Home ground meat(s) for burgers

[pz]

While grinding meats for burgers is nothing new, this is what I have come up with for an economical but very tasty substitute for the 20% fat beef chubs available in the grocery stores.  The ground blend costs less than ground beef and contains bacon, petit sirloin, and pork loin.  Here's my general setup - I use a grinding attachment on my wife's stand mixer.

[Click images to zoom]

Trimmed pork loin at the left, petit sirloin on the right, and bacon up top.  The spices I use are at the top of the image, and the sage at the far right came from our garden.  I purchased each of the meats for less than $3 per pound, ant that is about a dollar less than the price for ground beef in the grocery store.

Burgers are grillin' (my wife hardly lets me use her grill, and this was no exception - she's off camera to the left)

Finished patties - tender and moist ( we do not manipulate nor press the ground meat very much).

I like to slop all kinds of things on my burgers - a habit left over from when I was a kid in Ohio, and a dollar bought me 4 hot dogs and permission to put as much condiment as I could on them (I was a hungry kid with not much money)

Tender and juicy; you can taste the bacon, pork and steak all melding in your mouth in a perfect harmony of balanced flavors (yeah, I know... how can you tell with all that mustard and catsup!)  However, if you have not tried fresh sage in your ground meat, you might consider it - the herbal notes are like nothing else in a burger.

Ready to eat with my sweetie!  Life doesn't get better than this, and I am grateful for every day that I am able to open my eyes to another day.

[SiFumar]

Yum!

[pz]

I went to the butcher shop today and purchased what they call "bag meat" which is a large chunk of whatever cut they are selling.  The prices were really good:

• Brisket - $2.99/lb (13 lbs) - I plan to Bradley this one as soon as my PID arrives, and do it Texas style, all day with plenty of beers and friends
• New York steaks - $2.99/lb (12 lbs) - this is cheap enough so that I'm planning to use some of it for ground meat, like in this thread - I imagine those steak burgers will taste plenty good.
• Ribeye steaks - $3.99/lb (12 lbs) - they look great and will be used for searing.  However, at $3.99/lb, that is the same price as 15% ground beef at the local grocery store.  Kind of outrageous that I can get ribeye at a butcher shop for the same price as I can get ground beef at the marker.

I cut the large slabs of meat into inch and a half thick slices, and FoodSavered two per bag, for an average weight of 12 ounces per steak.

Sure does pay to purchase in bulk.

[rveal23]

PZ, first off I'm jeolous of that view! :-[
I am a nature lover and would kill to have that view.

Anyways, my favorite steak is ribeye, I will have to try to go to my local butcher and see what their bag meat is. If you are buying big chunks of meat how to you slice them up? You have a band saw? Or meat slicer?

[Habanero Smoker]

Those are terrific prices, especially if the NY steaks are strip steaks, or could they be sirloins, which is a less expensive cut? What grade is the meat (if it is graded)?

[terry08]

Haven't seen rib eye that cheap in awhile. Where I live the local grocery store sells them for 8.99 a lb. And all their meat is select, what I call dog meat. I will make the 40 mile drive to kroger, to buy choice for 6.99 a lb. The burgers & view look awesome.

Sent from my SCH-R760X using Tapatalk 2

[beefmann]

great food and love the view from your  patio

[Saber 4]

I like the idea of using the bacon in the GB for flavor. I've been going to Sam's when they first open to look for deals on the meat that "expired" that morning and I've been able to get beautiful choice chuck roasts and either choice sirloin or eye of rounds and use that to grind my burger meat. That gives me about an 80/20 mix without having to add fat from somewhere else and man is it good. I needed a quick meal last night and took out a pound of vac sealed GB and whipped up some quick sloppy joes on onion ciabbatta rolls and it cooked up nice without all the pink slime added to GB at the store.

[pz]

PZ, first off I'm jeolous of that view! :-[
I am a nature lover and would kill to have that view.

Anyways, my favorite steak is ribeye, I will have to try to go to my local butcher and see what their bag meat is. If you are buying big chunks of meat how to you slice them up? You have a band saw? Or meat slicer?

Thanks rveal23; living in SoCal, you have probably been to Big Bear?  If so, how about Fawnskin which is on the north end of the lake?  The reason I ask is that when I lived in SoCal, I made frequent trips into the Big Bear mountains and saw beautiful places on the lake with gorgeous views.  I told myself that one day when I retire I was going to have a place like that.  :)

I actually cut the meat by hand.  Some time ago I purchased a set of Cutco knives, and one of them is specifically designed for meat.  The knife makes all the difference, and I had no problem maintaining thickness, nor the clean cut.

Those are terrific prices, especially if the NY steaks are strip steaks, or could they be sirloins, which is a less expensive cut? What grade is the meat (if it is graded)?

