WANTED: killer hamburger meat
 

I want to make a good ...no, GREAT!... hamburger. I know the meat is
all, so I'm looking for opinions. What makes a great hamburger patty?

I recently bought ground sirloin (4% fat). Tough as nails. So tough,
in fact, it didn't even work as sloppy joes and the dog feasted. That
prepackaged crap in the sausage-shaped tubes is also out. Shelly says
sirloin and chuck, in what ratio I don't recall, but I want no more of
that sirloin boot heel stuff. Round? Chuck? A blend? What? I'm
hitting an actual butcher shop today and will order whatever I choose
ground on the spot. It will be grilled over charcoal. What say ye
serious burger freaks?

nb

WANTED: killer hamburger meat
 

On 7/10/2010 9:25 AM, notbob wrote:
> I want to make a good ...no, GREAT!... hamburger. I know the meat is
> all, so I'm looking for opinions. What makes a great hamburger patty?
>
> I recently bought ground sirloin (4% fat). Tough as nails. So tough,
> in fact, it didn't even work as sloppy joes and the dog feasted. That
> prepackaged crap in the sausage-shaped tubes is also out. Shelly says
> sirloin and chuck, in what ratio I don't recall, but I want no more of
> that sirloin boot heel stuff. Round? Chuck? A blend? What? I'm
> hitting an actual butcher shop today and will order whatever I choose
> ground on the spot. It will be grilled over charcoal. What say ye
> serious burger freaks?
>
> nb
>

83/17 is the ratio that I like best. Enough fat for taste and to hold
the meat together, but not so much to set the grill on fire from grease
flare-ups.

YMMV

George L

WANTED: killer hamburger meat
 

On 2010-07-10, George Leppla > wrote:

> 83/17 is the ratio that I like best.

Ratio of what? Spinach to shredded newspaper?

nb

WANTED: killer hamburger meat
 

"notbob" > wrote in message
...
>I want to make a good ...no, GREAT!... hamburger. I know the meat is
> all, so I'm looking for opinions. What makes a great hamburger patty?
>
> I recently bought ground sirloin (4% fat). Tough as nails. So tough,
> in fact, it didn't even work as sloppy joes and the dog feasted. That
> prepackaged crap in the sausage-shaped tubes is also out. Shelly says
> sirloin and chuck, in what ratio I don't recall, but I want no more of
> that sirloin boot heel stuff. Round? Chuck? A blend? What? I'm
> hitting an actual butcher shop today and will order whatever I choose
> ground on the spot. It will be grilled over charcoal. What say ye
> serious burger freaks?
>
> nb
>

At least 80 beef/20 fat content. Ground round results in a pretty much dry,
tasteless burger. You need a certain amount of fat for a good burger. I'd
ask the butcher first, but I'd opt for a nice fatty cut of chuck, ground to
order. The fat will cook off when you grill it. IMHO

Jill

WANTED: killer hamburger meat
 

notbob wrote:

>> 83/17 is the ratio that I like best.
>
> Ratio of what? Spinach to shredded newspaper?

From his follow-on comments it sounded like he was talking about the
percentage of fat (17% fat, 83% lean). But that doesn't help you in your
quest to find the ideal ratio of sirloin to chuck.

Bob

WANTED: killer hamburger meat
 

On Jul 10, 7:25*am, notbob > wrote:
> I want to make a good ...no, GREAT!... hamburger. *I know the meat is
> all, so I'm looking for opinions. *What makes a great hamburger patty?
>
> I recently bought ground sirloin (4% fat). *Tough as nails. *So tough,
> in fact, it didn't even work as sloppy joes and the dog feasted. *That
> prepackaged crap in the sausage-shaped tubes is also out. *Shelly says
> sirloin and chuck, in what ratio I don't recall, but I want no more of
> that sirloin boot heel stuff. *Round? *Chuck? *A blend? *What? *I'm
> hitting an actual butcher shop today and will order whatever I choose
> ground on the spot. *It will be grilled over charcoal. *What say ye
> serious burger freaks?

Chuck roast. I stirfry sirloin, or grill it rare.

