and slow, like a Sunday gravy . Short rib Short rib is not traditionally used as a cut for ground beef, but it all depends on how you're using it.
Short rib is typically avoided because of its high fat content, which doesn't lend itself well to a firm, consistent result. However, it's entirely possible to grind it and use it in hamburgers, and when you do you end up with a super-tender, meaty product that has a lusciousness to it that other ground beef options lack. Ground short rib could also be a good option for a speedy ragu, as you'll get that softer, broken-down quality without having to cook it for hours on end.
You may struggle, however, if your short rib is especially fatty. So, if you're grinding it up, try to find a slightly leaner cut or trim away the fattier pieces, to avoid them smearing in your grinder and clogging things up. It's worth remembering, too, that opting for an ultra-fine grind or processing of short rib can produce very tasty results.
"It is delicious as a purée inside of ravioli," says Justin Owens. Round Round cuts don't get the same publicity as other types when it comes to ground beef, but it's one of the better options out there. Round cuts come from the back portion of the cow, and because these muscles are constantly used it tends to be pretty tough and lean.
Grinding it down, however, reduces this toughness, and it also provides ground beef that's lower-fat, making it a great choice for folks who don't want their burgers or meatballs to be too greasy. Round cuts are also some of the cheapest cuts of beef out there, so they're a good option if you're grinding on a budget. Unfortunately, though, they do have their downsides.
The leanness of round cuts means that ground beef made with them can become a bit dry and coarse, and so it's useful to mix it with a little bit of extra fat to keep things moist. Because it can be pretty crumbly, it can also struggle to remain in shape. As such, you may prefer to use ground round in applications where a looser beef is preferable, like in seasoned crumbles or for taco meat.
Alternatively, combine it with a binder before forming into patties or loaves so that it doesn't fall apart. Hanging tenders If you're up for hunting down a little-seen cut, try using hanging tenders to make your ground beef. "The scarcity alone draws me to the idea of burgers made from hanging tenders," says Justin Owens, who points out that "only two steaks are produced per animal and they average one pound each.
" Hanging tenders hit all the spots that you want your ground beef to have: Owens points out that the cut has a fine muscle structure, but is "an active muscle that is highly oxygenated so it has a deep red appearance." Plus, hanging tenders have a meaty, tasty flavor, and a low fat content that means the ground beef made with them is well-formed and lean. However, with all of those positives come a few negatives.
Because hanging tenders are in limited supply, you may have to go to a butcher to find them. In addition, they may also have a slightly higher price than other, easier to find cuts. The lean nature of hanging tenders may also mean that you'd benefit from mixing a little extra fat into them.
Having said all this, those who are willing to seek it out will likely be rewarded. Offal Don't sleep on offal when you're making ground beef: Using it is on the rise. "Another route that I have heard more about is mixing offal into ground beef," explains Justin Owens.
Offal shouldn't be your sole meat source, but combining it with other beef cuts is a great way to make your end result stretch further at an affordable price. Offal cuts are generally seen as undesirable, and as such you can pick them up on the cheap. Plus, adding offal can give your ground beef a meatier, slightly more iron-heavy flavor which can accentuate the flavor of your other cuts without overpowering them.
Even beginners can use organ meat , so there's no need to be scared. As for the type of offal you choose, it's kinda up to you. "Typically liver is utilized, but you could certainly try tongue or heart as well," says Owens.
You could also opt for kidneys if you'd like, and you can use offal from other animals too. As for the type of grind you're going for, it's best to ask the experts here. "If you have a local butcher that grinds, they have many options for refining the grind for varying textures," suggests Owens.
Tri-tip For ground beef that has a lot of flavor, tri-tip is the cut to use. Tri-tip is typically smoked and grilled just like a brisket, and doing this brings out its meaty, rich flavor. However, it's just as good for grinding down, and it's particularly good in hamburgers.
One of the benefits of using tri-tip is that it provides flavor and fat content at a relatively low price. Although it can be a little harder to find in supermarkets, most butchers will be able to provide it to you without breaking the bank. Bear in mind that if you're working with a tri-tip cut at home, you may have to do a little bit of trimming to make it totally usable.
Tri-tips can come adorned with thick chunks of fat that can raise the fat content of your ground beef way too much, so ensure that you shear any of these off before it goes in your grinder. You may also want to get rid of any of the silverskin on it, to stop parts of your ground beef being too tough and chewy..
