How to Grind Meat in a Food Processor?
We’ll love meat and want to experience different tastes. One of the best ways to bring out the fresh taste is to grind your meat. Ground meat still has many nutrients, including vitamins, proteins, and minerals.
In addition to the nutrients, grinding your meat is the best way to bring out its unique flavor and quality. You can use grand meat to make a recipe for tasty samosas, sausages, burgers, and more.
Grinding meat is only left for chefs and eager DIYers. You can also do it using a simple appliance like a food processor or blender. Read on to learn everything about grinding meat using a food processor at home.
Contents
Why Grind Your Own Meat?
While it’s easy to get store-bought ground meat, grinding your own meat is easier. Grinding the meat allows you to cook your favorite recipes at your convenience.
If you’re like me who doesn’t plan your next meal, you know how important it is to ensure your meat is ground and ready for your next recipe. Grinding my meat gives me the freedom to cook my favorite burgers and sausages whenever I wish.
If you want to experience the fresh, quality taste of home-ground meat, try grinding yourself. You won’t have to worry about cross-contamination from grinding different types of meat on a single piece of equipment.
Finally, grinding your own meat gives you total control over the meat cuts depending on what you want to make.
Related reading: Meat Grinder vs Food Processor – Which is Better at Grinding Meat?
Can You Grind Meat in a Food Processor?
Yes, you can use a food processor to grind meat. While many people use a meat grinder, you can still grind meat without one and use a food processor instead. You need to cut small pieces of meat and ensure it remains boneless and skinless. The food processor allows you to control different variables such as cut, fat, and texture of the ground meat.
For the best results, you should partially freeze meat, say about 20 minutes. This will make the meat easily pliable. You can also make the grinding easy by trimming off the fat and tendons.
How to Grind Meat in a Food Processor?
You can make your own ground meat at home using a food processor. You need to follow this simple grinding process:
Step 1. Cut your meat into small equal pieces
Cut your meat into small pieces of about an inch or less. Chopping the meat makes it easy to process. Don’t forget to remove the fat, bones, and tendons to protect the blades of your food processor.
Step 2: Freeze the meat
Put the finely and equally chopped meat pieces on a baking sheet while ensuring the pieces don’t touch. Put the meat in the freezer for 20 to 30 minutes. Make sure the meat gets out firm and hard around the edges. Freezing makes the meat easier to grind in a food processor.
Step 3: Grind your meat
Once frozen to your desired taste, fill the food processor and pulse the meat to your desired taste. For better results, put a pound or less at a time into your food processor.
The time to run the food processor depends on the kind of meat and your desired texture. I prefer finely ground chicken and a little coarse texture for beef. Be careful not to over-process the meat.
Step 4: Transfer to a bowl
Once you’re done grinding your homemade ground meat, transfer it to a clean bowl. You can check if there are pieces that are not finely ground and put them back into the food processor.
Step 5: Your ground meat is ready
Once you’re satisfied with your ground meat, you can start preparing your desired meal or put the meat back in the freezer until you’re ready to use. I like using mine immediately, so I’ll only grind if I’m ready to use it to maintain the fresh taste. Don’t forget to clean the food processor once done.
What Blade to Grind Meat in Food Processor?
You need the best food processor for meat and a powerful blade to grind meat. The right blade ensures you get the best cut and texture while maintaining quality and taste. So, what blade should you use to grind meat in a food processor?
The best food processor blade is the S-shape or the Sabatier blade. This is a multipurpose blade used for chopping, pureeing, or mixing ingredients. It has two angled blades made facing opposite each other to form the S-shape. When using the blade to grind meat, use the pulse setting, which will perfectly chop and mix your meat.
Which Types of Meat Can You Grind with a Food Processor?
You can grind different meat using a food processor and get the best taste and quality. Here are good examples:
Pork
Grind pork shoulder in a food processor and use the meat to make delicious recipes. You can grind sausage-grade pork or super-lean pork, depending on the recipe that you want to make. Make sure you use a metal blade and cut the pork into long pieces to achieve the best results.
Beef
You can also make ground beef in the food processor if you chill the meat before grinding. Warmer beef is usually too soft and won’t grind well. So, chill the meat and work in batches when grinding in a food processor.
Venison
You can also grind freshly cut deer meat using a food processor. The key to achieving the best result is to cut the meat into small pieces, freeze then grind it in batches. Don’t forget to remove the silver skin and fat before grinding.
Lamb
You can grind shoulder or leg lamb meat in your food processor and enjoy a delicious home-cooked burger. Fresh ground lamb meat has a rich and juicy flavor. Don’t over-process the lamb, as it will only turn out pasty.
Goat
Goat meat is also full of flavor and nutrients that get even better when ground. Any cut can do, but the best is the shoulder or the leg. As with other meats, freeze for 20 minutes to give the blades an easy time cutting through the goat meat.
Pheasant
If you want to make some delicious pheasant burgers, grinding will ensure everything turns out perfectly. Of course, you have to freeze your meat if you intend to use a food processor for grinding. Once perfectly ground, void overcooking your meat to retain the flavor.
Chicken
Ground chicken is a good source of lean protein; hence very healthy. When grinding chicken in a food processor, only put a single layer of chicken breast cubes at a time for perfect results.
Turkey
Poultry meat breaks apart very easily, making it easy to grind turkey in a food processor. You can achieve excellent text and texture if you do it at home. So, if you’re craving some turkey burgers, just grind lean turkey.
Duck
Duck meat is also handy for making various recipes such as burgers and sausages. Use trimmed, skinless duck meat for easy grinding. Cut the meat into 1-inch chunks and pulse to achieve the desired texture.
Fish
Unlike other meat, fish has a delicate texture and can easily get mushy if you don’t grind it well. Ensure you chill the fish well, so it doesn’t become too warm to release excess moisture when grinding.
Related reading: How to Make Homemade Nut Butter Without a Food Processor?
Frequently Asked Questions
How long to freeze meat before grinding?
It is sufficient to freeze the meat for 30 minutes before grinding it with a food processor.
Conclusion
If you have a food processor, you can grind your fresh meat and enjoy its rich texture and quality. Ground meat is full of nutrients and flavor. It allows you to make different recipes, including burgers, meatballs, sausages, and more.
Grinding your own meat gives you the freedom to choose the texture, cut, and quality of your meat. You also stay away from possible contaminations common with ground meat from the store.
You can grind different kinds of meat, including beef, chicken, pork, lamb, and fish. Just ensure you freeze your meat and food processor blades to allow the meat to cut well. Also, don’t over-process your meat – you won’t like the results.