So you’ve decided to start grinding your own meat. That’s awesome! You’ve just entered a new world of deliciousness where things like sausages, burgers, and ground meat in general are concerned. But how do you get it right? You don’t want to put in all that effort to wind up with a ruined end result, after all.

Start Clean

As with any cooking endeavor, it’s important to start out with everything pristinely clean. Your grinder, work surfaces, knives, cutting boards, and any other equipment you might use must be clean in order to keep everything safe and sanitary. This is especially important if you’re grinding more meat than you’ll use right away. You don’t want your delicious ground meat to become a breeding ground for bacteria. Pro tip: you can run a piece of bread through your grinder when you’re getting ready to clean up. This will help pick up the bits of meat that were left behind and make it easier to clean your grinder.

Chill Out

It may sound a bit counterintuitive, but keeping things properly cold will make the process go more smoothly. Put the grinder attachment in the freezer (yes, you read that right) for a minimum of 15 minutes. You want it very cold. The same goes for the meat. Cold meat cuts more cleanly. After you cut it into 1” cubes, put it on a tray in a single layer and put it in the freezer until it’s firm but not frozen. Have a cold bowl ready to catch your ground meat. Put ice and a little water in a bowl with another one on top of it to catch the meat. This will help keep it outside of the temperature danger zone.

Handle With Care

If you want a finished product that you’ll be happy with, you need to treat the meat with care. Try to minimize how much you handle the meat. The heat from your hands can start to melt the fat, which can alter the end result. Be gentle when shaping the ground meat as well. You don’t want to pack it so that it’s too compact.

Grinding your own meat can be a little intimidating when you first get started. With patience and dedication, however, you’ll soon be grinding away like there’s no tomorrow. It’s not bad at all once you get the hang of it. Just make sure you start out with everything clean, keep everything cold, and handle your meat with care. You’ll find you prefer your own ground meat over the store-bought stuff every time.

Grinding more than you’re going to use right away? Pick up some of our ground meat bags that are perfect for all your ground meat storage needs.