Making burgers at home seems daunting if you don’t own a meat-grinder. Yet it doesn’t have to be. There are other ways to grind meat at home. I’ve been cooking up a storm in the kitchen lately, and my space is limited. Unfortunately, I can’t fit extra tools like a good grinder, but it hasn’t stopped me. I’ll walk you through the steps I take to make chopped and ground meat with no trouble.
Can you grind meat in Vitamix? You can grind meat in a Vitamix. Making your favorite ground chicken patties or meatballs is quick and simple. Once you know how to use your Vitamix for meat, you’ll never buy pre-ground again. The Vitamix is able to process both liquids and sold foods such as meat products. You can grind the meat to smoothen it or just chop it enough to make it chunky.
Raw Meat in a Vitamix
Grinding fresh, raw meat with a Vitamix is easy. There’s nothing worse than going to the store for ground meat, picking out a beautiful package, and getting home only to discover it’s not so lovely on the inside. Skip the disappointment and do it yourself instead.
Whether you head to a specialty butcher or have your local grocery deli slice off a chunk of fresh meat, you can have ready to use ground meat in no time. A Vitamix is a perfect tool for making homemade burger patties without a grinder.
Having a handy tool that allows you to grind your own meat at home means you can stock up. Buying in bulk will save you money. Plus it doesn’t take very long, and you won’t need to waste your energy on an old fashioned hand crank meatgrinder.
How to Grind Raw Meat
Unlike a space-consuming specialty meat grinder, a blender is easy to clean and store. However, the most important thing to remember when self-grinding in a Vitamix is to avoid over mixing. These are powerful machines after all.
Especially with raw meat, it’s easy to go overboard. Unless you want to make meat pudding, hold back. You should only need to pulse two to four times in order to get the consistency you desire.
Make sure you don’t put too much meat in at one time. Working in smaller batches will prevent over blending. The best part is that you can add your spices while you grind for more flavorful dishes.
Small Batch Superiority
No one wants to make a bigger mess in the kitchen than they have to. Old fashioned meat grinders can be messy to clean. Moreover, they’re often hard to disassemble.
The downside to most blenders is that they have such large containers. However, you can save yourself a lot of mess and trouble with Vitamix Ascent Series Blending Bowls. They hold just eight ounces, making smaller batches a whiz. Having the right accessories makes any job easier, and you’ll be pleasantly surprised by how fast you can grind up whatever you need. Check the reviews right here.
Steps To Grind in Vitamix
There is one surefire way to get perfect ground meat in your Vitamix. It takes time and patience to achieve the perfect consistency. Fortunately, if you have the time, you’ll have the best burgers (or other ground meats) on the block.
- Cube your meat in one-inch pieces.
- Pre freeze the meat. This keeps the meat and fat separated which gives it a good flavor and texture.
- Starting at the lowest speed, add a small handful of cubes at a time.
- Slowly increase your speed setting as needed.
- Pulse for ten to fifteen seconds at a time.
- Remove all the ground meat once it reaches the consistency you want, and start over.
- Repeat as needed until all your meat is ground.
Vitamix Tips & Tricks
When grinding meat, or anything else in a Vitamix, there are some important tips to keep in mind. Using these strategies you can help your machine do its job more effectively. Resultantly, you get the best blend, more easily.
Using the right tools is also important. If you plan to grind frozen meat, then you’ll want an ice blade. I recommend the 001151 DM/TNC Ice Blade and Agitator Kit from Amazon. Using the wrong blade on frozen food will dull your tools sooner. Instead of replacing a whole blender, get the correct parts. To get the Ice Blade, click here.
Vitamix Tricks List
- Raw Meat Hack- To get the best grind on your freshly cut meat, pre-freeze it. You don’t need solid ice chunks. A light freeze will do. Cut it up and freeze for about thirty minutes.
- Proper Order- Add liquids first, dry goods like spices second, Solids like meat and veggies third, and frozen food or ice on top.
- Wet & Dry- Using the dry container blasts things up and away from the blades. Meanwhile, the wet container is more for concentrating the food toward the blades for a faster puree.
- Always Clean Immediately- Whether you pulse some soapy water inside, or rinse the washable parts to put them in the dishwasher for later, never leave a Vitamix sitting dirty.
- Fill it Right- The less you put in, the better your Vitamix does its job. Never fill a blender more than two-thirds of the way.
- Tools Help With Even Blending- While the lid is on your tamper can’t touch the blades. Use it to push food down and get a more even blend. A squeegee and under blade cleaner are also vital to even blending.
- Measurements- The plug in the top of your lid is a handy measuring cup. It has ounce and half-ounce capabilities.
- Keep Your Blades Sharp- A dull blade will pulverize instead of cutting. Sharpen or replace your blades often. Also, make sure you have the right blades for the job.
What You Know Matters
Using these seven tips will help you use a Vitamix to your best advantage. Luckily, the more you know, the simpler a job is. In the end, you’ll save time and money using your machine to grind meat in addition to all its other uses.
Many people think they should just improvise with kitchen tools. However, they’re all unique and it’s important to get the most use out of them. You could miss out on important features, or spend a small fortune on unnecessary extras.
