How to Buy the Best Possible Ground Beef at the Grocery Store (Second to Grinding Your Own)

When you buy ground beef in the market, just what are you buying?
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Most recipes simply call for "ground beef," but, as any supermarket shopper knows, the choices are much more varied. The U.S. Department of Agriculture defines "ground beef" as ground fresh and/or frozen beef from primal cuts and trimmings containing no more than 30 percent fat. But that doesn't really help anyone understand the difference between ground round, ground chuck, and ground sirloin. And what about fat content, which can range as low as 7 percent?
To find out if the cut matters, we prepared hamburgers, Bolognese sauce, and meatloaf using each type of ground beef and held a blind tasting, asking tasters to comment on the taste and texture of each sample. The results were clear; differences between the cuts were obvious and noted across the board.
Ground round and ground beef consistently ranked last in our tests, with ground round described as "tough" and "chewy"; less polite tasters deemed the ground beef "livery" and "gross." Tasters preferred ground chuck and sirloin: The ultra-lean sirloin was favored for dishes in which other ingredients added much-needed fat, whereas chuck was preferred in hamburgers. Types of ground beef are listed below in order of preference.
Ground Chuck
Cut from the shoulder, ground chuck ranges from 15 to 20 percent fat and was favored by our tasters for its "rich" flavor and "tender," "moist" texture. The best choice for burgers.
Ground Sirloin
Tasters praised the ground sirloin as "tender and tasty," especially in the meatloaf and Bolognese sauce, but found it a bit "dry" in hamburgers, though it did have "good beef flavor." Cut from the midsection of the animal near the hip, ground sirloin usually ranges in fat content from 7 to 10 percent.
Ground Round
Lean and tough, ground round comes from the rear upper leg and rump of the cow. Tasters rejected the round as "gristly" and "lacking beef flavor." The fat content ranges from 10 to 20 percent.
Ground Beef
Any cut or combination of cuts can be labeled "ground beef," so consistency is a problem. Because ground beef may have as much as 30 percent fat, greasiness can also be an issue. Our tasters dismissed the ground beef in all applications as "mushy," with an "old boiled beef taste."
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[@PcGamerHero]

At my country most big grocery chains have butchery inside them that just grind the meat you choose for you as you order it.

[@flyhouseoftruth470]

I don't understand why the 90/10 shrinks up smaller and makes more grease than the 80/20.. The 80/20 even seems more lean and less tuff. The 80/20 came from Kroger and the 90/10 came from Walmart..

[@semco72057]

I look for the best looking meat when shopping for ground beef and do look for the freshest I can find also. I know some about ground beef, and pork since I use to make it when I was a teen and worked in a slaughter house here in Arkansas.

[@kevinhullinger8743]

Thanks for the info. I have yet to find a package a ground beef from a major chain grocery that doesn’t leak. (Frozen) learned something new

[@HLSpence]

Good tips on the 80% and the grass v. grain fed . . .normally I would look for the grass fed and leaner stuff. Thanks for the knowledge!

[@kingturtle1000]

Like that you acknowledge grass fed vs commercial beef. Had a bbq the other day ended up making half the burgers with grass fed and the other with regular because I couldn't get enough of one type. Not sure if they didn't like the slight gamey flavour or if they are just used to normal burgers flavour or I'm just not very consistent in my burger making but they all seemed to slightly prefer the regular beef burgers. Either way will probably just buy regular commercial beef for my next burgers as it is a lot cheaper and people didn't really care either way.

[@claytonallen5428]

Super awesome thank you for doing this nice video!! 💥⭐️💥⭐️

[@gnome2024]

If you can only afford the cheapest ground beef, at least up your game and mix in a few slices of bacon and run it all through your meat grinder and get that bacon mixes in there. Makes the best burgers. I personally do it with ribeye but it definitely makes regular ground beef much better.

