How to make your own ground beef, meatloaf mix and ground turkey at home

Freshly made ground beef made at home is easy to do and more affordable too!

Did you know that it is relatively easy to make your own ground beef at home? I just finished researching this morning several articles, with one written by The New York Times which really surprised me about the process some of our commercial beef producers use in creating ground beef for the masses. Which masses do I speak of, how about our fast food restaurants, our hospitals and schools.

Now before I go off and rant, I did want to share the how to make your own ground beef at home first. Then if you are so inclined, continue to read below the ‘how to’ section to find the link to my latest article and see why I am now going this route from now on and suggest you do the same should you have a food processor or meat grinder and make your own homemade ground beef.

This recipe of how to make your own ground beef can be followed just as easily for making your own ground turkey, meatloaf mix (which is a 30-30-30 ratio of beef, lamb and pork.)

And the very best thing is that you can control the amount of fat (along with avoiding those nasty additives that might be in your commercially bought ground beef) by making your very own ground beef – it’s easy too!

OK, let’s get started!

Using the attachments for the KitchenAid couldn't be easier!

Tools and Ingredients:

• food processor or meat grinder attachment on your KitchenAid stand mixer or a counter top version of a meat grinder
• 1/2 pound beef sirloin
• 1/2 pound beef chuck
• Parchment or Butcher Paper
• Tape
• Clean hands, knife, cutting board

How to make your own ground beef at home using a food processor or KitchenAid stand mixer with the meat grinder attachment:

Step 1:

The instructions below are for making ground beef in your food processor with the normal chopping blade. The same instructions can be used for making your own ground beef with using the meat grinder attachment for your KitchenAid mixer or the old-fashioned kind that sits attached to your counters.

In creating one pound of ground beef you will need ½ pound of fresh sirloin and ½ pound of beef chuck. Ask your butcher if you are not sure – and he will steer (pun intended – alrighty now, I heard some of those cyber-sighs) you in the right direction.

First we need to make sure all equipment and your hands are nice and clean to begin with in avoiding contamination, this includes your cutting board and knife.

homemade meatballs with freshly ground beef

Step 2:

You will process and make ½ pounds of ground meat at a time in your food processor – using anymore than that at a time can overwhelm your food processor. Cut the meat into 1 inch to 1-1/2 inch sized cubes (which might be easier to do if slightly frozen), and then add these pieces into your food processor.

Food Processor: Using the ‘Pulse Button’ on your food processor, pulse for one to two seconds at a time for a total time of one minute – or roughly 15 pulses of  ‘start and stops’. If you wish to use the ground beef for making meatballs, meatloaf and burgers – you can pulse up to 25 pulse ‘start and stops’ for a finer grind.

Meat Grinder Attachment on your KitchenAid: Simply attached the meat grinder attachment, cut meat into 1 inch sized cubes and with your bowl beneath, turn on your mixer slowly at first. freshly ground beef will simply fall into your bowl.

You can start with the sirloin or the beef chuck – and once both have been made into ground beef, combine them with your hands. And voila, you now have your very own ready to use and cook with and use in your favorite chili or burger recipe freshly ground beef!

Step 3:

Storing – not ready to use your beef at this very moment?  Using parchment paper or butchers paper, carefully create a ball of your freshly ground beef, and wrap tightly and securing with tape the ground beef with the paper and place in the lowest (coldest) shelf in your refrigerator. Use your freshly ground beef made at home within three days.

Want to freeze your freshly made ground beef? Of course you can, simply wrap twice as mentioned above then seal with plastic, then place into your freezer and use within a month.

Tips:

Since you are going to go ahead and start making your own ground beef at home, you may want to find a local organic butcher – they are out there, and if you find one locally, you may just realize they are treating the animals for more humanely that say commercial mass beef producers – just saying…

Additives in your beef such as ammonia:
So you want the link to learning about additives in your ground beef- here it is…

New York Times Article: Safety of Beef Processing is Questioned

Step 1:

The instructions below are for making ground beef in your food processor with the normal chopping blade. The same instructions can be used for making your own ground beef with using the meat grinder attachment for your KitchenAid mixer or the old fashioned kind that sit attached to your counters.

In creating one pound of ground beef you will need ½ pound of fresh sirloin and ½ pound of beef chuck. Ask your butcher if you are not sure – and he will steer (pun intended) you in the right direction.

First we need to make sure all equipment and your hands are nice and clean to begin with in avoiding contamination, this includes your cutting board and knife.

Step 2:

You will do ½ pounds of meat at a time in your food processor. Cut the meat into 1 inch to 1-1/2 inch cubes (which might be easier to do if slightly frozen), and then add these pieces into your food processor.

Using the ‘Pulse Button’ on your food processor, pulse for  one to two seconds at a time for a total time of one minute – or roughly 15 pulse ‘start and stops’. If you wish to use the ground beef for making meatballs, meatloaf and burgers – you can pulse up to 25 pulse ‘start and stops’ for a finer grind.

You can start with the sirloin or the beef chuck – and once both have been made into ground beef, combined them with your hands. And Voila, you now have your very own ready to use and cook with and use in your favorite chili or burger recipe freshly ground beef!

Step 3:

Storing – not ready to use your beef at this very moment? No problem! Using parchment paper or butchers paper, carefully create a ball of your freshly ground beef, and wrap tightly and securing with tape the ground beef with the paper and place in the lowest (coldest) shelf in your refrigerator. Use your freshly ground beef made at home within three days.

Want to freeze your freshly made ground beef? Of course you can, simply wrap twice as mentioned above then seal with plastic, then place into your freezer and use within a month.