WANTED: killer hamburger meat
 

On Sat, 10 Jul 2010 14:25:05 GMT, notbob > wrote:

>I want to make a good ...no, GREAT!... hamburger. I know the meat is
>all, so I'm looking for opinions. What makes a great hamburger patty?
>
>I recently bought ground sirloin (4% fat). Tough as nails. So tough,
>in fact, it didn't even work as sloppy joes and the dog feasted. That
>prepackaged crap in the sausage-shaped tubes is also out. Shelly says
>sirloin and chuck, in what ratio I don't recall,

I never said sirloin... sirloin is great for dog food is all because
if tastes woofy. For burgers chuck is good but top round is better...
and I don't do beef blends, that makes no sense. Naturally I'm
talking grinding your own, no preground mystery meat is any good for
anything, not even to feed a stray dog.

WANTED: killer hamburger meat
 

On Jul 10, 7:25*am, notbob > wrote:
> I want to make a good ...no, GREAT!... hamburger. *I know the meat is
> all, so I'm looking for opinions. *What makes a great hamburger patty?
>
> I recently bought ground sirloin (4% fat). *Tough as nails. *So tough,
> in fact, it didn't even work as sloppy joes and the dog feasted. *That
> prepackaged crap in the sausage-shaped tubes is also out. *Shelly says
> sirloin and chuck, in what ratio I don't recall, but I want no more of
> that sirloin boot heel stuff. *Round? *Chuck? *A blend? *What? *I'm
> hitting an actual butcher shop today and will order whatever I choose
> ground on the spot. *It will be grilled over charcoal. *What say ye
> serious burger freaks?
>
> nb

I like to buy a chuck roast with the fat not too thick in and on it.
I cube it and pulse a few cubes at a time
in the cuisinart till of the consistency I like. I have found this
makes a wonderful burger that grills up
with a nice char and a pink inside that is still really juicy.

WANTED: killer hamburger meat
 

On 7/10/2010 9:25 AM, notbob wrote:
> I want to make a good ...no, GREAT!... hamburger. I know the meat is
> all, so I'm looking for opinions. What makes a great hamburger patty?
>
> I recently bought ground sirloin (4% fat). Tough as nails. So tough,
> in fact, it didn't even work as sloppy joes and the dog feasted. That
> prepackaged crap in the sausage-shaped tubes is also out. Shelly says
> sirloin and chuck, in what ratio I don't recall, but I want no more of
> that sirloin boot heel stuff. Round? Chuck? A blend? What? I'm
> hitting an actual butcher shop today and will order whatever I choose
> ground on the spot. It will be grilled over charcoal. What say ye
> serious burger freaks?
>
> nb
>


I use ground brisket. Grind the whole untrimmed brisket using a "chili"
plate, mix it all up to distribute the fat, then grind it again with a
"hamburger" plate. I'm not sure what the actual plate sizes are. I
think 3/8" and 5/32", respectively.

bob

WANTED: killer hamburger meat
 

On Jul 10, 8:25*am, notbob > wrote:
> I want to make a good ...no, GREAT!... hamburger. *I know the meat is
> all, so I'm looking for opinions. *What makes a great hamburger patty?
>
> I recently bought ground sirloin (4% fat). *Tough as nails. *So tough,
> in fact, it didn't even work as sloppy joes and the dog feasted. *That
> prepackaged crap in the sausage-shaped tubes is also out. *Shelly says
> sirloin and chuck, in what ratio I don't recall, but I want no more of
> that sirloin boot heel stuff. *Round? *Chuck? *A blend? *What? *I'm
> hitting an actual butcher shop today and will order whatever I choose
> ground on the spot. *It will be grilled over charcoal. *What say ye
> serious burger freaks?
>
> nb

==
If your burger is tough it is most likely because it is only ground
once. Double ground will make most "tough" meats tender.

Some of these commercial tubes of ground beef are only ground once and
are fairly crappy as far as I'm concerned.

I was a meat cutter for a good many years. One "beef" I have about
this whole process is the addition of ice cubes to ground beef...lots
of meat shops do this. Water is cheap and it "weighs"...that means
"profit". If you end up with a pan full of water and shrunken pale
burgers, its because there was too much ice added. On the BBQ, too
much water in the burger makes crumbly burgers than break up and fall
through the grills. Better to have too much fat rather than water
IMHO...at least the fat has some flavor.

