Ground meat is a versatile ingredient that can be used to prepare a wide variety of delicious dishes. With a perfect meat grinder machine, you can easily grind meat at your home. However, you may have some other options to get ground meat. If you don’t have a grinder machine, you can go to your local butcher shop to buy ground meat. Another great option is to grind meat by hand (without the use of any grinder). But, how would you grind meat without a meat grinder?
In this article, I will share 2 simple ways on how you can grind meat without using a meat grinder. I personally like to grind meat at home. Because the homemade ground meat is more hygienic and you never need to depend on the butcher shops to have ground meat.
2 Simple Ways to Grind Meat Without a Meat Grinder
Grinding meat at home is very easy even if you don’t have any meat grinder machines. In the following section, I am going to share the 2 simple ways that you can follow to grind meat at your home:
01. Grind Meat Using a Food Processor
Food processors are one of the very common appliances for any household. This exquisite kitchen appliance is very easy to use and allows you to perform a wide variety of tasks. If you have a food processor in your home, you can use this machine for grinding meat. The good thing is that you don’t need any additional meat grinder attachments for doing this.
Step – 1: Prepare the Food Processor
Star the grinding process by assembling the food processor. For grinding meat, you only need a standard S-shaped blade. Make sure the blade is sharp enough to cut the meat properly. Also, clean the blade before processing meat.
Step – 02: Chop the Meat into Small Pieces
Before putting the meat into the food processor, you need to cut them into small pieces. Try to cut the meat into small cubed size. This way, your food processor can grind meat efficiently and faster. The large pieces of meat will break the blade or damage the food engine of your food processor. So, don’t forget to cut the meat into small pieces.
Step – 03: Keep the Chopped Meat into the Fridge
After cutting the meat into pieces, place it on the fridge for some time. You may need to put the tray into the refrigerator for about 30 minutes. Once the meat becomes hard and frozen, it will prevent the ground meat from becoming too mushy.
Step – 04: Grind the Meat
Now, put the frozen meat into the food processor and start grinding them. If you want to grind a lot of meat at a time, you may need to do it in batches. Do not fill the bowl, otherwise, your food processor machine can’t do the job properly. If you want to have a perfect grind of the meat, you may need to process it for a longer time.
If you still confused, watch the following video:
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The Benefits of Grinding Meat Using a Food Processor:
There are some benefits of grinding meat by a food processor:
- Grind meat with a food processor is very easy and anyone can do this at home.
- With a food processor, you can get fresh and juicy ground meat at your home.
- You don’t need any additional equipment for grinding meat. Only the food processor will do the job.
- You can grind meat anytime you want.
- It is less risky to operate a food processor and grind meat at home.
Problems of Grinding Meat Using a Food Processor:
Along with the benefits, there are some drawbacks of using a food processor for grinding meat:
- A food processor may take a longer time for grinding meat.
- It is quite difficult and time-consuming to clean the food processor after grinding the meat.
- If you want to grind meat for commercial purposes, the food processor is not the right option for you. You may require a commercial meat grinder for this.
02. Grind Meat Using a Knife
If you don’t have a food processor, don’t worry. You can still grind meat by using your knife. Though it will require more time and effort, you can still get the perfect ground meat at your home.
Step – 01: Prepare the Knife
This process will require a sharp knife. So, make sure your knife is sharp enough to cut the meat again and again. Also, clean the knife properly before starting the process.
Step – 02: Cut the Meat
Use a sharp knife to cut your meat into a 45-degree angle and only cut 75% of the meat piece. Never cut to the end. Try to keep the slices about ¼ inch thick.
Step – 03: Flip the Meat and Repeat the Process
Now, turn a piece of meat over, then repeat step 1. Slice the meat at a 45-degree angle from the opposite direction.
Step – 04: Flip the Meat Again
Again, flip the meat over. This time slice it into thin slices at a 90-degree angle, and slice again 75% of the distance, ¼ inch between each slice. Repeat this process again.
Step – 05: Gather the Meat and Chop Again
Finally, collect the meat into a pile, and then use the knife or the part of the cleaver closest to the handle to quickly cut the meat twice from left to right. Keep doing this a couple of times until you get your desired texture.
The following video shows the exact way of how to grind meat using a knife:
The Benefits of Grinding Meat Using a Knife:
The main benefits of grinding meat using a knife are:
- You can determine and prepare the desired meat texture without any problem.
- The cleaning process is very easy and it’s not so messy. You only need to clean the knife and the cutting board.
- With a knife, you can grind meat anytime you want.
Problems of Grinding Meat Using a Knife:
Here are some problems of using the knife for grinding meat:
- For those who are not interested in chopping, this process seems boring to them.
- Grinding meat using a knife is risky and you need to be very careful while chopping the meat.
- It’s not a suitable option if you want to grind a lot of meat.
- You cannot grind bones with your knife.
Conclusion
So, these are the two simple ways you can follow to grind meat without a meat grinder. Among these two methods, using a food processor is much easier and efficient. However, if you don’t have a food processor, follow the second method, and grind meat using a knife.