On Thursday, January 21, 2016 at 5:38:31 PM UTC-5, cshenk wrote:
> Sheldon, this is an area you do really well in. I see chuck roast and
> sirloin tip at 3.99lb. I need some lower fat meats to grind for the
> fellow I am feeding 7 meals a week to. Found out he's got heart issues
> (not that he's objected to anything I deliver). I need a lower fat
> item.
>
> Will these grind well enough to be used for a ground beef that I can
> make into a home scratch version of a sort of 'hamburger helper' with a
> low sodium tomato type base over pasta?
>
> I've never ground anything that low fat for burger sorts of meat or if
> I did, I added fat as grinding. I'm not trying to make a flavorful
> burger, just a basic roughly like this:
>
> 28oz low sodium tomato sauce
> 16oz low sodium diced tomatos
> Spices (no salt added, basic italian sort of mix or may go a sort of
> chile powder mix with added onions)
> chopped mushrooms
>
> Add drained ground beef to sauce once ready. Simmer a bit to mix then
> portion out over cooked pasta and freeze with veggies in trays.
>
> The base recipe works but does that meat work well enough for grinding
> for it?
>
> I need to cut down on the lamb shoulder I suspect so looking for lower
> fat alternatives and frankly, chicken gets pretty nasty if cooked then
> frozen, then microwaved.
>
> Carol
> --

Chuck by far makes a better stew. If it is prepared correctly it has very little fat. Any large areas of fat (especially the hard fat) are first removed, don't worry about most of it as it renders in the cooking. Cut into cubes, brown and stew with your favorite additions on a low light for a long time. Then separate the solids from the gravy and put both in the refrigerator overnight. Before using remove the fat that will have solidified and reserve for another time. (My wife won't let me do this, reserve that is..) Recombine the solids and gravy and reheat.

This method works very well, also for lamb. However, it seems that lamb (shoulder that I use) still maintains a fair amount of fat. (In my opinion just the correct amount for good flavor.)

http://www.richardfisher.com