Homemade Ground Beef - Making your own freshly Ground beef in the comfort of your home is not difficult at all, it takes just a couple of minutes to prep and your food processor; and do you know that freshly Ground Beef tastes way better than the store-bought ones?
DIY Homemade ground beef in a food processor
Just a little bit of digression: I have stopped buying store-made ground beef ever since I came across an article that says one packet of the store Ground Beef contains Meat sourced from more than 100 cows. Do you think that is ethical? Why not make your own Ground beef from the meat sourced from a single cow?
Ground beef is a staple ingredient in our kitchen, it has a lot of uses in our kitchen, from meatballs to meatloaves to sauces and much more. It's also inexpensive.
What is ground beef?
Ground beef also known as minced meat is a meat product made by grinding the meat of a cow.
What are some ways to cook with ground beef?
Ground beef can be used in many recipes including tacos, casseroles, meatloaves, burgers, spaghetti Bolognese, spaghetti sauce, and more! It can also be used in casseroles and lasagna.
Why make your own ground beef?
You may ask why grind your own beef since it's inexpensive; the answer is simple. Do you know one packet of the store-bought ground beef contains meat sourced from more than 100 cows? Do you think that is ethical? Why not make your own ground beef from meat sourced from a single cow?
- When you make your own ground it's always tastier, juicier, and more flavorful!
- You can regulate the amount of fat in your Ground Beef.
- You have control over the meat source and process.
- Since you are using the meat cut from a single source, you will have ground beef with a loose crumbly texture which will result in tender burger meat not a dense chewy texture like the store-bought ones.
- You are also in control of the amount of fat that goes into your ground beef!
How To Grind Your Own Burger Meat plus tips to achieving the best results when using a Food Processor
Grinding your home burger meat is so easy. l you need is your partially frozen meat and your food processor. The following are guides that will help to ensure a good result
- The first tip is to choose a good meat cut. The ones with fat marbling with some fat around the edges make the best ground beef. The fat helps to make the ground beef tasty and tender.
- Freeze the meat. There's no need to freeze it rock-hard. About 30 minutes in the freeze will do just fine.
- Cut the beef into 1 to 2-inch cubes. This will make it easier for the food processor to break it down, making the meat blend turn out even.
- Pulse in small batches. About 10 pulses per batch. Be sure to check the consistency between pulses to avoid over-processing the meat.
What is the best meat cut to use for your homemade ground beef?
- Chuck roast - This is my first option because it has a perfect meat-to-fat ratio-80/20. This fat is required to improve the texture of the ground beef without leaving the ground beef greasy.
- For Fattier ground beef I will recommend short rib
- Another meat cut that yields a delicious flavor is round. However, it is very lean. You can get the best of this meat cut if you blend it with has short rib to give it a good meat-to-fat ratio - 70/30 or 80/20
You can also use many other meat cuts like sirloin tip, stew beef, boneless rump, but you may need to use more quantity. If you have a meat grinder, go for it but if otherwise, bring out your food processor and let's make our fresh Ground Beef.
Notes:
- Make sure your hands, surfaces, and all your utensils are well cleaned before and after the whole grinding process in order to prevent the spread go germs.
- Don't overfill the food processor. It's best to work in batches so that all the beef can be uniformly blended.
- Don't use the blend function, use the pulse function otherwise, it will result in meat paste.
- If this is your first time making ground beef, I recommend using chuck roast, as you master the process, feel free to use different meat cut blends until you reach your desired taste and texture.
What to make with ground beef:
- Nigerian Meatpie
- Ground beef and Potatoes
- Delicious Jollof Spaghetti
- Homemade pizza recipe
- Classic Hamburger
- Meatballs
- Spaghetti Sauce
- Hamburger Helper: Quick, Delicious, & Budget-Friendly
This post has been updated — first published in August 2016.
Best Easy Ground Beef Recipe
Instructions
- Place your meat in the freezer for about an hour, a little more or less until it becomes partially frozen. You should still be able to cut through it.
- After 20 to 30 minutes, remove the meat from the freezer and into small-sized cubes - about an inch or two each.
- Put the meat cubes inside the food processor and process it for a couple of seconds, or simply give it about 20 to 22 pulses using the pulse button on your processor.
- Use as desired.
Nutrition
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If you make this Homemade Ground Beef Recipe, I’d love to see pictures of your creations on Instagram or Facebook. #cheflolaskitchen
Chanel Pugh
Thursday 15th of August 2024
"Many other meat cuts like sirloin tip, stew beef, boneless rump, can also be used but you may need to add" What should I add to these beef cuts?
Chef Lola's Kitchen
Tuesday 27th of August 2024
You may need to add more meat cuts to get big quantity.
Tuesday 16th of May 2023
Awesome. I will never again buy ground beef from the store, even organic, grass-fed because you don't know how many different cows are in the package. Just the image of cow meat scrapped from many cow bones and shipped to be ground and then sold makes me feel sick.
Chef Lola's Kitchen
Tuesday 13th of June 2023
👍👍
Sunday 18th of December 2022
what blade to use to grind beef?
Shannon
Tuesday 19th of July 2022
Hello, But why do you think using ground beef from 100 cows is unethical? Isn't it better that all the meat from these 100 cows get used up rather than thrown away. We were always taught not to waste any part of anything. And it is cheaper than buying the round or other parts too. I am just wondering. Thank you. :)
Lola Osinkolu
Wednesday 12th of July 2023
Hello Shannon and thank you for your thoughtful comment. I understand your point of view, and it's true that it's a respectful practice not to waste any part of anything. However, I think there are a few ethical issues with using ground beef from 100 cows.
Ground beef has a higher risk of bacterial contamination compared to intact cuts of meat due to the increased surface area exposed to potential pathogens. When meat from multiple cows is mixed together, it becomes more challenging to trace the source of any contamination, potentially increasing the risk to consumers.
I just think it's important to be aware of the ethical issues involved so that we can make informed choices about the food we eat. My apologies for the late response, I somehow missed your comment.
taiwo bolanle
Friday 25th of March 2022
Thanks so much for this ma, please ma can I use pork meat instead of beef and can I use blender to blend it
Chef Lola's Kitchen
Friday 1st of April 2022
You can use Pork. You can also use your blender as well. It is advisable that you read your blender manual to know the capacity and how you can use it for meat.