[@m.witter5115]

Has anyone else noticed the awful change in texture as well as flavor of ground chuck? The past 4 years or so I've noticed a degradation of the firmness and texture of the ground Chuck. It seems to be so over processed that any additional handling to form meatballs, hamburger patties or meatloaf renders the meat so tight and grainy it's like eating course beach sand patties....there also always seems to be a kind of Debris or dregs left in your mouth after chewing that you are most apt to want to spit out rather than swallow.....I always look for 80% lean 20% fat but quality has really gone down hill in the past several years...Whats happening????My last idea would be to by a 4 pound chuck roast and have the butcher grind and package it for me..

[@justaguy6100]

The reality is, look at the label especially of chubs. You're QUITE likely to see "80/20 ground beef product." Ground chuck, sadly, is rarely actually from the chuck of the bovine anymore. It's more a reference to the 80/20. IF you can, find a butcher that's willing to grind it in front of you. If not, stay with stores that actually have butchers on premise (I don't think this is true of Walmart for example). Then, although it's more expensive than the chubs, choose from the packages they have ground in the store. That may not be all chuck either, but at least it's all meat and no weirdness like connective tissue, etc.

[@J235304204]

Im starting to really like these very short videos

[@cuisined]

Grinding your own is as easy as 1,2,3 so there is no excuse buying minced meat. Tools for grinding meat are relatively cheap. The thing you need to know about grinding your own is which cut to buy and to remember to freeze your grinding tools ahead so the fresh meat will grind fairly cold and it's fat will not melt and clog the grinder. Meat needs about 10'-30' min in freezer to harden up a bit and the rest of your tools need to be super super chilled. There are Kitchen Aid Metal Construction Attachments and further north to those, Standalone Grinders. The thing to take from this is that you know exactly what is your minced meat is made of when it's still a big chunk. Now go get one! A Present for a meat lover, or even present for yourself! it'll be worth you while in the long run.

[@thephilosopher5799]

Yeah I just got my grandma a kitchen aid mesh grinding attachment. Her tacos and hamburgers will taste way better.

[@brendaanello7616]

I always appreciate the helpful information.

[@DolanAndGoobyFTW]

I’ve bought 80/20 ground beef at basically every supermarket, the best is from Whole Foods. I promise you will make some of the best burgers money can buy, and luckily Whole Foods is nearby to me. Really high quality stuff.

[@claircraig8552]

Lately I find that hamburger has a gritty taste to it, has something changed since the pandemic, the last pack I got was a 10/90 ground beef sirloin and just clumps, not juicy like hamburger use to be!

[@Andre_Jordan]

It had nothing to do with the pandemic that beef was way too lean. Stick with 80/20 - 70/30 range for burgers.

[@peshgirl]

I buy ground store trimmings from Kroger. I also ask the butcher what he ground that day so I know what went in it.

[@IngaHicks]

Great info and eye opening when buying ground beef!!

[@DJaquithFL]

I agree and anything leaner than 80% Chuck makes for dry burgers.

[@hollym5873]

Great info thanks

[@suzihazlove4979]

I agree grass-fed ground beef doesn't taste as juicy so there has to be something we can put in it when we're making our Burgers to make it more juicy maybe olive oil or something

[@christinehebert2276]

Hello thank you for tip have a bless day and a blessed weekend

[@Lilbuddi1958]

What about pink slime?

[@ctwatcher]

Best to buy 1/2 a cow from a farmer. Store beef is very weird now.

[@koliomitev233]

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[@darkspd31]

Bullet points, the video!!!

[@chrisgreyson1936]

Have you tried to find this in Southern CA? No? I thought not...chuck doesn't exist. : /

[@kan35611]

The best is just to go get it at the butcher anyway.