I honestly don't know, but I can take pics and post.  I still have the packaging, which is heavy plastic like you would expect to see in the big packs of ribs, or a whole brisket.  I don't recall seeing a meat grade, but I was not wearing my glasses, and did not look at the fine print.  However, I have purchased from this outfit before, and the meat has been good.

Haven't seen rib eye that cheap in awhile. Where I live the local grocery store sells them for 8.99 a lb. And all their meat is select, what I call dog meat. I will make the 40 mile drive to kroger, to buy choice for 6.99 a lb. The burgers & view look awesome.

Thanks terry08!  My grocery store has ribeye for the same price you mention, and Costco is about the same.

great food and love the view from your  patio

Thanks for the comment beefmann; All food tastes better outdoors, especially when there is something nice to look at  ;)

I like the idea of using the bacon in the GB for flavor. I've been going to Sam's when they first open to look for deals on the meat that "expired" that morning and I've been able to get beautiful choice chuck roasts and either choice sirloin or eye of rounds and use that to grind my burger meat. That gives me about an 80/20 mix without having to add fat from somewhere else and man is it good. I needed a quick meal last night and took out a pound of vac sealed GB and whipped up some quick sloppy joes on onion ciabbatta rolls and it cooked up nice without all the pink slime added to GB at the store.

Good idea, and the bacon adds great flavor without being obviously spiked with bacon.  I now grind all my meats with at least a little bacon.

[Habanero Smoker]

You don't have to post pictures. I was just curious.

There is a small family run slaughter house about 10 miles from me, but the only choices he will give you are either whole, half, or quarter carcass, and pork belly (when he has it).

[pz]

Dang, just took the pics so I might as well post the links and get your opinions.  Evidently the meat is choice

Whole brisket

New York - the label did not specify, but here is what two of them look like in a FoodSaver (little difficult to see but maybe you'll know the cut based on what you do see)

Ribeye - again two back to back in the pack

[Habanero Smoker]

They do look like top quality meats. You definitely got some great buys. The rib eye has great marbling.

It is hard to tell about the New York cut, but it does look like a top loin, where the New York Strip steaks are cut from. In my area that sells for close to $9/lb. for choice or CAB. Occasionally I may get them on sale for around $5/lb.

[rveal23]

PZ, first off I'm jealous of that view! :-[
I am a nature lover and would kill to have that view.

Anyways, my favorite steak is ribeye, I will have to try to go to my local butcher and see what their bag meat is. If you are buying big chunks of meat how to you slice them up? You have a band saw? Or meat slicer?

Thanks rveal23; living in SoCal, you have probably been to Big Bear?  If so, how about Fawnskin which is on the north end of the lake?  The reason I ask is that when I lived in SoCal, I made frequent trips into the Big Bear mountains and saw beautiful places on the lake with gorgeous views.  I told myself that one day when I retire I was going to have a place like that.  :)

I actually cut the meat by hand.  Some time ago I purchased a set of Cutco knives, and one of them is specifically designed for meat.  The knife makes all the difference, and I had no problem maintaining thickness, nor the clean cut.

PZ, I rent a cabin every year during Winter in big bear. And been around those parts quite a bit. The views and the place is amazing. I love camping so when we do have a chance I would head up to any camp site that is lush green and enjoy the sweet clean air.

I'm glad that you were able to achieve your dream of retirement. Congrats!
Cutco huh, a few family members of mine have that full set, I'll have to take a look at it and see which knife it is.. I have a Shun 10 1/2"  which awesome for my fish and slicing down big chuncks of meat LOVE IT!

[pz]

Thanks rveal23 - it sure was nice to get the place while I'm young enough to take care of it  ;D

I love the San Bernardino mountains, and went into the Holcomb valley quite a bit - even found the "old Spanish fort" that was written about in an old issue of Desert magazine.

That's a beautiful knife, rveal23; I may need to look at that one - I need a long slender blade like that for sashimi.  :)

You won't be disappointed if you get that Cutco cheese knife, of even a whole set for that matter - the knives are superb and I've been using my set for about 6 years and they are still as sharp as the day I bought them - have not had to sharpen them yet.

They do look like top quality meats. You definitely got some great buys. The rib eye has great marbling.

It is hard to tell about the New York cut, but it does look like a top loin, where the New York Strip steaks are cut from. In my area that sells for close to $9/lb. for choice or CAB. Occasionally I may get them on sale for around $5/lb.

Thanks HS; although the meat was tender and tasty, it is good to know that the quality measures up to a great price.

[viper125]

Ask your butcher shops that cut fresh meat about the prices on blocks of beef. Simply  a big hunk of meat as i comes off. Usually good prices that way. And you cut how you want. Makes an excellent burger without additives. Some times so lean i have been know to add fat. Hey lets face it a lean burger has no taste.