My last tip is the most obvious and overlooked. Always read the instructions. Not only will they help you get started faster, but there are often tips included that most people miss. Sometimes there are even great recipes hiding in instruction manuals.
It’s fine to ignore the rules (within reason). Unfortunately, if you don’t know what they are, it’s hard to improve safely. The difference between being a kitchen wizard and a kitchen failure is often as simple as knowing the right steps and tricks.
Cooked & Frozen Meat
When grinding meat in a Vitamix, you have options. Raw meat is fine. As long as you cut it into small cubes, any type of meat should work. Shoot for pieces that are about an inch for best results, and remember to keep the batches small.
In addition to your fresh meats, you can use a Vitamix for cooked and frozen meats. However, you should understand the difference first. For example, cooked meats are much softer.
Cooked Meat
A slice of softer meat will turn into puree very quickly. If you plan to make baby food or a recipe calling for finely minced meat, then a Vitamix is perfect for the job.
Unfortunately, most hot, cooked meat doesn’t grind well. The same process that uses heat to make our food easier to eat also makes the meats break down too fast for typical grinding.
If you want to store pureed meats better, try pouring them into large ice cube trays. The small squares add flavor to gravy and sauces. Moreover, you have fantastic individual serving sizes for babies. Remember to take the cubes out of the tray and double bag them in freezer bags to prevent freezer burn.
Frozen
Alternately, frozen meat is harder and that means it may take an extra pulse or two. Always monitor your grinding carefully. It only takes a moment to go from ground to soup.
If you want to grind cooked meat, I suggest freezing it first. Make sure you cut it into small pieces before freezing and portion it out so you can grind small batches.
Grinding Vs. Chopping
When using a Vitamix you can grind your meats, but did you know you can also use it for chopping? In order to chop meats, you still need smaller pieces.
Cut two-inch pieces that are slightly larger than you would need for grinding. Although the process is similar the difference is all about size. Ground meat is somewhere between a mince and a paste. Meanwhile, chopped meat is always larger pieces.
Instead of filling your Vitamix two thirds full, use a smaller amount. Aim for about one third. This is important because you don’t want to accidentally go too far and end up with ground meat.
Use the same technique for pre-freezing that I detailed above. Half an hour is more than enough time for smaller chunks to partially freeze. Plus, the light-freeze technique makes it easier to pull them apart.
Once you have what you want in your Vitamix, meats, and spices, it’s simple. Use the pulse setting once or twice. Don’t go beyond that. If there are large pieces left, chop them in the next batch to avoid overprocessing the current meats.
Best Vitamix For Meats
Whether you intend to grind, chop, or puree your meats, you need the right power tool for the job. Vitamix is an outstanding brand that can handle big jobs like meat.
You can even grind bones if you’re careful. However, you should never leave ground bone chunks. Use a fine sifter to shake out the powder and put the bone chunks back in the blender.
I suggest that you pick up a Vitamix 5200 Blender. This model is made for professional kitchens, so it has staying power. Plus I love the self-cleaning feature on mine. Check prices and availability here.
Cleaning Your Vitamix
Even a self-cleaning Vitamix needs a little help to get clean, especially after you’ve ground meat inside. It’s important to get all the visible and invisible mess out since rotten meat will make you very ill. Luckily, they’re simple to keep clean once you know how.
First, you want to scrape out as much of your meat as possible. Using the squeegee and under-blade scraper attachments will help a lot with this. However, a small, flexible spatula can do the same trick if you’re patient and careful.
Next, you should rinse with warm, but never hot water. You can repeat this step or swirl the water around a bit if your mess is extra sticky. Then fill it halfway with warm water and add about two to three drops of dish soap.
Vitamixes typically have a ‘clean’ setting. Unsurprisingly, that’s what it’s meant to do. Turn your blender full of warm soapy water on to the clean setting.
Special Cleaning Instructions
If you have twenty or forty-ounce containers from the S series, they are top-rack dishwasher safe. However, you should never put other parts of a Vitamix in the dishwasher. Instead, hand wash them in warm water and dry thoroughly.
Should your Vitamix containers develop a cloudy look there are two possible reasons and a simple solution available. Unfortunately, if you’ve been grinding bones, or ice and the cloudy appearance is from scraping on the inside, that won’t clean off.
Alternately, normal clouding from mineral deposits in water or even fruits and veggies can build up. In that case, fill your container with one cup of white vinegar and then top it off (about half full) with warm water.
Soak it overnight with the lid on. This prevents the vinegar and water from evaporating. Then scrub the inside. The film should come right off.
Final Thoughts
Making your own freshly ground meat in a Vitamix is quick and tasty. However, there’s an added bonus. Rather than picking up store-bought ground meat that may be spoiled inside, you’ll always know yours is fresh.
Make sure you store any ground meat you didn’t use properly. Use airtight containers, and don’t forget to double bag if you’re using ziplock freezer bags. Doing this prevents freezer burn.
There’s nothing worse than wasting the meat you bought because you couldn’t use it all. Never have that problem again when you grind up fresh beef chicken, and more.
