Ground beef or beef patties? Which you buy for making burgers

[Myghost]

Originally Posted by luzianne

I read years ago that when you buy ground beef it can be any part of the beef. So I buy ground chuck, ground round, ground sirloin or whatever, but never ground beef. And never buy premade patties.

Good choice. I have to say, starting with a good cut of meat really makes a difference in a burger. Grass fed is a huge plus too. For the flavor, I really don't care what the cow is eating, only how it tastes.


When I get super-creative, I'll buy some boneless short-ribs or some chuck-eye, or whatever, and run it through the grinder attachment on my kitchen aide. Really the only truly safe way to cook a rare burger is to grind it fresh.

[Sand&Salt]

We can only get these 1-kg "chubs" which I cut into 3 sections and freeze. Then I make 4 patties out of each 1/3 of a kg. The chub is only $3.00.

We like to add onions (fresh or dehydrated), an egg, cooked mushrooms and spices into the mix.

If I did my conversion math right, that's about 6 oz. per patty, but full of natural mixers, not just meat.
Never bought pre-formed patties.

All the beef is overly lean here and needs to have something added.

[jlawrence01]

I buy MOST of my ground beef from Asian stores as they only package the beef in 8 oz and 16 oz packages AND they are generally a lot cheaper. In addition, the Korean markets generally grind in-house and immediately freeze. Their grind is also slightly coarser which I like in chili and other dishes.

I make my own patties from bulk ground beef.

[Crazee Cat Lady]

Originally Posted by luzianne
I read years ago that when you buy ground beef it can be any part of the beef. So I buy ground chuck, ground round, ground sirloin or whatever, but never ground beef. And never buy premade patties.

That's what I heard many years ago, on a news show, so I usually just buy ground round, ground chuck or ground sirloin....sometimes I do buy Laura's Lean though, is the only exception.

[djmilf]

I can't vote in the poll, because I'll purchase either premade patties or ground chuck for making my own patties - but only from certain stores.

I'm fortunate in that I live where there are a few small chain grocery stores that have excellent meat counters. If they serve up ground chuck or ground sirloin, you can trust that it's fresh and good quality. The same goes for their premade patties, they make them onsite and offer different versions, some with bacon included in the patty, some with different types of cheeses.

If I'm lazy, I'll get the premade patties with ground chuck, bacon, and cheddar, the latter two ingredients included when the chuck is ground.

If I'm ambitious, I'll get the ground chuck and make my own patties, mixing in Worchester sauce, chopped sweet onion, and Lawry's seasoned salt, cooking the patties over actual charcoal, topping them with deli-cut slices of sharp cheddar cheese, and serving them on toasted brioche buns.

[sunbelt57]

I get the 80/20 and mix in 1 tsp of baking soda per 3# of beef. It's supposed to help retain moisture.