Buying ground beef is a crap shoot. Find a good supplier and stick
with 'em.

==

WANTED: killer hamburger meat
 

On 7/10/2010 9:44 AM, notbob wrote:
> On 2010-07-10, George > wrote:
>
>> 83/17 is the ratio that I like best.
>
> Ratio of what? Spinach to shredded newspaper?
>
> nb

Nah... spinach and shredded newspaper won't have much taste.

83% meat, 17% fat. If you actually look at the lables on ground beef,
you will see the ratios marked... or at least, you should.

I prefer ground chuck, but any beef in the 83/17 ratio seems to be
pretty good.

Now, if you are making meatloaf and your recipe includes breadcrumbs,
use 80/20. The added fat is absorbed by the bread and adds taste.

PS - sorry I didn't realize that you didn't know what 83/17 meant. Meat
to fat ratios are pretty basic stuff and have been discussed here often.

George L

WANTED: killer hamburger meat
 

On Jul 10, 8:15*am, ImStillMags > wrote:
> On Jul 10, 7:25*am, notbob > wrote:
>
> > I want to make a good ...no, GREAT!... hamburger. *I know the meat is
> > all, so I'm looking for opinions. *What makes a great hamburger patty?
>
> > I recently bought ground sirloin (4% fat). *Tough as nails. *So tough,
> > in fact, it didn't even work as sloppy joes and the dog feasted. *That
> > prepackaged crap in the sausage-shaped tubes is also out. *Shelly says
> > sirloin and chuck, in what ratio I don't recall, but I want no more of
> > that sirloin boot heel stuff. *Round? *Chuck? *A blend? *What? *I'm
> > hitting an actual butcher shop today and will order whatever I choose
> > ground on the spot. *It will be grilled over charcoal. *What say ye
> > serious burger freaks?
>
> > nb
>
> I like to buy a chuck roast with the fat not too thick in and on it.
> I cube it and pulse a few cubes at a time
> in the cuisinart till of the consistency I like. * *I have found this
> makes a wonderful burger that grills up
> with a nice char and a pink inside that is still really juicy.

Tagging for my future referral...

WANTED: killer hamburger meat
 

On Sat, 10 Jul 2010 11:15:18 -0500, George Leppla
> wrote:

> PS - sorry I didn't realize that you didn't know what 83/17 meant. Meat
> to fat ratios are pretty basic stuff and have been discussed here often.

It may have been discussed; but if you're not interested, you won't
remember - if you bothered to read it at all.

--
Forget the health food. I need all the preservatives I can get.

WANTED: killer hamburger meat
 

"notbob" > wrote in message
...
> I want to make a good ...no, GREAT!... hamburger. I know the meat is
> all, so I'm looking for opinions. What makes a great hamburger patty?
>
> I recently bought ground sirloin (4% fat). Tough as nails.
> nb
>

Brisket makes great burgers. 4% is way to lean. You need at least 15% no
matter what cut you end up with.

WANTED: killer hamburger meat
 

On 7/10/2010 11:06 AM, brooklyn1 wrote:
> On Sat, 10 Jul 2010 14:25:05 GMT, > wrote:
>
>> I want to make a good ...no, GREAT!... hamburger. I know the meat is
>> all, so I'm looking for opinions. What makes a great hamburger patty?
>>
>> I recently bought ground sirloin (4% fat). Tough as nails. So tough,
>> in fact, it didn't even work as sloppy joes and the dog feasted. That
>> prepackaged crap in the sausage-shaped tubes is also out. Shelly says
>> sirloin and chuck, in what ratio I don't recall,
>
> I never said sirloin... sirloin is great for dog food is all because
> if tastes woofy. For burgers chuck is good but top round is better...
> and I don't do beef blends, that makes no sense. Naturally I'm
> talking grinding your own, no preground mystery meat is any good for
> anything, not even to feed a stray dog.

This would be except of course in your case when you argue that the
industrial sausage like products you buy at walmart are the only way to
go...

WANTED: killer hamburger meat
 

On Jul 10, 9:15*am, George Leppla > wrote:

>
> Now, if you are making meatloaf and your recipe includes breadcrumbs,
> use 80/20. *The added fat is absorbed by the bread and adds taste.

