# Best ground beef.
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-ground-beef/574727
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [March 15, 2011, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-ground-beef/574727 "2011-03-15T01:30:50Z")
**Posts on this page:** 18
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)
#### Post date: [March 15, 2011, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-ground-beef/574727/1 "2011-03-15T01:30:50Z")
What’s the best cut for ground beef? I’ve decided to start grinding my own again, partly due to my diminishing trust in factory providers.
I like very lean, under 8% or less for meat loaf and such, but fattier, 15% or so for burgers on the grill where the meat’s own flavor counts a lot.
I just got my Big Green Egg! 😃
Peace,
mangeorge
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### Author:  [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)
#### Post date: [March 15, 2011, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-ground-beef/574727/2 "2011-03-15T01:39:05Z")
Traditionally it’s been ground chuck. Fatty and flavorful. But people have gotten used to some mushier burgers, and much leaner meat (the flavor’s in the fat, folks). Ground sirloin can be very flavorful, but also expensive. Maybe a good price on sirloin tips would make it worthwhile. Round will be very lean, but could end up bland. I’d stick with chuck myself, but that’s my personal preference in taste and texture.
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### Author:  [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)
#### Post date: [March 15, 2011, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-ground-beef/574727/3 "2011-03-15T01:44:12Z")
I would also go with chuck.
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### Author:  [@Fiveyearlurker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiveyearlurker)
#### Post date: [March 15, 2011, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-ground-beef/574727/4 "2011-03-15T02:16:26Z")
According to someone who did quite a bit of [research](http://aht.seriouseats.com/archives/2011/02/nathan-myhrvolds-modernist-burger.html), short rib (with the grain aligned vertically).
Of course, the lettuce is infused with smoke and cheese that has to be emulsifed with wheat ale.
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### Author:  [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)
#### Post date: [March 15, 2011, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-ground-beef/574727/5 "2011-03-15T02:18:10Z")
Oh, man, if you like burgers, try grinding up some boneless short ribs. That’s stuff is fantastic for ground beef. Perhaps even too rich–some people cut it with chuck and sirloin. Otherwise, I like chuck.
ETA: Beaten to it, but good to see I have some corroboration for this. For me, short rib beats chuck in most applications that chuck is also suited for (ground beef, stew, that sort of thing.)
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### Author:  [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)
#### Post date: [March 15, 2011, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-ground-beef/574727/6 "2011-03-15T02:18:12Z")
Really lean ground beef is kind of dry and tasteless. It works if the meat is meant to be in the background, but it lacks “meatiness” as a primary flavor.
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### Author:  [@Alice\_The\_Goon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alice_The_Goon)
#### Post date: [March 15, 2011, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-ground-beef/574727/7 "2011-03-15T02:21:10Z")
I am ready to start having the store grind something- chuck, then?- for me. Why is hamburger so damn expensive right now??
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### Author:  [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)
#### Post date: [March 15, 2011, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-ground-beef/574727/8 "2011-03-15T02:36:42Z")
> [@astro](#):
>
> Really lean ground beef is kind of dry and tasteless. It works if the meat is meant to be in the background, but it lacks “meatiness” as a primary flavor.
Which is why I prefer lean for meat loaf and taco meat. That sort of thing. Fat will wash out your flavorings. Especially in gringo taco meat.
I’ll sure try the short rib for sure. Probably with chuck.
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### Author:  [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)
#### Post date: [March 15, 2011, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-ground-beef/574727/9 "2011-03-15T02:43:10Z")
> [@astro](#):
>
> Really lean ground beef is kind of dry and tasteless. It works if the meat is meant to be in the background, but it lacks “meatiness” as a primary flavor.
If you get stuck with that, try adding some of [this](http://www.soupsonline.com/m-48-better-than-bouillon.aspx?gclid=CJLT7arFz6cCFQcnbAod3Wa9CQ), the beef flavor, with water. It keeps forever in the fridge.
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### Author:  [@Heyoka13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heyoka13)
#### Post date: [March 15, 2011, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-ground-beef/574727/10 "2011-03-15T02:45:15Z")
Denis Leary insists that the cows providing the meat need to be cigarette smokers.
