You can make your minced meat at home because it is very easy to make. A meat grinder is not even necessary to make it. In this article, I’ll show you how to make minced meat at less cost than if you buy it at the meat shop.
Here’s an easy way you can make minced meat at home:
- Choose the proper meat cut that you want to mince
- Cut the meat into 1-inch cubes
- Place the meat chunks in the freezer for at least 15 minutes
- Place one meat cube in your food processor and turn it on until the meat is minced
- Do step 4 to the remaining meat cubes until they are minced.
Many people use the words minced meat and ground beef interchangeably. However, they are two different things. Minced meat is skeletal-muscle meat that you should chop finely, while ground beef is emulsified or blended meat and fat. So, ground meat is creamier and more consistent.
Read on to learn more about making minced meat, selecting the right meat cut to mince, and how you can minced meat.
How to Make Minced Meat
Steps
It is very easy to make minced meat at home. You will save money because you don’t need to know where to buy minced meat. Just make your own. Here’s the common way of doing it:
- Select the meat cut that you want to mince.
- Cut the meat into small 1-inch cubes or chunks.
- Place the meat chunks inside your freezer and let them freeze for about 15 minutes.
- Get your food processor and mince the meat cubes one by one. You can mince them finely or coarsely as you wish.
- Repeat step 4 with the rest of the meat cubes until all of them are minced.
Meat Choice
While you can use any meat cut for mincing, there is one meat cut that you should choose if you want to have the best-quality minced meat. A popular choice is chuck steak because it has a rich flavor, and its meat-to-fat ratio is good. Most people also use round steak when mincing meat.
Minced Beef vs. Ground Beef
Many people are often confused about minced meat vs. ground beef. But they are two different things. You should chop minced meat finely because they are meat from skeletal muscles. Ground beef is usually a blend of meat and fat; they’re more consistent and creamier.
Use a Blender as an Alternative to a Food Processor
If you don’t have a food processor, you can make minced meat using a hand blender. Just cut the meat into small pieces and place some of them into your blender. Put the lid on top of the blender and start blending.
Use the ‘chop’ setting on your blender. Then run the machine for 20 to 30 seconds, and you will have your minced meat.
Utilize Your Sharp Knife
You can also use a knife if you don’t have a blender or a food processor. But be sure your knife is sharp because you will use it to chop the meat. Here’s what you need to do:
- With your knife, slice the meat at a 45° angle. Don’t cut the meal all the way through.
- Then flip the meat over and repeat step 1.
- Toss the meat over and cut it this time at a 90° angle.
- Flip the meat over and repeat step 3.
- Pile up the meat
Meat Choices for Minced Meat
Best Meat Choices for Minced Meat
In making minced meat, you can’t just pick any meat cut that you want. If you want good quality minced meat, you need to choose the best meat cuts. The best meat choices for minced meat are the following:
- Brisket
- Shank
- Shoulder cut
- Short ribs
- Leg cut – this is the best if you want lean minced meat
Use Darker Meat When Using Chicken or Turkey
If you are using chicken or turkey and want some fat in your minced meat, you need to use darker meat. This part of poultry meat is typically tastier compared to white meat. If you want lean minced meat, use the breast portion of poultry meat.
Not Every Meat Cut Is Equal
If you mince the choicest meat cuts, you would be wasting your money if you have other available choices. Meat that has no cartilage or gristle is great for mincing. With that said, not every meat cut is equal.
Topside Mince
To maximize the use of beef, use the lower-grade cuts and the smaller pieces of meat for mincing. There are meat shops that label their produce like topside mince.
This indicates that the meat was taken from a wide range of cuts and trimming. They may not only come from cows but other animals as well.
Secondary Cuts
In some countries, such as Australia, secondary cuts make up about 20% of the meat processed into minced meat. Another 15% to 20% of meat processed as minced meat comes from meat trimmings.
If you look at this in the context of a 572 pounds (260 kilos) of the beef carcass, about 220 pounds (100 kilos) are allocated to minced meat, which is approximately 110 pounds (50 kilos) of secondary cuts, and 110 pounds (50 kilos) of trimmings.
These secondary cuts and trimmings are large portions of meat that would otherwise go to waste. However, classifying them for mincing allows the whole animal to be processed fully, and nothing will be wasted.
Why Should You Choose Trimmings and Secondary Cuts for Mincing Meat
Some of the reasons why you should choose trimmings and secondary cuts for mincing meat are the following:
- Tougher meat cuts are good for mincing because it makes them easier to eat.
- Using trimmings for mincing will reduce the cost of minced meat. It also provides consumers with more options for less expensive meats for their meals.
- People tend to shy away from unfamiliar meat cuts because their cooking experience is limited. Minced meat gives them a familiar alternative that also reduces waste meats.
- Different meat cuts contain different fat content. If you mix different meat cuts (premium, regular, or lean), consumers can buy assorted mince types for different cooking purposes.
Alternative Ways of Making Minced Meat
There are other ways of making minced meat at home. You can choose the method that is most convenient for you:
Manual Mincing
1. Slice or Cut Long Chunks of Meat
Use a sharp knife and cut the meat lengthwise. You can also use a meat cleaver to do this. The meat slices should be about one inch thick on every side.
2. Make the Meat Slices Thinner
Cut the meat slices again to make them thinner. They should now be about half their original size. You are making them as thin as they can get before mincing them. Then lay the thin strips out in one layer of a cookie sheet.