The added fat runs out of the meatloaf, in my experience. If I'm using
just a baking dish, the fat actually starts to fry the bottom of the
meatloaf.

WANTED: killer hamburger meat
 

On Jul 10, 10:25*am, notbob > wrote:
> I want to make a good ...no, GREAT!... hamburger. *I know the meat is
> all, so I'm looking for opinions. *What makes a great hamburger patty?


I have heard that some grated potato can help add to the juiciness.

WANTED: killer hamburger meat
 

On Jul 10, 8:45*am, Roy > wrote:

> ==
> If your burger is tough it is most likely because it is only ground
> once. Double ground will make most "tough" meats tender.
>
> Some of these commercial tubes of ground beef are only ground once and
> are fairly crappy as far as I'm concerned.
>
> I was a meat cutter for a good many years. One "beef" I have about
> this whole process is the addition of ice cubes to ground beef...lots
> of meat shops do this. Water is cheap and it "weighs"...that means
> "profit". If you end up with a pan full of water and shrunken pale
> burgers, its because there was too much ice added. On the BBQ, too
> much water in the burger makes crumbly burgers than break up and fall
> through the grills. Better to have too much fat rather than water
> IMHO...at least the fat has some flavor.
>
> Buying ground beef is a crap shoot. Find a good supplier and stick
> with 'em.
>
> ==

The excuse for using water is that electric grinders heat up the meat.
What do you think about using partially frozen meat for grinding?

I'll have to do an A-B comparison of single and double ground burgers,
next time I make them. Normally though, I make my grandmother's
meatloaf burgers on the grill. Single grind seems to work for
spaghetti sauce, though.

WANTED: killer hamburger meat
 

On Jul 10, 12:12*pm, spamtrap1888 > wrote:
> On Jul 10, 8:45*am, Roy > wrote:
>
>
>
> > ==
> > If your burger is tough it is most likely because it is only ground
> > once. Double ground will make most "tough" meats tender.
>
> > Some of these commercial tubes of ground beef are only ground once and
> > are fairly crappy as far as I'm concerned.
>
> > I was a meat cutter for a good many years. One "beef" I have about
> > this whole process is the addition of ice cubes to ground beef...lots
> > of meat shops do this. Water is cheap and it "weighs"...that means
> > "profit". If you end up with a pan full of water and shrunken pale
> > burgers, its because there was too much ice added. On the BBQ, too
> > much water in the burger makes crumbly burgers than break up and fall
> > through the grills. Better to have too much fat rather than water
> > IMHO...at least the fat has some flavor.
>
> > Buying ground beef is a crap shoot. Find a good supplier and stick
> > with 'em.
>
> > ==
>
> The excuse for using water is that electric grinders heat up the meat.
> What do you think about using partially frozen meat for grinding?
>
> I'll have to do an A-B comparison of single and double ground burgers,
> next time I make them. Normally though, I make my grandmother's
> meatloaf burgers on the grill. Single grind seems to work for
> spaghetti sauce, though.

==
Partially frozen meat is fine.
==

WANTED: killer hamburger meat
 

On Jul 10, 11:25*am, Andy > wrote:
> Kalmia > wrote:
> > On Jul 10, 10:25*am, notbob > wrote:
> >> I want to make a good ...no, GREAT!... hamburger. *I know the meat is
> >> all, so I'm looking for opinions. *What makes a great hamburger patty?
>
> > I have heard that some grated potato can help add to the juiciness.
>
> Kalmia,
>
> Mom added grated potato into her meatloaf. You couldn't tell that it was
> there by taste but more a way "stretch out" the loaf a little.
>
> Mom had a smart head on her shoulders!
>
> Best,
>
> Andy

I've added TVP to meatloaf. It works really well, adds body and
keeps the meatloaf juices in instead of them
running all out into the pan.

