by Chef Robert Bell
I remember my Mom going to the butcher to buy chopped meat. Literally, it was hand-chopped, usually Round steak from the chuck. Today, all hamburger meat is ground, not chopped. Giant mechanical grinders are used both for poultry and red meat. Basically, the only time you would need to hand-chop meat is for steak tartare, or maybe a beef poke.
Most of the ground beef you buy today is from trim, and some very tough cuts as well. When friends and extended family come over for a barbecue, and you are serving hamburgers made with this type of ground beef, it will suffice for the crowd. However, at a time when you really want your hamburgers to have that memorable beefy flavor, you need to purchase something better, like a blend of short rib, brisket, and chuck with a 15to 20% fat content. For other non-burger items, I would use a fat content closer to 10%. For chicken or turkey, I like to use the dark cuts due to the higher fat content, which leads to a more flavorful and juicier burger.
The more expensive ground meats come from what is known as “single muscle” ground beef, generally cut from cuts such as brisket, short rib, sirloin or top round. Some of the specialty food markets, like Bristol Farms, Jons, Sprouts and Wild Fork carry the more unusual ground meats such as iberica pork from Spain, elk, bison and bolognese blend of pork, veal and beef.
I have a small hand cranked meat grinder. Last week I ground boneless short ribs and made fabulous tacos from that meat. Today I will grind a marinated tri-tip from the seaside market in Carlsbad, and make meatloaf and meatballs with it.
If you only need a couple of pounds of ground meat, do it yourself with a hand meat grinder. A hand cranked meat grinder will vary in cost from about $75 to a bit more than a hundred dollars. Cheap, considering you spent well over that on a single knife.
A food processor works for some folks, but not for me. I do not like the texture created by the spinning blade. If you still want to try the food processor for your ground meat, I suggest first, cut the meat in small uniform pieces, and slightly freeze them before processing the meat. Second, use the pulse button, not the on button. This way you will have more control of the texture you are looking for.
Virtually every country has a signature ground meat dish: Italy the meatball, Germany’s wurst, chinese pork dumplings, kafta in lebanon, tacos in mexico, spam eaten in Hawaii, steak tartare in paris. Britain has the scotch egg and here in America, burgers, sloppy joe, meatloaf, and the list goes on. It is no wonder, ground meat is inexpensive for this type of protein and is inherently tender. Ground meat is also versatile and easy to use. alternative meats to beef, turkey, chicken, pork, lamb, and veal expand our meal options quite a bit. Kids never seem to tire of burgers, spaghetti and meatballs, lasagna, or tacos, and they usually can be prepared very and conveniently.
In today’s world of pot luck, ground meat items can workout quite well. I have used meatloaf muffins, meatballs, and pasta Bolognese with good success for my contribution to pot luck parties. Thinking now of my previous article on the importance of the family dining together at home, ground meat can really help on some of the days when time is of the essence.
My favorite go to items featuring ground meats are meatballs, chili, tacos and Bolognese sauce. Here I will give you a few pointers and ingredient ideas that will take your ground meat dishes to new heights for flavor complexity.
Bolognese sauce
Bolognese sauce is a ragu or meat sauce that originated in Bologna. Although it varies, the basics remain basic. This is slow food. You do not want to rush it. On low heat cook your meats in half butter and half olive oil, slowly. You do not want to brown it. Evaporite the liquid and then add the Soffritto. Continue to cook until almost dry, add wine and continue to cook until dry. Add milk and cook until dry. Now add tomato paste and continue to slowly cook, add just enough chicken broth to create a nice viscosity for a ragu.
A few interesting items to try in your Bolognese to create a bit more flavor are, pancetta, chicken liver, salami, prosciutto, mortadella, sausage and fennel.
If you happen to make extra Bolognese, (you should) I suggest using it for grilled cheese sandwiches, stuffing potatoes, mixing it with rice for a bell pepper stuffing, filling an omelet, top a pizza or making a calzone.
Chilli
A hearty bowl of chilli during the winter months can really hit the spot. It also works well for a Super Bowl pot luck gathering. It can be served directly out of the slow cooker, with sides of diced raw onion, grated cheddar cheese and sour cream.
Sauté the ground meat in olive oil or bacon fat. Add the bell peppers, onion, and garlic until softened. Add your herbs and spices, then the canned tomatoes, beans, and meat broth.
Other ingredients which may take your chilli to a Blue Ribbon level, are cocoa powder, coffee, beer, peanut butter, tahini, dark brown sugar, canned corn or green chillis and for flavor and a thickener, masa farina, or corn muffin mix.
Meatballs
Meatballs typically have fillers and binders mixed in with the ground meat. Generally one egg and one slice of white bread soaked in milk for each pound of ground meat.
Meatballs of ground lamb are a bit different and can be mixed with minced garlic, Romano cheese, chopped roasted pistachios, and chopped mint. These balls will get your guests attention.
Steak tartar
It is hard to find a bistro or brasserie in Paris that does not serve steak tartare. It is generally served with french fries, crackers or toast points.
The traditional steak tartare is hand chopped beef tenderloin, mixed well in a chilled bowl with an egg yolk, mustard, capers, Worcestershire Sauce, parsley, salt, pepper, and Tabasco. Other common ingredients are onion, chives, scallion, lemon juice, and anchovies.
An idea to take steak tartare to others is fun. One I have done successfully is a Mexican version. Add the chopped beef tenderloin to a chilled bowl and add minced Jalapeno, chopped cilantro, lime juice, hot sauce, scallion, and garnish with avocado. Serve with corn chips.
Tacos
I love ground meat tacos. My favorite is the picadillo style, which works equally as well with ground beef or turkey.
The ingredients are; ground beef or turkey, onion, garlic, fire roasted tomatoes, tomato paste, ancho chile paste or powder, chile chipotle in adobo sauce, bell pepper, cumin, oregano, cilantro, raisins, and green olives.
Sauté the ground meat, onions, and garlic, followed by adding the bell pepper, tomato products, chile, spices, herbs, raisins, and olives. Sauté until the flavors come together well. Make a taco with the addition of cheese and avocado.
Ground Meat from about $5. to $8. per pound, is definitely a perfect item to experiment with. However you season it, it is hard to miss with ground meat. But if you do, you can always scramble it with eggs.
Bon appetit Pen
