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How to grind your own beef mince ground grinder paleo network-min

How to Grind Your Own Ground Beef (Mince)

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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

How to grind your own beef mince ground grinder paleo network-min

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

Choosing the Right Cuts of Meat for Home-Ground Mince

When it comes to making your own mince at home, the choice of meat cut can make or break your results. Too lean, and you’ll be left with dry, flavourless mince. Too fatty, and it may be greasy and hard to cook evenly. The sweet spot is a well-balanced cut with both muscle and fat.

Best cuts for beef mince: chuck, brisket, short rib, blade or bolar roast. These cuts have just enough fat to keep the mince juicy and full of flavour.

For pork: shoulder or scotch fillet work wonderfully, especially if you want a slightly sweeter, richer flavour.

For lamb: try forequarter chops or lamb shoulder, which are both flavourful and have a good fat ratio.

Should You Trim the Fat?

This depends on your preference and what you're using the mince for. For something like burger patties or koftes, a bit of fat enhances texture and flavour. If you're using mince for leaner dishes like stuffed capsicum or clean meat sauces, trim some fat beforehand. You can always mix fatty and lean cuts to find your ideal blend.

Why You Might Want to Blend Meats

Just like top chefs do, blending meats gives your home-cooked dishes a richer depth of flavour. Combining different types of meat balances taste, texture and fat content. Here are some combinations worth trying:

  • Beef and Pork: Perfect for Bolognese, meatballs, or meatloaf. The pork softens the beef and adds natural sweetness.
  • Lamb and Beef: Ideal for Mediterranean or Middle Eastern dishes, especially when paired with spices like cumin and coriander.
  • Turkey and Pork: Keeps your turkey mince from drying out and improves the overall mouthfeel in burgers and patties.

If you're working with smaller portions, cube and freeze the meats separately, and grind them in batches. Then weigh and mix together for consistency.

Grinding Tips for Perfect Mince

Once you’ve mastered the basic process, a few small adjustments can elevate the quality of your homemade mince:

  • Pulse, don’t puree: If using a food processor, work in short bursts. Over-processing leads to a paste instead of mince.
  • Use the coarse plate first: If you’re using a mincer, always begin with a coarse grind. If you need finer mince, run it through a second time using a fine plate.
  • Don’t overcrowd: Feed small amounts through the processor or mincer at a time. Too much at once will clog the blades and give you uneven results.

How to Store Freshly Ground Meat

Freshly ground meat is best cooked within 24 hours. But if you're prepping in bulk, divide it into flat, freezer-safe bags. Flattening the bags helps them freeze faster and more evenly, and makes them quicker to defrost.

Label each portion with the type of meat and date, and aim to use frozen mince within three months for best quality.

Creative Ideas for Using Your Mince

If you've mastered a few of the classics, why not expand your repertoire? Homemade mince opens the door to a world of Paleo-friendly recipes that taste better than anything pre-packaged or store-bought.

Paleo Stuffed Vegetables

Use your fresh mince as a stuffing for zucchini, capsicum, or mushrooms. Mix with herbs, garlic, finely chopped veggies, and a splash of bone broth. Bake until tender and golden on top for a satisfying weeknight dinner.

Asian-Inspired Lettuce Cups

Stir-fry minced beef or pork with garlic, ginger, coconut aminos, and shredded carrot. Spoon into fresh lettuce leaves and top with chopped nuts and herbs for a light but flavour-packed lunch.

Breakfast Hash with Mince

Forget boring cereal. Sauté your mince with chopped kale, sweet potato and capsicum. Top with a fried egg for a warming, nutrient-rich breakfast that’ll keep you full for hours.

Mince-Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

Bake a batch of sweet potatoes and stuff them with spiced mince, avocado slices and fresh coriander. This is a perfect post-gym recovery meal with plenty of carbs and protein.

Health and Safety Tips

Because ground meat has more surface area than whole cuts, it's more prone to bacterial growth if not handled correctly. Here are a few must-know rules:

  • Sanitise everything: Clean your cutting boards, blades, and surfaces with hot, soapy water before and after grinding.
  • Keep it cold: Meat should remain cold throughout the grinding process. If it warms up, bacteria can multiply quickly.
  • Use quickly or freeze: Ground meat has a shorter shelf life than whole cuts. Store in the fridge and use within 24 hours, or freeze immediately.

The Long-Term Payoff

Grinding your own meat at home might take a bit more time initially, but it quickly becomes second nature. Not only do you get better quality and flavour, but it also saves you money in the long run. Bulk-buying meat on special and processing it yourself lets you create custom blends for different meals and gives you control over your nutrition.

Plus, once you get used to cooking with home-ground meat, it’s hard to go back to the bland, watery supermarket packs with unknown ingredients.

What's Your Favourite Use for Fresh Mince?

Do you have any go-to flavour combinations or hacks for grinding your own meat at home? Have you tried adding liver or heart to your mince for a hidden nutrient boost? I’d love to hear your favourite recipes and tips — share in the comments below!

Why You Need To Stop Buying Ground Beef minced mince-min

Why You Need To Stop Buying Ground Beef

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So many recipes call for ground beef (or mince meat, depending on where you’re from). It’s on sale in every supermarket and butcher, but what exactly is in it – and should you buy it?

What Actually Is It?

The point of mince meat, is to use all of the bits of the animal that can’t be used elsewhere. Commercially produced ground beef will typically contain parts from hundreds of different carcasses. This product is also a good way to make use of old dairy cattle, and other animals that wouldn't be used for the popular cuts of meat. A pack of ground beef could contain all sorts of different parts of thousands of cows, yet the ingredients will still say “100% beef”.

Why You Need To Stop Buying Ground Beef minced mince-min

The E. Coli Risk

The other significant problem with ground beef, is the health risk.