WANTED: killer hamburger meat
 

On Jul 10, 12:32*pm, Andy > wrote:
> spamtrap1888 > wrote:
> > The excuse for using water is that electric grinders heat up the meat.
> > What do you think about using partially frozen meat for grinding?
>
> > I'll have to do an A-B comparison of single and double ground burgers,
> > next time I make them. Normally though, I make my grandmother's
> > meatloaf burgers on the grill. Single grind seems to work for
> > spaghetti sauce, though.
>
> The Kitchen Aid meat grinder attachment came with large and small grinder
> plates.
>
> I tried the large plate, single grind. It was too course and burgers fell
> apart while cooking.
>
> The recommended large then small plate grinding makes a better burger,
> imho.
>
> Andy

==
Undoubtedly.
==

WANTED: killer hamburger meat
 

jmcquown wrote:
>
> At least 80 beef/20 fat content. Ground round results in a pretty much dry,
> tasteless burger. You need a certain amount of fat for a good burger. I'd
> ask the butcher first, but I'd opt for a nice fatty cut of chuck, ground to
> order. The fat will cook off when you grill it. IMHO

Even 80/20 seems too lean to me for a hamburger.

The fat dripping down on the coals and flaring up
will give it an additional dimension of flavor.
I used to avoid that when grilling steaks, out of
fear of carcinogens, but the risk really isn't
that high compared to eating meats cured with
nitrates and/or nitrites. Smoked meats are also
a small risk compared to cured meats.

Of course, I haven't eaten a hamburger since the
1980's, so my advice may be considered suspect.

WANTED: killer hamburger meat
 

On Jul 10, 9:25*am, notbob > wrote:
> I want to make a good ...no, GREAT!... hamburger. *I know the meat is
> all, so I'm looking for opinions. *What makes a great hamburger patty?
>
> I recently bought ground sirloin (4% fat). *Tough as nails. *So tough,
> in fact, it didn't even work as sloppy joes and the dog feasted. *That
> prepackaged crap in the sausage-shaped tubes is also out. *Shelly says
> sirloin and chuck, in what ratio I don't recall, but I want no more of
> that sirloin boot heel stuff. *Round? *Chuck? *A blend? *What? *I'm
> hitting an actual butcher shop today and will order whatever I choose
> ground on the spot. *It will be grilled over charcoal. *What say ye
> serious burger freaks?
>
> nb

I have one work for you:

Straub's

http://www.straubs.com/

John Kuthe...

WANTED: killer hamburger meat
 

>On Jul 10, 8:45*am, Roy > wrote:
>>
>> I was a meat cutter for a good many years. One "beef" I have about
>> this whole process is the addition of ice cubes to ground beef...lots
>> of meat shops do this. Water is cheap and it "weighs"...that means
>> "profit". If you end up with a pan full of water and shrunken pale
>> burgers, its because there was too much ice added. On the BBQ, too
>> much water in the burger makes crumbly burgers than break up and fall
>> through the grills. Better to have too much fat rather than water
>> IMHO...at least the fat has some flavor.

Water is not added unless the label says "water added", and then it
can't be labled "ground beef"... has to be called something else, like
"wet beef sausage".

>> Buying ground beef is a crap shoot. Find a good supplier and stick
>> with 'em.

There's no such thing as a supplier that doesn't cheat. Even if you
watch with your own eyes you still have no idea what was in that
grinder previously and when it was last cleaned, commercial grinders
hold like two pounds of meat so your nice piece of meat pushes
whatever cheapo meat is in the hopper out... soon as you walk away the
butcher pushes through two pounds of scraps that pushes your nice
piece of meat out and he brings it home. The ONLY way to know
what/who comes out of a grinder is for you to grind your own yourself.
Anyone who buys previously ground mystery meat can't legitimately
claim to be a cook.... if yer gonna make chili with packs of ground
meat from the stupidmarket you may as well buy canned chili and simply
doctor it.... the meat in canned chilli is ALWAYS better quality than
previously ground mystery meat.

>The excuse for using water is that electric grinders heat up the meat.

Bullshit.

Only the motor heats, not the grinder. Ice is typically added to the
mixture when grinding sausage meat *at home*, keeps the extra fatty
meat from smearing is all... usually for home grinding with smaller
machines. Ice is not added to commercially sold ground beef in the
US, by law nothing can be added to "ground beef". Large commercial
grinders don't smear. Adding water will make any size machine smear,
it's just not done. If water is added (to cheat on weight) it would
be mixed into already ground meat.... no shop in the US is going to
risk getting shut down by adding water, they have plenty of fercocktah
scraps they can add legally, and they do.

