Made some steakhouse burgers last night. Went to the local grocery store and they had two chuck steaks in the showcase. I grabbed the one with the most marbling and came home to grind and cook it using the reverse sear method. They ended up dry and honestly disappointing for the effort put into it. Below is a picture of the chuck steak before I did the grinding. What do you guys think, is it 30% fat? The large band in the middle was too hard to be fat but everything else grinder well.
feel free to post pictures of what you consider 20-30% fat!
No, not even close, if you ask me. Especially if you took that big band out, which I think is a good idea. That band may have had some fat, but it also had loads of connective tissue, which can end up stringy and tough.
But, I would have guessed by eyeballing that you needed to add some fat - and judging by your assessment that your burgers were dry, that seems to be the case.
Using my "calibrated eyeball" I'd say you likely ended up somewhere between 5-10% after trimming the unwanted fat. Some have a knack for spatial guessing, some don't, but no need to worry where you fall on that. While it's an extra step it might help you eliminate disappointment. I'd suggest you separate the lean from the fat (obviously not the small marbling) and weigh each to "teach" your eye what the comparison is actually versus your guessing. In time you should gain a better perspective on your guesstimating skills.
My gear:
22 Weber Kettle
Napoleon PRO Charcoal Kettle Grill
Broil King Keg
Traeger Pro 34
Napoleon Prestige Pro 500
Pit Barrel Cooker
Blackstone Range Combo Griddle
I find it much easier to eyeball after it is ground as you can then compare it with what store-bought ground beef looks like. I keep some bags of fat in my freezer so that I can grind some if need be.
I trim out the fat and the lean. Weigh them separately. If it is highly marbled I'll add 5% to the fat weight. Then I use brisket trim to get to my 75/25.
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