Jules’ folks got me a grinder attachment for Christmas, so I thought I’d give it whirl. I used maybe 30% short rib and 70% chuck roast; trimmed silverskin, chunked then lightly froze. I put all metal parts in the freezer, also. It worked like a charm. I seasoned them with a lot of salt and a bit of pepper. Started in a dry cold pan and went medium+ due to the high fat content. I have to say…They were pretty damn good even if the pics don’t do it justice.
Next time, I’d go more rare for mine and cook Jules’ and Dario’s to medium well. She thought it was a bit rich so rendering out the fat is necessary for her palate.
Yeah, that thing is pretty great.
I love being able to choose the source. The ground beef section of the supermarket is such a crap shoot. One day it’s pink, another day red, another day purple, and all with the same designation. 80/20. They’re just using whatever they’ve got.
But I think my favorite thing is that the chuck roast I grind on Monday is still fresh on Wednesday and Thursday. I waste a lot less hamburger meat.
I finally ordered an electric grinder this week for the same reason…and more control. (and because the hand grinders I had were always clogging.) Looking forward to focusing on the burgers, rather than the machine’s functioning right.
I have had that attachment for years and love to make home ground burgers. Made some salmon sliders for a Berserkerfest on it. Important tip - Unless they have changed the unit, YOU ARE USING THE WRONG PART AS A PLUNGER. Use the white plastic tube/cannister that the parts come in as your plunger. I also have a wooden thing but I don’t even remember if it came with the device.
My favorite is home made lamb burgers. 85% leg of lamb, which is actually quite lean, plus 15% beef fat - like trimmed brisket fat. I cut the meat in cubes, sprinkle with freshly made ras el hanout, then grind with the fat using the large hole fitting. I then mix together and regrind. Sometimes I add fresh garlic or scallions or whatever else suits my fancy.
Salmon burgers - I add scallions, basil, oregano, parsley or whatever you like but nothing too moist and maybe 5% bread crumbs to bind together. No egg. Salt and pepper. Grind once or twice depending on your favorite texture. If I can, I let it sit for 30 minutes before grilling. serve with Wasabi mayo.
I also use it for making meat loaf. I grind whatever meat I want to throw in it.
I’m excited to do some non-traditional sliders. I think they changed the kit to save money. They combined the wrench/plunger into one tool. There literally is nothing else that came with the kit that could work as a plunger. It works okay, but I would rather use a dowel shape like you mention.
I think it’s overrated. What makes a really good NY strip or ribeye good, is the marbling. Not just fat content, but fat spread evenly through the meat. Grinding destroys that, and of course using those cuts, even low quality versions, is too expensive. I use CostCo chuck, a bit of shortrib, and if the SR/chuck looks too fatty perhaps a sirloin to lean it out a bit. 50/25/25, say. One thing that’s not overrated, if you’ve got the KA mixer attachment, is girding the meat twice - first on the wide, then on the smaller. You’ll get a better texture, and more even mixing of the cuts.