E. Coli can get into the food chain when the dirty exterior (and particularly any faeces) come into contact with the inside of the meat – the bits that go into the mince.

In a small scale operation cross contamination like this is unlikely, but in a large processing plant, where workers are under pressure to turn around as many animals as possible, the risk is far higher. The way ground meat is made, means any bacteria that has accumulate on the surface of the meat will rapidly permeate through the whole product.

Where so many animal parts are present in one product, the risk is obviously greatly increased. To mitigate the risk, the meat is often vacuumed, washed with hot water and lactic acid, but these measures do not guarantee safety.

What’s The Solution?

For me, the solution is making my own ground beef. I have bought an old fashioned, hand operated mincer, that clamps to my kitchen counter. This means I can buy my own grass-fed organic beef, from my trusted butcher. This way I know exactly what my minced meat contains, I can make it fresh when I need it, and won’t need to store it, which will help the bacteria risk.

How to Choose the Best Cuts for Homemade Mince

If you're going to make your own ground beef, it's worth understanding which cuts are best suited for mincing. The aim is to strike the right balance between flavour, fat content and cost. Cuts like chuck, brisket, blade and round are excellent choices for homemade mince. These parts of the animal offer a good fat-to-meat ratio and are generally more affordable than premium steaks or roasts. If you're after a leaner mix, you might opt for topside or silverside, trimming excess fat before mincing.

For Paleo recipes where you want more richness—such as meatballs, burgers or ragu—a fattier cut like brisket can add depth of flavour and better texture. You can also experiment by blending cuts, such as 70% chuck with 30% brisket, to customise your mince to your preferences. This flexibility is one of the key advantages of ditching pre-packaged mince in favour of freshly ground meat at home.

Equipment You Can Use to Mince Meat at Home

If you’re new to making your own mince, don’t worry—you don’t need to invest in expensive commercial gear. There are several accessible ways to get started:

  • Manual mincer: Old-school, reliable, and doesn’t need electricity. Great for small batches and full control.
  • Electric mincer attachment: If you already own a stand mixer (like a KitchenAid), you can usually get a mincing attachment, making the process fast and efficient.
  • Food processor: Not ideal for large batches but works in a pinch. Pulse chilled chunks of meat to avoid turning it into mush.

Remember to partially freeze your meat before grinding—it helps maintain texture and ensures a clean grind rather than a smear.

Storage Tips for Freshly Ground Meat

Homemade mince doesn’t contain preservatives or gases used in supermarket packaging, so it’s important to store it safely. Use your freshly minced beef straight away if you can. If not, portion it out and freeze it immediately. Vacuum-sealing is ideal, but if that’s not available, wrapping it tightly in cling film and then placing it in a freezer bag works well too.

Label your bags with the cut used and the date it was minced. Freshly ground meat keeps well in the freezer for up to three months. If you want to prep ahead, you can also season and shape meat into burger patties or meatballs before freezing to streamline your weeknight cooking.

Benefits of Homemade Mince Beyond Safety

Making your own ground meat goes well beyond the obvious health and safety benefits. It can also be a game changer for taste and texture. You’ll notice your homemade burgers are juicier, your meat sauces are richer, and your meatballs hold together better—without needing binders or fillers.

When you buy packaged mince, you have no control over the grind size or the type of meat used. At home, you can decide whether you want coarse mince for chunky stews or a finer grind for delicate dishes like koftes or dolmades. You’ll also avoid gristle, sinew, and mystery bits that too often lurk in commercial options.

Reducing Waste and Making Use of the Whole Cut

Another perk of grinding your own beef is being able to use odd-shaped cuts or trimmings. If your butcher offers discounted off-cuts or bones, you can make the most of your purchase. After removing bones for stock, any leftover meat can be minced and used in soups or pies.

This approach not only saves money but also supports a more sustainable, nose-to-tail philosophy of eating. By honouring the whole animal, you minimise waste and move away from the industrial mindset of eating only prime cuts.

Recipes That Truly Benefit from Homemade Mince

If you’ve never made your own mince before, you might be surprised how transformative it is in everyday recipes. Try it in dishes like:

  • Stuffed capsicums: Use your custom mince mix for a more flavourful and tender filling.
  • Chilli con carne: Especially with a blend of brisket and chuck, this dish becomes deeply savoury and satisfying.
  • Bolognese: A longer, slow-cooked version made with coarse ground meat develops a rich and authentic flavour.
  • Scotch eggs or meatloaf: Homemade mince binds better, making it ideal for Paleo baking and frying recipes.

Watch Out for Filler Ingredients in Store-Bought Mince

Even when labelled “100% beef,” some supermarket mince can contain fillers or added water, especially in lower price ranges. You might notice excess liquid released during cooking, causing your mince to stew rather than brown. This affects both taste and texture, especially in recipes like burgers or meat sauces.

With homemade mince, what you see is what you get. You’ll know that the moisture comes from the meat itself, not additives or saline injections. This purity is especially important for anyone with food sensitivities or following a strict Paleo or elimination-style diet.

Final Thoughts on Ditching Packaged Mince

It might take a few extra minutes to grind your own meat, but the results are more than worth it. You’ll gain total control over your ingredients, reduce your risk of foodborne illness, and unlock better flavour and nutrition in your meals. Whether you're cooking for one or feeding a Paleo-loving family, switching to homemade mince is one of the easiest and most effective upgrades you can make to your kitchen routine.

If you haven’t yet tried making your own, I encourage you to give it a go. It’s a small step that can have a big impact—on your health, your cooking, and your confidence in the food you’re serving.

Do you make your own ground meat? I’d love to hear your thoughts on minced meat, and whether you’re happy to buy it, or make your own.