My I add my two cents?

I've been grinding my own meat forever. From the old hand-crank to the electric to the food processor. For some meats I add some fat - for others I don't and for others I remove the fat.

Regarding connective tissue - would you really want to eat it?? It's not going to grind anyway.

Always remember the number one rule - use the freshest meats - not something that is old, sticky and on it's last leg. Too bad supermarkets didn't adhere to that rule - I've seen it all - that is why our family has always ground our own meats.

MM

Mama,

How do you control the grind in the food processor?

The few times I've tried it I wound up more with a mince than a grind. Terrific for forcemeat balls, for instance, but not for, say, hamburgers.

And I find the FP heats up the meat too much.

So I must be doing something wrong; just can't figure out what. So stick with the electric grinder.

Thanks, I think I will look into an electric grinder. We eat meatloaf quite a bit and I am tired of the store bought ground beef. First of all, you can never get the amount you want. They always either package 3-4 pounds of it, or little packages just under a pound. You can never seem to get just a pound of ground beef.

Second, other than a extremely high priced butcher in are area, there is absolutely no ground lamb to be found within a 40 mile radius.

Thanks for everyones feedback.

The only other question I would have is, could you substitute an oil instead of an animal fat when you think the meat needs it?

Oil might work for moistness, Jafo. But I would think there'd be a textural and mouthfeel issue, oil compared to fat.

Once you get your grinder you're going to find the real value goes way beyond beef. How about, for instance, ground chicken or turkey that's all meat instead of skin, fat, and other stuff? Or ground pork in which you control the content and texture? Or, as you note, ground lamb---which either isn't available, most times, or is incredibly expensive.

And if you should decide to make your own sausages, well, Kattie bar the door.

I use a food processor grinder and haven't had any of the problems you are talking about. What I typically do is first cut the meat into about 1" cubes, then grind it with the largest plate first, add season (if making hamburgers or sausages) and then grind twice through the smaller plate....seems to work out pretty good for me.