Poll of the Day > Home made burgers need at least 20% fat, can I add fat to lean mince?

(+) Yeah! (+)

Ive got 5% fat beef, can I add a bit of duck fat or something to my mix to make up the fat requirement typically needed?

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Add bread crumbs and butter mixture to it, and it should work fine. Not sure on duck fat.

Butter can be used just on top of the burger in a pinch, but with bread crumbs you can mix it in with the beef so it's throughout all of it, and it'll be much more juicy. Try adding in worsticher sauce, spices, finely diced onions etc as well if you want.

But yeah, normal butter would be the best option probably.

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Grind homemade burger meat all the time pork works just fine. Bacon can be great if you like bacon cheeseburgers but does change texture due to belly meat doesnt cook evenly

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I wouldnt use poultry though the taste profile can become problematic as fish, reptile, bird and mammal fat all have different tast as it composed differently chemically speaking.

Maybe try a slider first to get an idea. Some people will deep fry burgers in duck fat. However never heard of mixing unrendered fat that had its solids remove ed

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ScritchOwl posted...

Grind homemade burger meat all the time pork works just fine. Bacon can be great if you like bacon cheeseburgers but does change texture due to belly meat doesnt cook evenly

As in adding bacon to the meat itself before I mix it?

I was planning on adding some shallots, egg, black pepper, and salt to the burger mix.

not sure about breadcrumbs cause I dont have any lol and also wouldnt it make the patty too mealie in texture?

Ill use a bit of butter though if that will give me the fat content I need. Unless @ScritchOwl youre talking about adding bacon to make up the missing fat?

I was hoping to use my bacon as more of a topping on the sandwich itself though rather than adding it to the mix

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With venison often the meat is super lean. Even if y yo u cut it with beef it makes poor hamburger meat. So what we do is get fat or bacon from a local butcher and mix it in to the meat mixture itself.

We often weigh the bacon as pure fat to get a 80% ration when added to the beef. It allows you to bypass the egg addins that alot of burger fans frown on. Just beware that the bacon fat flares badly if done on a grill or open flame so I would recomend a skillet or griddle

I mean dont get me wrong your burger sounds great even with the egg and breadcrumbs heck if I was cooking those I would put some ketchup at the end call them miniture meat loafs as the only difference is a meatloaf stews in its fat in an oven versus draining while the burger is cooking

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I have never personally done this, but I find the idea intriguing and may do so soon.

You could try frying the bacon first, so it's just about as crispy as you like, then cut it up into little pieces and mix it with the hamburger meat. It will still release fast as it cooks with the burger, and that could be really freaking delicious. Now I can't wait to try that.

As far as bread crumbs, you don't wanna put alot or you'll end up with meat loaf (yuck, nothing like a meat loaf sandwhhch when you want a burger or meatball sandwich). Meat balls though often do have some bread crumbs as well (meatloaf has much more).

It's mainly just to give you something tt mix with the butter so you spread it throughout the hamburger evenly, you can also add your spices in, and worshesure sauce etc.

Egg + bread crumbs is pretty much how you make meat balls (and more bread crumbs for meat loaf).

Bacon inside the burger though, you know, crisp already and everything...I mean...that could be genius, I so wanna try it lol.

If you add shallots and mix it with the meat, make sure you dice them up really small:)

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ScritchOwl posted...

With venison often the meat is super lean. Even if y yo u cut it with beef it makes poor hamburger meat. So what we do is get fat or bacon from a local butcher and mix it in to the meat mixture itself.

We often weigh the bacon as pure fat to get a 80% ration when added to the beef. It allows you to bypass the egg addins that alot of burger fans frown on. Just beware that the bacon fat flares badly if done on a grill or open flame so I would recomend a skillet or griddle

I mean dont get me wrong your burger sounds great even with the egg and breadcrumbs heck if I was cooking those I would put some ketchup at the end call them miniture meat loafs as the only difference is a meatloaf stews in its fat in an oven versus draining while the burger is cooking

Ive got just a normal frying pan. So youre talking like actual normal bacon rashers mixed into my beef mix to give me the fat I need?

Or do you mean like the little strips of fat from the ends of the bacon rashers? This sounds like madness lol

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ScritchOwl posted...

We often weigh the bacon as pure fat to get a 80% ration when added to the beef. It allows you to bypass the egg addins that alot of burger fans frown on. Just beware that the bacon fat flares badly if done on a grill or open flame so I would recomend a skillet or griddle

I am an expert on makin bacon (rhymes!!) on the grill.

To avoid the fat flare ups (and help with burgers falling apart etc), you can start with a skillet in your grill. Bacon will get flare ups and burn on a grill directly, but it's hard to start it on the top rack as well.

If you use a pan on the grill you can start bacon there (and finish it on the top rack), and you can also start burgers there (Basiially browning them so they don't crumble etc on the grill itself). That would also probably avoid any massive bacon flare ups if you use bacon fat or pieces (really wanna try that) in your burger.

Also i'm gonna have to go shopping for burgers tomorrow now lol (and bacon obviously).

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4lbs venison and 1 pound bacon through the grinder

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Ugh no dont work your meat for a burger, the less you touch it the better.

You arent making meatloaf, you are making a burger. You want to follow the 20% rule on fat but this is the other secret to making amazing burgers. You need those air pockets for when they cook. More airflow=more even cooking=less moisture.

Also if you want to go the full mile grind your own beef or at least buy from a grocer which has a butchery that puts out freshly ground daily. You should be able to tell a big difference with how much looser the meat is packed.

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Safeway will grind your meat on the spot if you ask em.

I btw, don't add anything to my burger, just spices on top, but I do wanna try the whole bacon pieces mixed in now.

I actually shape my burger through plastic wrap so I don't get the fat on my hands lol.

This board makes me hungry waaaaay to often btw.....and usually after midnight when my options are seriously limited.

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wolfy42 posted...

Safeway will grind your meat on the spot if you ask em.

I btw, don't add anything to my burger, just spices on top, but I do wanna try the whole bacon pieces mixed in now.

I actually shape my burger through plastic wrap so I don't get the fat on my hands lol.

This board makes me hungry waaaaay to often btw.....and usually after midnight when my options are seriously limited.

thanks. im always looking for an establishment where i can find someone to grind my meat

Fam_Fam posted...

thanks. im always looking for an establishment where i can find someone to grind my meat

When I posted that I had a feeling that was going to be bad wording lol.

May the 4th be with you.

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deoxxys posted...

Ugh no dont work your meat for a burger, the less you touch it the better.

This. All a burger needs is a healthy dose of seasoning.

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What I was talking about was an original grind of the meat not pulling the cut thoat kitchen adding lamb beef pork and ground veal in a cuisine art to make meatballs and risotto

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FatalAccident posted...

Home made burgers need at least 20% fat

Says who? I almost always buy 85% lean beef, and my burgers are fine.
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85% is still fine, some stores only sell that. 90% or more and yeah, they don't taste nearly as good. You can use butter etc to help though.

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That's why you add an egg

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take the words of mario batali as gospel

fat is flavor

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