# Minced beef vs. ground beef **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** food-cooking\ **Created:** [December 30, 2024, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minced-beef-vs-ground-beef/1012326 "2024-12-30T04:13:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2024, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minced-beef-vs-ground-beef/1012326/1 "2024-12-30T04:13:58Z")
A yahoo on Yahoo is insisting ground beef and minced beef are different things. I can see his point; but in England, what we (USians) call ‘ground beef’ is called ‘minced beef’ there. So UK Dopers: Do _you_ see a difference between ‘minced beef’ (or ‘mince’) and ‘ground beef’? ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2024, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minced-beef-vs-ground-beef/1012326/2 "2024-12-30T04:36:08Z")
Not a UK doper, but I think I can start the discussion. Yes, they are different. My Scottish Grandmother made mincemeat pies. I, as a kid, thought they were kind of gross, since they also contained currants or some kind of weird dried fruit. Mincemeat is literally minced with a knife, whereas ground beef is ground up in a meat grinder. They are both lesser cuts of beef, but the processing with a knife vs. a grinder produces different textures. ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Mouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mighty_mouse/32/7776_2.png) [@Mighty\_Mouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Mouse)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2024, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minced-beef-vs-ground-beef/1012326/3 "2024-12-30T04:45:42Z")
I am not a UK doper, but I’ve been in the grocery business and worked for a couple of global firms that are big in the UK. The two products are identical in terms of processing and almost identical in terms of ingredients There is a British product called mincemeat, which is chopped fruit, not meat at all. But “minced beef” or just “mince” is the same thing as what Americans buy as “ground beef”. ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Mouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mighty_mouse/32/7776_2.png) [@Mighty\_Mouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Mouse)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2024, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minced-beef-vs-ground-beef/1012326/4 "2024-12-30T04:49:57Z")
> [@solost](#): > > Mincemeat is literally minced with a knife, whereas ground beef is ground up in a meat grinder. They are both lesser cuts of beef, but the processing with a knife vs. a grinder produces different textures. The “minced beef” you’d buy in a Tesco, Morrisons or Sainsburys supermarket in the UK is NOT chopped by hand. It’s ground in a machine just like the stuff you’d buy in Kroger or Publix. Heck the machine might even be the same if it’s ground in-store. Because the machine manufacturers are global in scope. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2024, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minced-beef-vs-ground-beef/1012326/5 "2024-12-30T04:59:11Z")
> [@solost](#): > > Not a UK doper, but I think I can start the discussion. Yes, they are different. My Scottish Grandmother made mincemeat pies. I, as a kid, thought they were kind of gross, since they also contained currants or some kind of weird dried fruit. What your grandmother made was a pie with [fruit mince](https://www.woolworths.com.au/shop/productdetails/33847/robertson-s-fruit-mince-mix-mince). It is a traditional filling for little Christmas pies or tarts. Once upon a time it had meat in it but not for a long, long time. [These](https://www.woolworths.com.au/shop/productdetails/310884/walkers-fruit-mince-pies) are from Scotland. I had a few over Christmas. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2024, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minced-beef-vs-ground-beef/1012326/6 "2024-12-30T05:03:05Z")
> [@Mighty\_Mouse](#): > > The “minced beef” you’d buy in a Tesco, Morrisons or Sainsburys supermarket in the UK is NOT chopped by hand. It’s ground in a machine just like the stuff you’d buy in Kroger or Publix. Maybe so, and it might have changed over time, but this Aussie site backs me up: > **[Minced Meat VS Ground Meat: What's the Difference?](https://www.aussiemeat.hk/blogs/articles-and-ebooks/know-your-meat-cuts-minced-v-ground-meat)** > > Confused between ground meat and minced meat? Learn the key differences in texture, ingredients, and best uses to make the right choice for your cooking. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2024, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minced-beef-vs-ground-beef/1012326/7 "2024-12-30T05:08:44Z")
I once had legacy mince pie at a medieval feast. I believe it was made with venison, a variety of stone fruits, and lots of ground spices. I was belching sulfur fumes for the next three days! 🤢 ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2024, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minced-beef-vs-ground-beef/1012326/8 "2024-12-30T05:24:25Z")
That is not right at all. Ground beef does not “melt into sauces”, and if it has soy or other additives in the US, someone is lying. [https://www.fsis.usda.gov/food-safety/safe-food-handling-and-preparation/meat/ground-beef-and-food-safety#:~:text=What’s%20the%20Difference%20Between%20“Hamburger,“misbranded”%20under%20federal%20law](https://www.fsis.usda.gov/food-safety/safe-food-handling-and-preparation/meat/ground-beef-and-food-safety#:~:text=What's%20the%20Difference%20Between%20%E2%80%9CHamburger,%22misbranded%22%20under%20federal%20law). Ground beef can have added (beef) fat, but cannot legally be more than 30% fat, and no binders, etc. are allowed. And the supermarket usually says what percent fat it is. I haven’t seen anything with more than 20% fat in years. ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Mouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mighty_mouse/32/7776_2.png) [@Mighty\_Mouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Mouse)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2024, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minced-beef-vs-ground-beef/1012326/9 "2024-12-30T05:26:50Z")
> [@solost](#): > > Maybe so, and it might have changed over time, but this Aussie site backs me up: The question in the OP was about England vs US. The info I supplied is about the stuff you’d buy in supermarkets in those two places. They are substantially identical both in ingredients and processing. In both countries, you can find specialty butchers who will provide knife-chopped mince, but that’s not what you’re buying in the package at the supermarket, not even at Whole Foods or Waitrose. I don’t know the bona fides of “AussieMeat.hk” but they appear to be a specialty supplier of Australian meat in Hong Kong. A lot of what I read on that page looks like commercial puffery with a bit of FUD (fear, uncertainty and doubt) thrown in for good measure. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2024, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minced-beef-vs-ground-beef/1012326/10 "2024-12-30T05:26:52Z")
