How to Grind Your Own Ground Beef Mince

A while ago I wrote about why I don't buy ground beef (or any mince meat for that matter). But I love cooking with it. Making it yourself is the only way you can possibly:

• Know exactly what's in it
• Be sure it only contains good cuts of meat
• Know how fresh it is
• Know it's safe to eat medium-rare
• Know it will taste good

The first time I tried it I used an old fashioned mincer like the one in the photo above. It was a total mess, with meat juice going everywhere! So since then, I've worked out how to do it properly with the mincer – but also far faster with my food processor.

How to Grind Your Own Ground Beef Mince:

1) Find a good cut of meat, not too lean – a bit of fat makes all the difference. I often buy a cut that is on special offer, then freeze the ground meat that I make.

2) Depending on what you're making with the mince, you might also grind another type of mince too. For example, I like to make my bolognese with half beef and half pork mince.

3) This is the step I found out the hard way. Cube the meat evenly, then put in the freezer for a couple of hours. Do this, it makes a huge difference and stops your kitchen resembling a crime scene. I've even taken to putting the grinding plate into the freezer too. Without it being super cold it won't grind properly and will be a mushy nasty mess. You have been warned.

4) In small batches feed the meat cubes into the food processor or grinder

5) Check for any un-ground pieces to put through again, and get rid of any gristle that has made it's way through.

6) Whatever you don't use, straight away freeze in small batches for use in a future recipe.

And once you've ground your meat? Try some of these recipes:

Chilli and Cumin meatballs with a mango and pomegranate salsa
Texan Style Sweet Potato and Bison Burgers
Spiced Beef Kofte with a Pomegranate Glaze
Tomato-Free Bolognese Recipe
Mexican Turkey Burgers with Coriander Guacamole