Everyone who fancies themself a home cook must own a decent meat
grinder and use it... otherwise they are a fraud.

WANTED: killer hamburger meat
 

brooklyn1 wrote:
>
> Everyone who fancies themself a home cook must own a decent meat
> grinder and use it... otherwise they are a fraud.

Even if they're vegetarian?

WANTED: killer hamburger meat
 

"spamtrap1888" > wrote in message
...
> On Jul 10, 9:15 am, George Leppla > wrote:
>
>>
>> Now, if you are making meatloaf and your recipe includes breadcrumbs,
>> use 80/20. The added fat is absorbed by the bread and adds taste.
>
> The added fat runs out of the meatloaf, in my experience. If I'm using
> just a baking dish, the fat actually starts to fry the bottom of the
> meatloaf.

Make it in a cast iron skillet and put cut up potatoes around it.

WANTED: killer hamburger meat
 

In article >,
notbob > wrote:

> I want to make a good ...no, GREAT!... hamburger. I know the meat is
> all, so I'm looking for opinions. What makes a great hamburger patty?

Ground chuck roast. I buy it from the service meat counter.

--
Barb, Mother Superior, HOSSSPoJ
On June 25, celebrating 65 years of joy and wonder. I got the joy
while everyone else wondered.

WANTED: killer hamburger meat
 

On 7/10/2010 9:25 AM, notbob wrote:
> Shelly says
> sirloin and chuck, in what ratio I don't recall, but I want no more of
> that sirloin boot heel stuff. Round? Chuck? A blend? What? I'm
> hitting an actual butcher shop today and will order whatever I choose
> ground on the spot. It will be grilled over charcoal. What say ye
> serious burger freaks?
>
> nb
>

If you grind the meat yourself, it would be skirt steak, flank steak,
brisket. I like sirloin and chuck, but the fat is not distributed
properly for beef patties, so you get too many pieces with no fat and
then you get pieces of solid fat.

Becca

WANTED: killer hamburger meat
 

Becca > wrote:

>If you grind the meat yourself, it would be skirt steak, flank steak,
>brisket. I like sirloin and chuck, but the fat is not distributed
>properly for beef patties, so you get too many pieces with no fat and
>then you get pieces of solid fat.

James Beard says to grind up the meat with some suet. Has
anyone here tried this?


Steve

WANTED: killer hamburger meat
 

On Sat, 10 Jul 2010 20:03:21 +0000 (UTC),
(Steve Pope) wrote:

> Becca > wrote:
>
> >If you grind the meat yourself, it would be skirt steak, flank steak,
> >brisket. I like sirloin and chuck, but the fat is not distributed
> >properly for beef patties, so you get too many pieces with no fat and
> >then you get pieces of solid fat.
>
> James Beard says to grind up the meat with some suet. Has
> anyone here tried this?
>
Can you find suet anymore?

--
Forget the health food. I need all the preservatives I can get.

WANTED: killer hamburger meat
 

On Sat, 10 Jul 2010 12:34:06 -0700, Mark Thorson >
wrote:

>brooklyn1 wrote:
>>
>> Everyone who fancies themself a home cook must own a decent meat
>> grinder and use it... otherwise they are a fraud.
>
>Even if they're vegetarian?

Unless you're a deer or a cow there's no such thing as a vegetarian...
every vegetarian I've ever met eats meat... chicken and fish are meat.
I had a neighbor who swore they were strict vegetarians, one day I
spotted them parked by a distant Burger King hunkered down in the seat
munching big drippy Whoppers. BTW, even deer eat meat, I've tossed
fatty chicken trimmings out into the yard for the crows but the deer
got to it first... when it's -20ºF and three feet of snow deer will
eat meat.

WANTED: killer hamburger meat
 

"Steve Pope" > wrote
>>If you grind the meat yourself, it would be skirt steak, flank steak,
>>brisket. I like sirloin and chuck, but the fat is not distributed
>>properly for beef patties, so you get too many pieces with no fat and
>>then you get pieces of solid fat.
>
> James Beard says to grind up the meat with some suet. Has
> anyone here tried this?
>
>
> Steve

Yes, works well with lean cuts.
To reply to sf, it is difficult to find but I has seen it on occasion in the
meat case. Probably more for people using it in bird feeders than for
grinding.

