Tips for grinding meat

[harvey lee]

I am going to grind my own burger this year with my vension.

I say in one thread that one tip was to grind it when it is partially frozen which I have read on other forums also.

Any other tips for a beginner?

Yes, when I trim my meat for anything, there is no venison fat or sinew left on the meat. I really take my time to make sure I am using pure venison with none of the other garbage that could possibly taint the taste or make it tough to eat.

Thanks in advance,

[reinhard1]

cut up the venison so it will easily go down the feeding tube. i spray the knife and cutting disc prior to grinding. it lubricates the metal so its not metal on metal. when i was working we always put some meat right in front of the worm before putting the disc and knife on. if you didn't you could smell the meat burn frome the initial grind because of the heat from the friction. of course now we are talking smaller grinders but i would lubricate it with some vegi spray. always make sure you have a flow comming out of your grinder and not let the meat get bunched up in front of the plate. i always grind my meat twice. once through the course plate, and then through the medium plate for burger [same for sausage]. for chili type texture i grind it twice through the course plate. some may do it different but this is how we ground back when i was working and i carried it through to this day with my smaller grinder. good luck.

[Powerstroke]

I grind the meat partially frozen, its less messy and easier to chop.

I agree with reinhards tips. I only use my coarse plate for burger, but my coarse may be a little smaller compared to other grinders. Grind it once and see its a texture you like.

If you plan to add some pork or ground chuck to fatten up the burger I like to add pork cubes during the initial grinding or if I use ground chuck I just hand mix after the grinding.

[thirdeye]

I grind the meat partially frozen, its less messy and easier to chop.

I agree with reinhards tips. I only use my coarse plate for burger, but my coarse may be a little smaller compared to other grinders. Grind it once and see its a texture you like.

If you plan to add some pork or ground chuck to fatten up the burger I like to add pork cubes during the initial grinding or if I use ground chuck I just hand mix after the grinding.

Same here, with the hole size I have, one grind is usually just right for me too. I also run my grinder on a medium slow speed to reduce friction & heat and since I often add liquid anyway (especially to sausage) I have some crushed ice handy that I can add while grinding.

[reinhard1]

my course plate is for the consistancy of chow mein meat or chile size so to speak. i then mix the meat by hand loosly so not to squeeze the meat or compact it, just enough to make sure the venison and pork or beef is blended for the final grind. and that is a medium plate for me.

when i operated a large commercial grinder the same was done. the first grind was always through a course plate. it had a large auger in there and mixed the meat slowly as it came into our luggers. then we changed the knife and plate or disc [fine plate] and cleaned out the worm [that spiral looking thing that pushes the meat out]. it was then ground once more for the case into various size packs.

in my opinion it's best to buy 3 different size plates or discs. course, medium, and fine. this way at some point one can determine the texture that is right for him or her. good luck.

[harvey lee]

Thanks for all the tips. Keep them coming for the rookie grinder.

Any advice is great when one has not done this before.

The friend that I have had grind my venison vacumn sealed the meat.

I purchased some of the tube bags.

Will they meat keep just as long in the tubes as say a vacumn sealed bag?

It typically takes me 1 year to eat all of our venison hamburger as that is all we eat for hamburger. We use it in chilli, spagetti and goulash. Some meat loaf also.

[reinhard1]

as long as the bags are sealed properly you should not have a problem for a year. vacume bags are good for a longer period of time as long as they have no holes or air leakage. as for anything stored in the freezer, make sure everything is labled and dated. good luck.

[KEN W]

Bags are easier than vacumn.Since the meat is moist,it doesn't seal as well in the vacumn sealer.If you buy the 1 lb bags.....get yourself a bag sealer that comes with the tape.Not expensive and works slick.

[Powerstroke]

I've never had a problem sealing with my Foodsaver vacuum sealer. I have a scale so I make 1 pound bags and seal them up.

Usually my problem is that my sealer is a consumer model and if I package a bunch of bags and then seal them all at once the sealer will overheat. Otherwise it handles fresh meat perfectly.

[Jim Almquist]

If you put the bags of meat in the freezer for an hour and then seal you will have less problems with moisture.