First time grinding my own burger

[JCBBQ]

Inspired by all the great posts on this site, I recently bought some new toys. One of which was the grinder attachment to my KitchenAid mixer. I was a little over whelmed with the meat mix suggestions so I just started out simple with Chuck steaks. Wow wow wow! I can't believe how delicious my burger tasted. Easily the best burger I've ever made and I did nothing but add salt before searing. If you've never ground your own burger, you MUST TRY THIS. It was really a revelation!

8oz patties cooked indirectly until about 120 then seared over direct heat flipping about every minute until 135. Served w Glop and a slice of tomato and onion. Nothing fancy but the meat really shined through.

[JCBBQ]

BTW, Glop is fantastic.

[Meathead]

Thanks!

[Meathead]

Great looking burger!

[RonB]

I agree - great looking burger.

[Nate]

Well that looks delicious!

[rat88]

the next step is buying a sausage stuffer attachment and making your own brats.

[JCBBQ]

Yes! Do we have a recipe on the site for brats?

[rat88]

I get my stuff from these guys... http://www.sausagemaker.com/sausage-...nds-s/1945.htm

[JCBBQ]

Oh, great, rat88 thank you for that. I had a quick peak and will circle back when I've got more time.

[sblair1255]

Looks delicious. How does the Kitchen Aid mixer handle the grinding part? Any signs of straining? I was thinking of buying a dedicated grinder because I wasn't sure if the mixer gearing would be strained grinding meat.

Steve b

[JCBBQ]

Seemed great although I only ground about 2.5lbs at a time. I can imagine that if you are going to do a lot of burgers that you might want to stop halfway and clean out the meat that doesn't grind but wraps around the parts, but I don't know yet if that's really necessary.

[HorseDoctor]

Get meat semi-frozen in chunks prior to grinding. That should help with meat wrapping. Also be sure it is put together tightly so knife & plate are intimate!

[rat88]

The fat will get wrapped around the blade and make it work harder. It is a good idea to keep that cleaned out and keep the meat as cold as possible (almost frozen)

[Ribber]

Good looking burger! I just bought a food processor and I am hoping to grind my own for the first time on Sunday. Either Chuck or short rib or...
Thanks for the post!

[JCBBQ]

You won't regret it. I was really blown away by taste. I'll never buy ground meat again.

[Ribber]

Well now I'm getting excited!

[RonB]

sblair1255 - I just purchased the KA attachment a few weeks ago. I have ground one time - about 3 lbs that I cut into small chunks and put in the freezer till stiff but not hard. The grind went well and I did not have anything wrap around the shaft. There was a bit at the end that did not come out, but only a small amount. I was pleased and my next project will be sausage patties.

[RonB]

Thanx Guest.

[bchbum12]

Terrific idea HorseDoctor. And my dogs thank you too.

[JCBBQ]

Great tip HorseDoctor. Will definitely try that.

[rat88]

One tip I have found is "they" recommend cutting the meat in 1" cubes, I cut in 1x1 strips. That make the meat "self feeding" in the tube and less time cutting up the meat

[bchbum12]

Never thought about the "self-feeding" idea . . . but it makes perfect sense. Next time I'll give it a go. Thx rat88.

[Breadhead]

Nice burger! There's nothing like real homemade burgers.😆👍

[MBMorgan]

Very nice! Next time, if you can find them, try chuck eye steaks ... their flavor profile is very close to ribeye and I now use them exclusively for ground burger meat.

[JCBBQ]

I actually read your comments on the chuck eye on a different post and tried to find them...alas, my Costco was fairly limited. I'll grab them when I find them!

[MBMorgan]

JCBBQ - I can only find them at a local Safeway where there happens to be a really good butcher. There are only 2 chuck eye steaks per cow ... so they can be hard to find.

[terrycj]

Great looking burger

[Huskee]

Welcome to The Pit! We'd love to get an intro from you over in the Introduce Yourself channel when you get a minute. https://pitmaster.amazingribs.com/fo...troductions-aa

[DWCowles]

Welcome terrycj