It's easy to grind your own
beef. You only need a food processor, hand-cranked
meat grinder, or an attachment for your stand
mixer.
Why would you want to grind your own?
Initially I started to grind
my own beef purely for flavor. Chuck roasts make
great hamburgers.
It is also an economical cut, but that flavor! So
much more
wonderful flavor. But now, the threat
of E-Coli contamination is
a far more compelling reason to grind your own.
I stopped purchasing pre-formed ground beef
patties
about 2005, when the first E-Coli illnesses
were publicized in the media.
The “beef” used was reported to be from
"multiple sources" and
that was reason enough for me. But now, according
to an article
in the New York Times,
October 4th, 2009, it is even scarier
than we thought!
The USDA does not mandate that the beef and
fat used to make
ground beef be tested before or after grinding.
Nice!
Evidently, the lives lost, and
lasting severe physical
damage caused by E-Coli, doesn’t merit
testing.
(The most dangerous are the "Chubs" of ground beef
with the pretty labels and those pre-formed
patties, all
made and shipped in to your neighborhood store
from,
who knows where?)
Plenty of reason for us to grind our own, thank
you!
So how do we do it?
Go buy a nice choice or prime chuck
roast. I look for about 70%
beef to 30% fat. Set up your food processor; cut
the roast into about
1-inch cubes, and process until nicely ground, at
least 4-5 minutes of processing time. At this point
you can take a tablespoon or so of the
ground chuck, and make a tiny burger, and sauté it
to check to see if
it is ground to the texture you like. If not,
process it until it is the
texture you prefer. I prefer the grind that you get
when you use the
Kitchen Aid grinder attachment, or the old
fashioned hand-cranked
model. These both will squeeze out that sort of
noodle like ground
beef you expect from the store butcher.
There are a couple of different size grinding discs
to choose from.
I like the smallest size. Once your roast is
ground, use your ground
beef immediately, or freeze, or refrigerate to use
later. If you are
making hamburgers, it is best to grind your beef
right before you
make the patties and grill them. This ensures they
are tender and
very tasty. You could also form the patties and
freeze them to use
later. This is the safest way to
enjoy pre-formed hamburger patties.
It is pretty quick and easy, usually costs less and
tastes much better!
When your ground beef is made by yourself, in your
own kitchen,
with total control of the content and cleanliness
involved in the
process, you know your family will be
safe.
LEARN TO MAKE YOUR OWN SAFE WHOLESOME GROUND BEEF
HERE
Our Culinary Festival continues in
October with,
* Market Road trip and
Lunch at Vivace, Fri, Oct 16 (AM)
* Our OPEN HOUSE,
later that Friday, 4 - 6 PM
* October 23, Road Trip is to
the
Olive Oil Mill
in Queen Creek.
All the details are available
HERE. Bob and I will prepare a delicious
picnic lunch, and we will dine alfresco at the
olive oil mill.
We will also stop at the
nearby Pork Shop to purchase some
delicious pork products from hogs raised right
there in Queen Creek.
We will provide an ice chest to keep our purchases
cool for the
ride home. Seating is very limited, so sign up
soon!
Our
Market Trip is on a Friday this month
to accommodate
those of you who are busy on Saturdays. As further
proof that
Tucson's Culinary Festival is year
round, we have added a stop at
Anita’s Street Market
for home-made tortillas to our itinerary of
unique and sometimes hard to find food markets.
Their flour tortillas are made and cooked after you
place your order
so they are still warm when you receive them. If
you are like us,
you will get some for the ride and more to have
when you arrive home.
Lunch is provided at Vivace to make
this day even more special!
Check out our
schedule for some more
delicious classes and we hope to see you in class
soon.
Don't forget to look at the link: News & Features
in the left hand column for more Fall Culinary
Events. |
P.S.
Remember we sell most of the tools and small
appliances
and those wonderful Messermeister knives we
use in class on our sister site;
www.Sharpknives.com
10
FABULOUS
NEW
BLOCK KNIFE SETS
ON SALE NOW!
|
Mardi
Burden
shares
ownership of
Cuisine Classique School
of Good
Cooking
with her husband Bob.
Mardi loves to cook
and she brings her
professional expertise
from restaurant kitchens
and large catering events
to the lessons she
teaches
in her classes.
Mardi's
love of cooking,
and
her
knowledge of food
and
cooking is truly
exceptional and
she is always eager to
"share the love"!
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