I lived in the UK for a few months and have bought mince from the Tesco. So far as I could tell, it’s exactly the same as ground beef. I mean, look at this package. It looks just like American 95:5 sirloin: [![](https://digitalcontent.api.tesco.com/v2/media/ghs/716e5acd-127c-4cba-aa93-4279d3e7ee39/9c770956-987e-4d04-a3d5-1462e7eaf37f.jpeg?h=960&w=960) ](https://digitalcontent.api.tesco.com/v2/media/ghs/716e5acd-127c-4cba-aa93-4279d3e7ee39/9c770956-987e-4d04-a3d5-1462e7eaf37f.jpeg?h=960&w=960) ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2024, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minced-beef-vs-ground-beef/1012326/11 "2024-12-30T06:38:21Z")
They’re the same, and only hipster foodies ( and businesses looking to fleece them) would say different. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2024, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minced-beef-vs-ground-beef/1012326/12 "2024-12-30T06:50:39Z")
Every time I’ve ever used a British recipe that called for “beef mince” I’ve just used regular ground beef from the store. If I’m doing it wrong it hasn’t made itself apparent in any way. ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2024, 7:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minced-beef-vs-ground-beef/1012326/13 "2024-12-30T07:11:07Z")
It’s obvious from the texture that that “Lean Beef Steak Mince” was processed by a grinder, not by a knife. ---
**Author:** ![kferr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/71e660/32.png) [@kferr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kferr)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2024, 10:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minced-beef-vs-ground-beef/1012326/14 "2024-12-30T10:02:46Z")
Former US and current UK doper here. Minced beef and ground beef are the same thing. EXCEPT Sainsbury’s is now vacuum packaging their mince which messes up the texture somehow. It’s supposed to use less plastic than the traditional plastic tray and film packaging. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2024, 10:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minced-beef-vs-ground-beef/1012326/15 "2024-12-30T10:19:47Z")
> [@solost](#): > > Maybe so, and it might have changed over time, but this Aussie site backs me up: > > [Minced Meat vs. Ground Meat: Key Differences Explained | Articles & eBooks | Aussie Meat](https://www.aussiemeat.hk/blogs/articles-and-ebooks/know-your-meat-cuts-minced-v-ground-meat) The Aussie site - which is actually a Hong Kong site - is bogus. At least for the US, I have no idea what’s allowed in Hong Kong. Ground beef (or ground lamb, or turkey, or chicken, or bison, or venison, or…) is 100% the stated meat on the label (unless labeled otherwise). The proportion of lean meat to fat is stated on the label, but that does not inherently mean fat is added (though for some lower grades it might be - but fat is part of meat/muscle and anyone who says otherwise is lacking knowledge of anatomy). I agree with > [@Mighty\_Mouse](#): > > A lot of what I read on that page looks like commercial puffery with a bit of FUD (fear, uncertainty and doubt) thrown in for good measure. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2024, 10:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minced-beef-vs-ground-beef/1012326/16 "2024-12-30T10:20:48Z")
According to a long-ago friend who was Scottish, and a chef, and a friend, “minced beef” and “ground beef” are the same thing. He did a bang-up “minced beef and Guiness” this time of year. It was delicious, and based on what we in North America call, “ground beef.” “Mince pies” and “mince tarts” are entirely different things. Typically served around Christmas, they are fruit-based, and served with hard sauce. No beef of any kind involved. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2024, 10:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minced-beef-vs-ground-beef/1012326/17 "2024-12-30T10:36:56Z")
Part of the confusion from this side (UK) is that the term ‘grinder’ implies something different from a meat mincer. When I hear the term ‘ground beef’, I (incorrectly, I’m sure) instinctively think of something that is processed by grinding between two surfaces such as the way wheat is ground to make flour. I realise this is incorrect, but it’s not just the term ‘ground’ that is part of the issue, it’s also the name of the machine used to make the stuff; that machine (typically using a feed screw to push product through holes in a plate faced with a rotating cutter (manual version depicted below) is a ‘mincer’ in UK terminology, not a ‘grinder’. [![](https://lakelandcamel.scene7.com/is/image/LakelandCamel/18678_1?$610$) ](https://lakelandcamel.scene7.com/is/image/LakelandCamel/18678_1?$610$) ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2024, 10:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minced-beef-vs-ground-beef/1012326/18 "2024-12-30T10:38:42Z")
> [@Spoons](#): > > “Mince pies” and “mince tarts” are entirely different things. Typically served around Christmas, they are fruit-based, and served with hard sauce. No beef of any kind involved. Not quite correct - a lot of sweet mincemeat still contains beef suet. Historically (as mentioned by someone upthread), mince pies did contain actual minced meat. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2024, 10:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minced-beef-vs-ground-beef/1012326/19 "2024-12-30T10:41:55Z")
My grandma made mincemeat pies that had ground beef along with the fruits and nuts and spices and what not. It was extremely sweet and you couldn’t really taste the meat at all. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2024, 10:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minced-beef-vs-ground-beef/1012326/20 "2024-12-30T10:44:32Z")
I made some recently based loosely on a 400 year old recipe ([Minst Pyes of an Indifferent biggnesse](https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/education/families/christmas/food/sp-14-189-f-7-six-mince-pies-of-indifferent-bigness/)) - that recipe uses mutton and veal - I just used minced lamb. It was surprising how difficult it was to discern the presence of the meat in the filling (even though it was maybe 40% meat by weight) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minced-beef-vs-ground-beef/1012326.md?page=2)