Through their tracheotomy holes if necessary.
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### Author:  [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)
#### Post date: [March 15, 2011, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-ground-beef/574727/11 "2011-03-15T02:49:41Z")
According to [this](http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704615504576172610668896674.html#project%3DHAMBURGER0311%26articleTabs%3Dinteractive), beef short ribs. Try it out and let us know, OK? 😃
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### Author:  [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)
#### Post date: [March 15, 2011, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-ground-beef/574727/12 "2011-03-15T02:49:46Z")
> [@Heyoka13](#):
>
> Denis Leary insists that the cows providing the meat need to be cigarette smokers.
>
> Through their tracheotomy holes if necessary.
😃
Do you have a story behind that, or did you just make it up?
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### Author:  [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)
#### Post date: [March 15, 2011, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-ground-beef/574727/13 "2011-03-15T03:02:51Z")
> [@Athena](#):
>
> According to [this](http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704615504576172610668896674.html#project%3DHAMBURGER0311%26articleTabs%3Dinteractive), beef short ribs. Try it out and let us know, OK? 😃
Damn, that sounds lucious. I’d give it a try in a New York minit.
I do occasionally put a very easy fried egg in my boygah.
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### Author:  [@Heyoka13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heyoka13)
#### Post date: [March 15, 2011, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-ground-beef/574727/14 "2011-03-15T03:06:33Z")
> [@mangeorge](#):
>
> 😃
> Do you have a story behind that, or did you just make it up?
It was one of his comedy shticks.
Had me ROTF!
Denis wants to be able to smoke 2 cigarettes at once, one oral, the other in the tracheotomy hole. And he wants to be eating a big greasy cheese burger at the same time.
And he wants the cheeseburger made from meat from a cow that smokes. And if it needs to smoke through a tracheotomy hole too, so much the better.
I had a little adjustment getting used to him in his drama show, Rescue Me.
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### Author:  [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)
#### Post date: [March 15, 2011, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-ground-beef/574727/15 "2011-03-15T04:18:40Z")
Here’s one more suggestion. [Heston Blumenthal](http://www.mrmenu.net/discus/messages/18/61023.html) (crazy-ass perfectionist chef and chef/owner of The Fat Duck, one of the world’s top restaurants) suggests:
1 part chuck
1 part brisket
2 parts short rib (minimum 30-day dry aged)
He pre-salts his burgers (before the grind) and lets them rest. Far be it for me to question the great Heston, but that’s one of my no-nos for burger making. If you want to see a good visual demonstration of why, [please read through this.](http://aht.seriouseats.com/archives/2009/12/the-burger-lab-salting-ground-beef.html)
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### Author:  [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)
#### Post date: [March 15, 2011, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-ground-beef/574727/16 "2011-03-15T04:29:44Z")
Yea, Fabio tried that and failed spectacularly.
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### Author:  [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)
#### Post date: [March 15, 2011, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-ground-beef/574727/17 "2011-03-15T04:37:27Z")
The famous Ham-Bööger!
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### Author:  [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)
#### Post date: [March 15, 2011, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-ground-beef/574727/18 "2011-03-15T05:47:57Z")
> [@mangeorge](#):
>
> What’s the best cut for ground beef? I’ve decided to start grinding my own again, partly due to my diminishing trust in factory providers.
> I like very lean, under 8% or less for meat loaf and such, but fattier, 15% or so for burgers on the grill where the meat’s own flavor counts a lot.
> I just got my Big Green Egg! 😃
> Peace,
> mangeorge
“Nancy’s Blend” is sold at Farmer’s Market in LA for Nancy Silverton of La Brea Bakery/Campanile fame.
It’s perfect.
> [@](#):
>
> And so to the meat. The morning of her burger party, Silverton sent me to her butcher, Huntington Meats at the Los Angeles Farmers Market. As I read from the order that she prepared, I asked for whole prime chuck, which already has 10% to 15% fat, to be ground with 13% sirloin fat added by weight.