WANTED: killer hamburger meat
 

On Sat, 10 Jul 2010 15:01:32 -0500, Becca > wrote:

>On 7/10/2010 9:25 AM, notbob wrote:
>> Shelly says
>> sirloin and chuck, in what ratio I don't recall, but I want no more of
>> that sirloin boot heel stuff. Round? Chuck? A blend? What? I'm
>> hitting an actual butcher shop today and will order whatever I choose
>> ground on the spot. It will be grilled over charcoal. What say ye
>> serious burger freaks?
>>
>> nb
>>
>
>If you grind the meat yourself, it would be skirt steak, flank steak,
>brisket. I like sirloin and chuck, but the fat is not distributed
>properly for beef patties, so you get too many pieces with no fat and
>then you get pieces of solid fat.
>
>Becca

I've never had that happen... when I cut up a roast each strip
contains a pretty equal amount of fat. When I need extra fat (I
usually trim away the big chunks) I toss the strips with olive oil,
adds fat without cholesterol and the oil lubes the grinding. Anyone
who claims to use high fat content beef for burgers must cook them
well done, rare they'd contain big chunks of raw fat... may as well be
mortadella.

WANTED: killer hamburger meat
 

(Steve Pope) wrote:
>Becca > wrote:
>
>>If you grind the meat yourself, it would be skirt steak, flank steak,
>>brisket. I like sirloin and chuck, but the fat is not distributed
>>properly for beef patties, so you get too many pieces with no fat and
>>then you get pieces of solid fat.
>
>James Beard says to grind up the meat with some suet. Has
>anyone here tried this?

Then you eat your burgers well done... extra fat makes for a lousy
rare burger. I like my burgers rare, I prepare my ground meat
suitable for tartar.

WANTED: killer hamburger meat
 

On Sat, 10 Jul 2010 17:20:16 -0400, brooklyn1
> wrote:

> (Steve Pope) wrote:
>>Becca > wrote:
>>
>>>If you grind the meat yourself, it would be skirt steak, flank steak,
>>>brisket. I like sirloin and chuck, but the fat is not distributed
>>>properly for beef patties, so you get too many pieces with no fat and
>>>then you get pieces of solid fat.
>>
>>James Beard says to grind up the meat with some suet. Has
>>anyone here tried this?
>
>Then you eat your burgers well done... extra fat makes for a lousy
>rare burger. I like my burgers rare, I prepare my ground meat
>suitable for tartar.


Hey I thought you liked spam in your burgers??

WANTED: killer hamburger meat
 

On Jul 10, 2:20 pm, brooklyn1 > wrote:
> (Steve Pope) wrote:
> >Becca > wrote:
>
> >>If you grind the meat yourself, it would be skirt steak, flank steak,
> >>brisket. I like sirloin and chuck, but the fat is not distributed
> >>properly for beef patties, so you get too many pieces with no fat and
> >>then you get pieces of solid fat.
>
> >James Beard says to grind up the meat with some suet. Has
> >anyone here tried this?
>
> Then you eat your burgers well done... extra fat makes for a lousy
> rare burger. I like my burgers rare, I prepare my ground meat
> suitable for tartar.

The last time I made burgers, I put top round through the grinder
followed by a few strips of pork shoulder. Probably about a 3:1
ratio. I did cook them a little more than usual because of the pork
and because that's how the guests wanted them. Even cooked to almost
medium they were juicy and tasty. I've also mixed sausage with beef
for burgers but I prefer plain pork. -aem

