Gala's Freshly Ground Meat Suggestions

Many times I like to prepare meatballs or use some other form of ground meat - there is nothing as rich tasting as freshly ground "chuck burgers" or delicate "veal and caper meatballs". What we buy pre-ground at the store often contains things we would never choose to eat and is sometimes stringy and full of sinews. If you have a meat grinder, you probably do this all the time, but anyone can grind meat using a food processor and will be pleased with the results. Here are a few hints on making it all work, followed by a list of the cuts of meat and poultry I have found to work well.

Just about the most important thing is to remember to cube or cut the meat into strips, then chill for 30 minutes in the freezer before grinding. It also helps to chill the grinder, chopping blades (in a food processor) and the bowl so things do not get sticky. With a grinder, start with a large grind a work down to medium and with a food processor, pulse the meat coarsely in batches, then combine the batches and process to the desired texture. (Be sure to clean your equipment between batches and pull out any sinews.) I do not recommend super fine ground because it does not cook as well except if you are making a paté. Aside from that, wrap and freeze whatever you will not use within 2 or 3 days - the meat has been handled a lot during the process and will not stay safe to eat. From my experience, most ground meats keep well in the freezer for 2 to 3 months.

Now, for the important stuff - what meats work well when they are ground.

Chicken, duck, turkey and other fowl that will be used for patties, meat loaf, meatballs or sausages are best made with boneless breast or leg meat. If you do not want to add fat from another source (like bacon), just grind about 1 part of poultry fat (no skin) to every 4 parts of meat to get a good cohesive texture.

Lamb patties are wonderful when they are ground from the sirloin cut from the leg (rich and lean). For sauces, meatloaf, meatballs or sausages, a boneless lamb shoulder has just the right amount of fat to work well in most dishes.

Beef patties (hamburgers) are best made with sirloin, sirloin tip or top round for lean burgers while boneless beef chuck steak, skirt steak or roast is good for just about everything else (again because it has a higher fat content). The only useable cut for veal is the boneless shoulder, both for flavor and cooked texture.

Pork for sauces, meat loaf, meatballs or sausages can best be made from the pork butt or shoulder pieces.

As a general rule, I have found that game meats (venison, etc.) need some extra fat, but can be made from the shoulder meat .