Grinding beef question

[bbq_esq]

I have a good supply of frozen beef trimmings I want to grind up in the KitchenAid grinder attachment I picked up the other week.

My trimmings are mostly ribeye, brisket and filet. I am guessing the result is gonna be a bit fattier than I would like, or at the very least, I may want to have a leaner grind for weekday stuff. If I needed to add extra lean, anything wrong with just grabbing something like eye of round or top round to up the "lean"?

Also, I know this is far from an exact science, but any advice on estimating the lean/fat ratio of the end product? Maybe a visual guide? Or is this just more of a trust your instincts thing lol

[Ace]

Yes... Adding more lean would lower the total fat percentage of the mix. If you were mixing very lean meat with fat separately, then you could weigh it. So since that's not the case it's a visual guess. I think that I would grind a small test batch, fry some, then adjust the final mix to your liking.

[JeffJ]

For weeknight tacos my experience has been very lean is just fine. For burger patties I have found that 75/25 works best but 80/20 works really well too. I don’t recommend ribeye for burger patties. It doesn’t hold together well. For chili lean is okay but I prefer chuck or brisket. If you have some ribeye it should work well in chili.

[glitchy]

A few rounds of jerky tacos using 93/7 are what wrote me off of 90%+ beef.

[SheilaAnn]

what Ace said regarding doing a tester. I'm an 80/20 fan for pretty much anything across the board.

[bbq_esq]

For weeknight tacos my experience has been very lean is just fine. For burger patties I have found that 75/25 works best but 80/20 works really well too. I don’t recommend ribeye for burger patties. It doesn’t hold together well. For chili lean is okay but I prefer chuck or brisket. If you have some ribeye it should work well in chili.

If I am doing something like burgers, 80/20 is my go to, but for weekday dinners or even chili, I admit I like to be closed to 90/10. The ribeye trim I have is mostly just the "tails" off two prime rib roasts, which are like 80% fat. I think I'm gonna end up with like 50/50 fat to meat after it's all said and done, so I'll grab a cheap chunk of something lean to "lean" it up.

[Santamarina]

Adding more lean beef to the mix will absolutely do the trick. As far as getting ratios right…

Outside of burgers, where I prefer 80/20, I’m not a stickler for absolute blend ratio. If I’m browning in the pan and I suspect the fat ratio is too high I’ll let some of the fat render before draining. I always save the drippings in case I’m over zealous in my endeavors and it ends up too lean. If my blend is too lean from the start I’ll add tallow or bacon grease, as available.

Only thing I can think of that I’d work a little harder on specific ratio is something like meatloaf. Otherwise, my ground beef uses are manageable from a variety of fat ratios.

[bbq_esq]

That is a good point that I didn't consider! Thanks.

[Draznnl]

75/25 or 70/30 for most sausage making. 75/25 to 80/20 for burgers. 80/20 for just about everything else.

[58limited]

Wut he sed

[glitchy]

I just cook it and drain after for most things, After years of trying the 90% plus lean, I’ve totally given up on that crap. It’s butcher mix (guesstimated 85/15 by them) or 80/20 for almost everything. So, if you’re browning it first and draining, or grilling to medium-well then lean towards fattier than leaner. If 70/30 is cheap enough for me to buy extra, I’ll even do that.

End result is more flavorful and more important more tender everything.

[glitchy]

Just remember if grilling burgers, the more fat, the more the patty will shrink.