3. Freeze the Meat Strips from 20 to 30 Minutes
Place the thin meat strips inside your freezer to make them stiffer before mincing. In this way, you can cut and chop them clean. After freezing, chill the meat strips for another 15 minutes to firm up their outer edges.
4. Use Two Sharp Knives for Chopping the Thin Meat Strips
By using two chopping knives, you will be able to mince the thin meat strips more efficiently and faster. The bigger the knives, the better. It will be harder and slower if you have only one chopping knife.
5. Chop Rapidly
Do it repeatedly with hammer-like motions. As you are mincing, scoop the meat into a pile and turn them into a circle as you proceed. Continue chopping, piling, and flipping the meat until they become tiny pieces of meat.
6. Always Be Careful When Chopping
Practice safety always. You don’t want to cut yourself as you go.
7. Chop the Meat Little by Little
Don’t try to chop as much meat as you want because your final product might not be within the consistency that you desire. It is better to do it little by little.
Use a Food Processor
1. Cut the Meat Into Small Chunks
Use a sharp knife and cut the meat into 1-inch or 2-inch cubes. They don’t have to be exact cubes and of the same size. Use this size only as a guide. You can adjust it based on the sizes of the meat you are using.
2. Freeze the Meats from 20 to 30 Minutes
Arrange the small meat cuts on a baking sheet in a single layer. Then put the baking sheet inside the freezer. You are firming up the meat cuts and their edges. They should not be frozen but just firm. You can place the food processor bowl inside the freezer if you want.
3. Process a Small Batch of Meat Using the Food Processor
After this, put a small batch of meat inside the food processor. Don’t try to do it all at once. The size of your food processor will largely determine how much meat you can put inside it for mincing.
4. Use the Processor’s Pulse Setting
Pulse the food processor. If there is a pulse setting on the processor, use it. Pulsing is better than continuous and non-stop mincing. Pulse the processor from 6 to 8 speeds for a couple of seconds.
5. Check the Meat’s Consistency After 3-4 Pulses
Check the consistency of the meat after 3 to 4 pulses. It should be developing into a ball around its edges. Don’t overprocess the meat because it will be like a smeary paste.
Minced Meat Recipe
If you have already minced your meat, you will have to turn it into a delicious meal. Here is a minced meat recipe that you may want to use. This is a recipe for a Ki Si Min:
Ingredients
- One pound or 500 grams of minced meat
- Two garlic cloves, crushed
- One brown onion, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp olive oil,
- 1 cup of frozen peas
- 0.66 pound, or 300 grams, green cabbage, shredded
- 1 and 1/2 cups white rice
- One bid carrot, coarsely grated
- 1 tbsp curry powder
- coriander
How to Cook
- Use a large and deep frying pan. Place it on top of medium heat.
- Pour in some oil, put the garlic and onion on the pan and cook them by stirring for 5 minutes.
- Increase the heat to high.
- Add beef and cook, stirring as you break up the lumps; continue for 3 minutes or until they brown.
- Add curry powder and stir.
- Put the rice and carrot and stir until well blended.
- Add 3 and 3/4 cups of water and stir.
- Put the seasoning.
- Bring to boil
- Then reduce heat and simmer; continue stirring for about 5 minutes
- Add cabbage and simmer, occasionally stirring, for 15 minutes.
- Add peas and cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until rice becomes tender. If you want a creamier consistency, you can add a small amount of boiling water.
- Serve with sprinkled coriander.
Frequently Asked Questions
Making your minced meat is not that difficult. If you love to eat food with minced meat, you can save some money by making your own. Here are some of the answers to the most often asked questions about this topic:
How Can I Make Minced Meat at Home?
It’s pretty simple. Just follow these steps:
- Select the meat cut that you want to mince.
- Cut this meat into small 1-inch cubes or chunks.
- Put these small meat chunks inside the freezer for around 15 minutes.
- Get your food processor, put some frozen meat inside, and turn it on.
- Process all the meats until they are minced the way you want, finely or coarsely.
Can You Make Minced Meat Without Using a Mincer?
Yes, you can do it manually without using a mincer, a grinder, or a processor. You can use a knife. Just be sure it is sharp enough, so the mincing is nice. Here’s how to do it:
- Slice the meat at 45° degree angles with the knife. Don’t cut the meat all the way through.
- Flip the meat over and repeat step 1.
- Again, flip and cut it at 90° degree angles.
- Flip it again and repeat step 3.
- Pile all the pieces of meat that you have minced.
Which Beef Cuts Are Best for Mincing?
The best meat cuts that you can mince are the following:
- Shank
- Brisket
- Short ribs
- Shoulder cut
- Leg cut
What’s the Difference Between Minced Meat and Ground Meat?
Minced meat is skeletal-muscle meat that is chopped very fine. Ground meat is blended meat and fat. When it comes to texture, ground meat is more consistent and creamier. Some people confuse one with the other. But they are not the same.
In Closing: How Do You Make Minced Meat?
It is straightforward to make minced meat at home. Here’s what you need to do:
- Select the right meat cut that you want to mince
- Cut the meat into 1-inch chunks or cubes
- Place the meat cubes in the freezer for at least 15 minutes
- Get your food processor and place one meat cube inside it and turn it on until the meat is minced
- Do step 4 to the rest of the meat cubes until all of them are minced
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