First time trying out grinding my own burger meat for SB this weekend.

Is Chuck and Short Rub the way to go? Or straight brisket?

Any add ons to include in the grind?

Chuck will give you about 80/20 lean/fat ratio, which is ideal for a burger. You can do a mix of brisket and short rib if you like, but I'd experiment with that another time. Make sure your meat is very cold (if it's a little stiff because it's slightly frozen, that is fine), and grind it once. You will need to mix it by hand a little so the patties stay together, but not too much that they become tough. This will take practice and getting a feel for it. I like to go with 6 ounce patties, because you can leave them a little thicker and cook them to medium since you're grinding your own meat and there's less bacterial contamination that you have to worry about. Once you have the patties formed, put a quarter-sized dimple in the top of the patty to ensure it stays flat when you cook it. Season generously with salt, and cook them on a screaming hot cast iron pan or flat top. As soon as they're done, hit them with some very finely ground black pepper.

I generally do prime brisket because the HEB near me sells it in 2" chunks. I double grind it. First pass course then fine and freeze for 15 mins prior to both. I prefer 6 oz burgers as well so that means 2 3oz balls or 3 2oz balls depending on what I'm making.

There's no shortage of burger ideas and recipes (including grinds) on this channel!

https://youtube.com/@ballisticbbq?si=bQrvpZy0cS4jf3Ys

My favorite burger is a 50/50 venison/brisket blend. You'll have to pick some real lean brisket sections to have enough lean in a straight brisket grind.

80/20 with brisket works very well, as stated above.

I've only been using a griddle to cook burgers for 10 years now. The Oklahoma style smash with mandolin-sliced onions, S/P/G and maybe a hint of Lowry's seasoning, American cheese with a dome to steam melt it for a minute...it doesn't get much easier than that.

normalhorn said:

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80/20 with brisket works very well, as stated above.

I've only been using a griddle to cook burgers for 10 years now. The Oklahoma style smash with mandolin-sliced onions, S/P/G and maybe a hint of Lowry's seasoning, American cheese with a dome to steam melt it for a minute...it doesn't get much easier than that.

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So do you buy a prime brisket, cut n chunks but then also buy some fat from the butcher and mix together in the grinder?

The Silverback said:

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normalhorn said:

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80/20 with brisket works very well, as stated above.

I've only been using a griddle to cook burgers for 10 years now. The Oklahoma style smash with mandolin-sliced onions, S/P/G and maybe a hint of Lowry's seasoning, American cheese with a dome to steam melt it for a minute...it doesn't get much easier than that.

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So do you buy a prime brisket, cut n chunks but then also buy some fat from the butcher and mix together in the grinder?

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Maybe I misunderstood him, but it looked to me like he is mixing 80/20 chuck with brisket for his burgers.

If you want a real treat, go ahead and grind bacon into the mix. I've done this many times and found you can never get too much bacon!

It's definitely worth a try, but file this under to each their own. Personally not a fan

Understand your hesitation, but I've never had a gourmet burger served to me where when topped with bacon I peeled it off and set it aside.

Crow Valley said:

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Understand your hesitation, but I've never had a gourmet burger served to me where when topped with bacon I peeled it off and set it aside.

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That's different IMO. Ground into the mix I don't think it would be able to crisp up. Nicely rendered bacon on TOP of a burger though…

You also get some heterogeneity with the crispy bacon and juicy seared beef being separated. You taste each component individually, which is a great thing in a burger.

Haven't been eating this ground mix my whole life but the 1/2 dozen times I've done it was surprisingly good. Think I saw this concept printed in the "Gulf Cattleman" magazine years back. I guess if your fond of bacon it's like frying your eggs in bacon grease rather than butter or oil.

Sean Brock's Husk burger is deservedly famous---double smash, American cheese, Benton's bacon ground into patties.

I've had really good luck grinding sirloin with enough short rib to get around an 80/20 mix.

I haven't bought ground meat for the last 5 years so I've definitely made some mistakes with ground beef for hamburgers. I've done straight brisket a couple times and it's just too much fat. If doing it on smashburgers it splatters all over the place and makes a mess. If grilling then it catches fire. I've tried all sorts of mixes, but what I do now is buy chuck roasts when they're really cheap at Kroger. I save up my brisket trim and mix 70% chuck with 30% brisket trim. It's about 75/25 most of the time and works great for burgers.

Yep I grind the "bacon ends and pieces" I get from HEB into my burger and never had anyone complain. We think it makes damn good burgers.

HTownAg98 said:

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To add, I really don't like mixing anything into the grind. Most seasoning mixes contain salt, and that will lead to protein extraction which can make the burgers tough. We're making burgers here, not a sausage or meatloaf (which are very fine in their own right when cooked on a griddle or flattop).

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Came here to say that. Someone once told me to season a burger like you season a steak. One the outside only, similar flavor profiles and generously.

It was good advice.