[@CoolhandLukeSkywalkr]

There's a huge difference between the quality of ground beef at a Braum's, compared to what you can get at Walmart or Aldi's. Bargain basement beef makes me gag, I can't even get through a single Aldi's hamburger. It's disgusting, so I did some research around town a few years ago and I have even tried different meat markets, but the best ground beef around these parts is from the little grocery stores they have inside every Braum's fast food restaurant. They actually have the best milk, the best ground beef, and they have quality steak for a fair price. Never a wide range of selection, I never even used to pay attention to the grocery store in Braum's, as they are far more famous for being an ice cream shop and fast food restaurant, but whatever they do, they do extraordinarily well. Braum's grocery store ground beef is not the same smell, taste, texture, etc. That I can get anywhere else, no one else is even close to matching their quality, convince, and cost, so I never would risk it. Why eat anything else, when Braum's is so mind-blowing in quality? Never would you find anything wrong with their ground beef, every batch is perfect. I eat it all the time. Their bacon isn't the best, too much fat on it, unless you get lucky and get a good batch, then it is the best. But for most things like meat and dairy, I go with braum's grocery store or I'd rather go without. You have to go very expensive, grinding your own, dry aged, Kobe beef etc. if you want better than Braum's.

[@steveskouson9620]

If the beef is "discolored," that simply means the carbon monoxide has leaked out. All commercially packaged meat, the kind in the ballooned-up packaging, are packed with CO, to protect the red color. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_monoxide#Meat_coloring steve

[@etherdog]

Dan, I agree with everything you said except for buying pre-ground meat. Just don't do it. Grind your own, it only takes ten minutes if you prep properly.

[@peterharper9703]

Grass fed beef makes yummy steaks!

[@ctrader6]

I am suspicious of the color: Is ground beef better if more pink than red?---I am suspecting that in more red, a dye is used. I welcome your thoughts and comments. Thank you.

[@StarhawkRanger]

Cows are supposed to eat GRASS. They evolved 4 chambered stomachs for it! The liquid on the bottom is the remnant from the dye they put on the meat. That's why you can't see the brown until you break the slab of meat apart. At least in my supermarket, you can never know what meat they chopped since they haven't a clue. When I asked one of the meat counter workers where the pork roasts were, he sent me to the hams and was surprised when I said that those weren't pork roasts. lol

[@M_Ladd]

Yes, but not for chili!

[@johneli495]

Seems like some ground beef has red coloring added to it?

[@dictare]

Pink Slime.

[@parmodsharma4576]

they add gas to the meat so that it always looks pink and not brown so this tip isn't good unless you see them ground the meat in front of you.

[@Heizenberg32]

Selenia Rivas-Sharma I suspect this is why sometimes the beef will be bright red on top, yet dark brown on the bottom where it was touching the packaging.

[@fallingwickets]

and also, how many times is the meat red on the outside of the package, but brownish in the middle? meat fraud lol

[@JamesDavis-jw6nj]

Bother?

[@atomicbrain9401]

0:27 How to Buy the Best Possible Ground Beef: don't buy it if it's labeled "ground beef"

[@jekciso]

Natural, organic, grass-fed, non-toxic, no chemicals, no radiation is the food of the bourgeois, or the ignorant.

[@vanscoyoc]

I prefer to grind my own but if not grinding get it in the chub packs it won't be oxidized. Never buy stuff with a plastic tray and plastic wrap...they hide the nasty oxidized stuff inside. Screw that.

[@kellyfrench]

Why is the sound still so bad? Come on guys, you have a professional studio and equipment. Not sure what the issue is, I love the content but the sound quality is distracting.

[@thephilosopher5799]

I noticed this too lmao

[@sebdookie]

I add duck fat to my burgers.

[@Species710]

I don't understand why people would take a lovely chuck and then ground it for teen food.

[@hardtruth2039]

Never by ground beef in the store, dangerous as you don’t know what’s in it, not worth the risk.

[@Tardisius]

80%..no way. I only buy 95% lean =)

[@jong2359]

That's why you have Tard in your name.

[@johndifrancisco3642]

Jon G, I REALLY hate the whole "tard" thing, but that was funny :)

[@vt-yp7yq]

Tardisius + Yuck.

[@thephilosopher5799]

Lol you need more fat than that for taste