Help with ground beef!

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Katie H

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At Christmastime we were gifted with all manner of slaughtered beef, some of which was ground beef.

However, I have to say this ground beef is the toughest I have ever come across. There's still a bunch left and I really want to use it.

I'm thinking that if I put it through the food processor to reduce the mass I may have some chance of using it for such things as chili and/or meatloaf.

What say ye?
 
I agree with Aunt Bea. Many non-commercial butchers do not use enough fat in the grind leading to less than appetizing results.
I would add fat some way and another option is making sausage. Since it pays to grind more than once and to emulsify it sausage may be a good option.
But, I have never made a beef sausage.
 
Agree with regrinding and adding fat.

You can also try this trick.

1 pound g beef
3/4 tsp salt
3/8 tsp baking soda

Mix, sit for 20 mins

It tenderizes the meat some and helps it retain moisture by changing the proteins in the meat according to ATK/Cook's Country. I tried it a couple of times after I first saw the tip on TV and it definitely cuts down on moisture being released, but I keep forgetting to do it before starting to make dinner.
 
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We once had a whole moose. We paid a friend for storage space in his freezer by giving him some of the meat. Well, some of the meat I ground was very, very chewy. Tasted wonderful, but chewy. We used most of the extra chewy stuff in pasta sauce and stuff like that.
 
Wanted to make chili. So, I put the ground beef into the food processor with some olive oil and gave it a big whizz. Big difference in the texture. Turned it into the chili as I had planned and it turned our super! Of course it didn't hurt that I cooked the chopped onions in bacon fat and added some of the bacon that wasn't eaten at this morning's breakfast. All was seasoned with ancho and chipotle chili powder. And if this wasn't enough, I added some plain old chili powder.

Can you say, "Hot lips?" Never mind!
 
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