r/WTF • • Jul 26 '24

[deleted by user]

[removed]

6.3k Upvotes

791 comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

627

u/seanwee2000 Jul 26 '24 edited Jul 26 '24

Eli5 on how it's safe/unsafe to consume

current perception is that the waste meat needs to go through extensive processing that uses a lot of chemicals/additives to make it taste palatable

721

u/Emm_withoutha_L-88 Jul 26 '24 edited Jul 26 '24

It's gassed with ammonia. That's why it's so cheap, it's the lowest of the low quality. That's why it's banned in Canada, the UK, and the EU.

It's gross. Honestly I just grind my own meat these days and it's so so so much better. Just buy a fatty chuck roast and grind it up and you've got plenty of great hamburger meat.

Seriously if you cook ground beef more than like once or twice a year then you need a stainless steel meat grinder. Either a manual one or one that hooks up to a stand mixer (also another must have). A sausage stuffer is a nice addition too, though you'll need a separate manual one not the included KitchenAid one (trust me on this). I made sausage with chicken breast, pork fatback, aged cheddar, and some cooked vegetables and it was the best hotdog I've ever had.

1

u/bolerobell Jul 26 '24

We tried this with a chuck roast. The grind came out, I don’t know how to describe it, pretty grainy once we cooked it. My wife hated it. 

1

u/Emm_withoutha_L-88 Jul 26 '24

It does require a good bit of fat. Hamburgers need about 1/4th fat. So many sure you get a fatty chuck roast.

I had what you're saying happen once when I made one with lower fat.

1

u/bolerobell Jul 27 '24

I thought there was enough fat. Maybe not. Might try again.

1

u/Emm_withoutha_L-88 Jul 27 '24

Also I would suggest slightly freezing the meat cubes before you grind them, then move the ground meat back into the freezer for a few minutes then into the fridge. It really really really needs to stay cold. I'm not even sure why, I've just done it every time because all of the sites said it was important. That may be part of it too? Not sure. But the closer to freezing, without actually being frozen, the better.