Kitchen

[FunkyHulaGirl]

I've been buying Australian grass fed ground beef; it has no hormones, no GMOs, no antibiotics, etc. I find that burgers made with it are dryer than beef from grain fed cattle. Do any of you use the grass fed beef and, if so, do you have a way of making it more moist?

I've also found that the meat cooks up faster, so one has to be careful to not overdo it.

[mousiegirl]

Probably, if you add onions, the water in them will make the meat more moist, but typically, no fat equals dry. I make German hamburgers with onions, garlic, egg, bread crumbs,and milk, and they are very moist.

[FunkyHulaGirl]

I meant grass FED.

Mousie, I think the fat content is pretty low, which is part of the problem. Maybe adding the egg and bread crumbs...

[Deadeye Daisy]

FHG:

I get grass fed beef, but it's local. There are so many local organic farms and ranches in North Georgia and Tennessee, that it's easy for us go get really great pork, beef, lamb, goat, poultry and eggs.

The meat I get is usually well marbeled. Even so, I grind my own, and for burgers, I usually grind in at least 10 - 20% of fat, depending on how marbeled the meat is.

When I pick up the meat, they have the fat packed flat in ½ pound packages for me. It's the fat that they trim from the rib section.

I stopped buying Aussie beef because it's TOO lean. One trick, if you insist on the real lean stuff - cover each burger with commercial burger dome. Don't cover the pan - that will just give you a steamed burger. Cover each pattie with it's own dome. This is how we always did it in the restaurant, and it really helps keep the meat moist.

Fortunately, fat is actually good for us. We tell our patients NOT to buy 'non-fat' or even low fat yogurt. Too many people eat all the low or no fat for breakfast when they take supplements that depend on fat to be properly absorbed into the body. No fat with your supplements - you may as well flush 'em down the toilet.

[mousiegirl]

On 5/29/2014 FunkyHulaGirl said:

I meant grass FED.

Mousie, I think the fat content is pretty low, which is part of the problem. Maybe adding the egg and bread crumbs...

Unless you can't eat onions or don't like them, try them also, lots of water in them in addition to flavor, but definitely egg and bread crumbs, I use Panko bread crumbs but any will do the trick. I use ground chuck for these, and really, the majority of the fat leaves the meat patties as they cook, so in the end, one has a juicy, low fat product, but as they cook, the fat keeps them moist as it is leaving the meat.

[dex]

I always add onion and grind the beef in my ninja...my mom adds a tsp of flour cause she says it holds in the juices.

[ennui1]

Buy fattier beef.

[Tissyanne]

I have looked at packages of grass fed ground beef and there was very little if any fat. What is the reason you eat grass fed?

[Marienkaefer2]

Google ""grass fed beef vs. grain fed beef"" to learn the difference between them.

Or read Michael Pollan' s book ""The Omnivore' s Dilemma.""

[NYwoman]

America's Test Kitchen uses a bit of ricotta cheese added to it. I only buy grass fed beef. I lived near Seattle when there was a Mad Cow Disease scare. Since then, I switched to grass fed beef.