DIY Mince Meat

anguk

PinkTiger wrote: »

have tried the mincer on pork belly, it was a lot easier than the lamb but not fantastic, it seems to get clogged really easily & i end up having to scoop the meat back out. the bits that do make it through arnt all minced either, still some quite big pieces of meat.

Which mincer have you got? Mine came with 2 blades so I put the pork through the course blade first then the fine one, I've never had a problem with it clogging. :huh:

PinkTiger

i've got the lakeland one which is £17.99, sorry, i dont know how to do links, its white & has one blade thing & 2 things with holes, one larger than the other, i have to use the one with larger holes as i couldnt get the meat to go through the smaller one at all.

kymbogs

If anyone was thinking of getting a mincer, I just got an email through saying that Lakeland's £23.99 mincer is now on offer at £14.99, shame about the postage but still...

http://www.lakeland.co.uk/F/product/10118?src=email&email=101021winterwarmers%20%281%29

PennyGSD

I buy all my meat from farmers markets (for ethical reasons) and whilst beef mince is readily available, I have never seen lamb or pork mince at the markets I go to.

I realise the easy answer would be to ask the stalls for it as I'm sure they would arrange to bring it to the next market, but I am also now the proud owner of a mincing attachment for my beloved Kenwood Chef and am dying to use it.

I know that it is obviously possible to mince any cut, but wondered what the 'traditional' cuts for mincing are? I'm also trying to watch my weight so limiting unnecessary fat, and can imagine that if the answer is shoulder, then that might be a little too fatty, without boiling off the resulting fat first. I love slow cooking shoulder joints which does drain off a lot of the fat during the cooking process, but when using mince the fat is generally retained within the dish.

Thanks in advance.

Farway

Not a proper answer, but butchers & commercial organisations obviously use the cheaper, fattier cuts to mince, which is why mince is cheaper than rump steak:D

I think if you are trying to cut down on the fat then you are looking at better, dearer, cuts of meat

Do you fry your mince first & skim / drain off fat? In which case same would apply to lamb or pork surely

PennyGSD

In my stricter Weight Watching days I've even been known to boil the mince in water first, although I try to avoid that as not only does it remove a lot of the flavour, it also smells foul while boiling, so yes, good point, I could drain off the fat, but a lot of my recipes are of the bung it all in and stir variety so I very rarely fry the mince separately first. I've tried it both ways and never been able to significantly tell the difference in taste to make it worth the extra faff.

Pink.

Hi Penny,

As your thread has dropped down the board I've added it to the main thread on mincing your own meat which has advice that may help.

These threads may be useful too:

Can you still buy mincing machines?

cheaper cuts of meat

Pink

Greatgimp

We use topside - it's a ridiculous cost, but beautiful results. Hate to calculate how much a burger would cost, but hey, ya gotta live!

lapis_lazuli

For those of you who make their own mince, what do you use? I bought a mincer today as I'd like to make my own shepherd's pie and things from fresh meat or leftovers, but presumably some cuts of meat are better than others. In addition, do you put any seasoning in, and if so, what?

Eyeore

Hi, I have only used left overs and just pass it through the largest plate, great for pies, patties, pasties etc. Once I have minced I then add the flavourings I want depending on what I am making. So for something like quick meatballs I would add a bit of chopped fried onion, salt pepper and orgegano, then fry off gently and add the tom sauce.

sorry forgot to say - also use an egg to bind it all!