How to Grind Beef for Chili
Ground beef is found in most chili recipes. Though ground beef can be bought from the store, it is also possible to grind beef at home. Ground beef in grocery stores comes from less-than-desireable parts of the cow such as the belly or the breast. Grinding beef at home gives you the luxury of choosing better cuts of beef to use for your chili. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
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Pick a cut of meat with the right amount of fat. Meat used for chili runs the gauntlet from ground round to sirloin steak. The key to a quality chili is using meat with enough fat to flavor the chili, while remaining relatively lean for the health-conscious.
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Cut the meat into cubes for easy handling. Cube size depends on the size of your grinder but the general rule of thumb is to stick with 1-inch by 1-inch squares. This is approximate, and doesn't need to be measured exactly.
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Place a bowl under the output nozzle of the grinder.
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Feed the meat into the grinder. Do this one strip at a time. For smaller strips, the meat will need to be pushed through. When grinding, don't put your fingers anywhere near the grinding area. Some grinders have safety guards in place, but the safest bet is to keep your hands away. To push the meet through the grinder, use a wooden spoon or something similar.
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Grind the meat again if a finer grind is desired for the chili.
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Tips & Warnings
For low fat cooking, you can trim the excess fat from the beef before grinding.
For extra-fine meat, run the beef through the grinder twice, or adjust the cutting plates on the grinder. Each grinder generally comes with cutting plates in multiple sizes.
These tips were for a hand grinder. There are many meat grinders on the market, such as electric food-processor type grinders, or the handle-driven manual grinders. Instructions may vary slightly depending on your grinder.
