Chopping meat at home is easy, and you can avoid buying minced meat. You don't even need a meat grinder; you can use a food processor to speed up the process or proceed with a knife for a more demanding job. Either way you get finely ground beef, perfect for meatballs and burgers or to incorporate it into your favorite recipes.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Preparation
Step 1. Purchase an inexpensive cut
Choose the shoulder or the belly for a ground beef, pork or lamb. If you use poultry, opt for the dark meat parts, as they are the least expensive and have the right amount of fat for a good result. The finest cuts, such as ribs and chops, are usually not chopped.
If you don't know exactly what to buy, ask your butcher or shop assistant for advice
Step 2. Eliminate what is left of the connective tissue
When you bring the meat home, check for any remnants of tendons, connective tissue, or cartilage; if so, remove them with a sharp knife and throw them away. When you grind the meat, these elements remain in the finished product if you don't remove them.
Step 3. Leave the fat behind
A good ground coffee contains some adipose tissue, so avoid removing it while cutting the other parts; if you prefer leaner meat, you can remove some, but know that the dish cooks better thanks to the fat.
Method 2 of 3: Using a Food Processor
Step 1. Cut the meat into pieces
Use a sharp knife and chop it into 3 to 5 cm cubes. They don't all have to be the same and they don't need to be perfect cubes; the dimensions indicated here are only guidelines that you can adapt to the cut of meat in your possession.
Step 2. Freeze the meat and food processor for 20-30 minutes
Arrange the cubes on a baking sheet creating a single layer and put them in the freezer to harden them; this will take 15 to 30 minutes. Make sure they get firm, but don't freeze; do the same with the food processor blade and glass.
The cooling process allows for more defined cuts and prevents the fat from melting as it is shredded; the same goes for the blade and the glass, when they are cold the cut is better
Step 3. Transfer small amounts of meat to the appliance
To make sure that the blade turns well and that it shreds the muscle tissues evenly, you must avoid overfilling the glass of the food processor; add a couple of handfuls of meat at a time. The size of the device determines the size of the batch you can work with.
Step 4. Activate the robot until you get the ground you want
If the device has the "pulse" function, use it instead of continuous rotation; activates the pulse blade at medium-high speed for a few seconds at a time, checking the meat after 3-4 actions. The ground coffee should start forming a ball along the edges.
It is better to leave a fairly coarse texture than to overwork the meat; if you get a sort of "spreadable" paste, it means that you have chopped excessively
Method 3 of 3: Cut the Dog by Hand
Step 1. Slice the meat into elongated pieces
Use a sharp knife and cut long blocks of meat by cutting it lengthwise; you can use a werewolf or other similar knife. The slices should be 2-3 cm thick on all sides; so if you have a larger piece, cut it again to the recommended size.
The slices can be as long as you want
Step 2. Cut the meat into thinner strips
At this point, slice the blocks lengthwise again by halving them; you need to thin the meat before you start chopping it further. Arrange the strips on a baking sheet, taking care to create a single layer.
Step 3. Freeze the meat for 20-30 minutes
Just like you would with the food processor, you need to cool the muscle tissue before grinding it; in this way, you get more precise cuts and the work is easier. Leave it in the freezer for at least 15 minutes for the outer edges to harden, while preventing the slices from freezing completely.
Step 4. Get two knives
To chop meat quickly and efficiently, you need two suitable knives. The sharper the edge and the larger the blade, the simpler the operation. If you only have one chopping knife, do the following with only that one.
Step 5. Chop it quickly
Hold a knife in each hand and chop the meat repeatedly as if hammering it; group the fragments into a small pile and rotate it as you go. Keep chopping, piling, and twisting muscle tissue until you get a fine consistency.
- If you have to work a lot of meat, it is best to repeat this step a couple of times (or even more) with each portion; if you chop too much at a time, you don't get a good result.
- Always proceed safely when using sharp blades; keep both hands out of the way of the knives.