WANTED: killer hamburger meat
 

On Jul 10, 1:24*pm, brooklyn1 > wrote:
> >On Jul 10, 8:45*am, Roy > wrote:
>
> >> I was a meat cutter for a good many years. One "beef" I have about
> >> this whole process is the addition of ice cubes to ground beef...lots
> >> of meat shops do this. Water is cheap and it "weighs"...that means
> >> "profit". If you end up with a pan full of water and shrunken pale
> >> burgers, its because there was too much ice added. On the BBQ, too
> >> much water in the burger makes crumbly burgers than break up and fall
> >> through the grills. Better to have too much fat rather than water
> >> IMHO...at least the fat has some flavor.
>
> Water is not added unless the label says "water added", and then it
> can't be labled "ground beef"... has to be called something else, like
> "wet beef sausage".
>
> >> Buying ground beef is a crap shoot. Find a good supplier and stick
> >> with 'em.
>
> There's no such thing as a supplier that doesn't cheat. *Even if you
> watch with your own eyes you still have no idea what was in that
> grinder previously and when it was last cleaned, commercial grinders
> hold like two pounds of meat so your nice piece of meat pushes
> whatever cheapo meat is in the hopper out... soon as you walk away the
> butcher pushes through two pounds of scraps that pushes your nice
> piece of meat out and he brings it home. *The ONLY way to know
> what/who comes out of a grinder is for you to grind your own yourself.
> Anyone who buys previously ground mystery meat can't legitimately
> claim to be a cook.... if yer gonna make chili with packs of ground
> meat from the stupidmarket you may as well buy canned chili and simply
> doctor it.... the meat in canned chilli is ALWAYS better quality than
> previously ground mystery meat.
>
> >The excuse for using water is that electric grinders heat up the meat.
>
> Bullshit.
>
> Only the motor heats, not the grinder. *Ice is typically added to the
> mixture when grinding sausage meat *at home*, keeps the extra fatty
> meat from smearing is all... usually for home grinding with smaller
> machines. *Ice is not added to commercially sold ground beef in the
> US, by law nothing can be added to "ground beef". *Large commercial
> grinders don't smear. *Adding water will make any size machine smear,
> it's just not done. *If water is added (to cheat on weight) it would
> be mixed into already ground meat.... no shop in the US is going to
> risk getting shut down by adding water, they have plenty of fercocktah
> scraps they can add legally, and they do.
>
> Everyone who fancies themself a home cook must own a decent meat
> grinder and use it... otherwise they are a fraud.

==
You are so full of shit. I worked for a major supermarket by the same
of S****** many moons ago and every one of the stores that I worked in
added ice to their burger. It gives a nice red "bloom" to the meat and
makes the burger easier to "tray" as well as it is cooler, not as
sticky and looks great.

Been there, done that.
==

WANTED: killer hamburger meat
 

On Jul 10, 3:20*pm, brooklyn1 > wrote:
> *(Steve Pope) wrote:
> >Becca > wrote:
>
> >>If you grind the meat yourself, it would be skirt steak, flank steak,
> >>brisket. *I like sirloin and chuck, but the fat is not distributed
> >>properly for beef patties, so you get too many pieces with no fat and
> >>then you get pieces of solid fat.
>
> >James Beard says to grind up the meat with some suet. *Has
> >anyone here tried this?
>
> Then you eat your burgers well done... extra fat makes for a lousy
> rare burger. *I like my burgers rare, I prepare my ground meat
> suitable for tartar.

==
Those who eat their burgers a la tartar are risking an E Coli
infection.
==

WANTED: killer hamburger meat
 

brooklyn1 > wrote:

> (Steve Pope) wrote:

>>James Beard says to grind up the meat with some suet. Has
>>anyone here tried this?

>Then you eat your burgers well done... extra fat makes for a lousy
>rare burger. I like my burgers rare, I prepare my ground meat
>suitable for tartar.

I agree, one needs a smaller fat percentage for rare burgers
(which I also like). I do not know if this precludes using
some suet or not. My perception of suet is it melts at a higher
temperature than most beef fat, so you could be stuck with
solid segments of fat if you tried cooking a burger with suet rare.

Steve

WANTED: killer hamburger meat
 

On Sat, 10 Jul 2010 13:18:43 -0700, sf > wrote:

>On Sat, 10 Jul 2010 20:03:21 +0000 (UTC),
>(Steve Pope) wrote:
>
>> Becca > wrote:
>>
>> >If you grind the meat yourself, it would be skirt steak, flank steak,
>> >brisket. I like sirloin and chuck, but the fat is not distributed
>> >properly for beef patties, so you get too many pieces with no fat and
>> >then you get pieces of solid fat.
>>
>> James Beard says to grind up the meat with some suet. Has
>> anyone here tried this?
>>
>Can you find suet anymore?

Yes, but it's not going to be fresh so not worth buying... cowl fat
the same, in a container it's gonna be woofy. It's better to freeze
the white firm fat from a roast.