How to Grind Beef for Hamburgers
Store-bought ground beef is a mystery blend — you don't know the cut, the ratio, or how long ago it was ground. Grinding your own takes twenty minutes and puts all three under your control. Here's how to do it properly, and which beef to start with.
What Beef Works Best for Hamburgers
Chuck is the default, and for good reason: it lands naturally around an 80/20 ratio, which means 80% lean meat to 20% fat by weight. That's the sweet spot for a burger — enough fat to stay juicy and carry flavor, not so much that the patty shrinks away or flares up the grill.
Skip the expensive steakhouse cuts. Tenderloin and ribeye are wasted in a grinder; their value is in texture you destroy the moment you grind them.
| Cut | Approx. lean/fat | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|
| Chuck | 80/20 | The standard. Beefy, juicy, forgiving — use it alone or as the base of a blend. |
| Brisket | 70/30 | Rich and fatty with deep flavor. Best as 25–30% of a blend, not on its own. |
| Short rib | 75/25 | The most flavor of any cut here. Expensive, so most people blend it in. |
| Shoulder / clod | 85/15 | Leaner than chuck, still plenty of flavor. A good everyday option. |
| Sirloin | 90/10 | Clean, lean flavor. Needs fat added or blending to avoid a dry patty. |
| Top or bottom round | 93/7 | Very lean. Dry on its own — blend with brisket or short rib. |
A simple blend to start with: 70% chuck, 30% brisket. You get the fat ratio right without measuring, and the brisket adds a depth that straight chuck doesn't have.
What You'll Need
- An electric meat grinder — our #12 Electric Meat Grinder (1/2 HP) is the right size for burgers and home batches, and the Pro-Cut #12 steps up if you're also processing whole deer or hogs. See all meat grinders.
- A sharp knife and cutting board — see our butcher knives
- A meat pusher — never your hands
- Mixing bowls or sheet pans, chilled
- Patty paper, if you're stacking and freezing
Which Grinder Plate to Use
Plate size decides texture more than anything else you do. Most burger recipes call for a double grind — coarse first, then finer.
| Plate | Hole size | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
| Coarse | 3/8" (10mm) | First pass on any blend. Also the classic chili grind, where you want distinct pieces. |
| Medium-coarse | 1/4" (6mm) | A loose, steakhouse-style burger with visible texture. |
| Medium | 3/16" (4.5mm) | The standard burger grind. Second pass after the coarse plate. |
| Fine | 1/8" (3mm) | Too fine for burgers — this is hot dog and emulsified sausage territory. |
How to Grind Beef, Step by Step
- Choose your cuts and trim off silver skin and any heavy gristle. Leave the fat — you want it.
- Cut the meat into 1-inch cubes.
- Put the cubed meat, grinder plates, blade, and grinder head in the freezer for 30 minutes. Cold is the whole game here.
- Assemble the grinder with the frozen blade and the coarse 3/8" plate.
- Feed the cubes into the hopper and push them through with the meat pusher. Let the auger pull the meat — forcing it smears the fat instead of cutting it.
- Swap to the 3/16" plate and run the meat through a second time. If the meat has warmed, chill it again first.
- Form patties gently. Press just enough to hold together — a compacted patty cooks dense and tough.
- Stack with wax paper between them, cover loosely, and refrigerate until you cook.
- Break the grinder down and wash the hopper, plates, and blade in warm, soapy water. Dry the plates and blade immediately so they don't rust.
Tips for Better Burger Patties
- Keep everything cold. Warm fat smears across the plate instead of cutting cleanly, and smeared fat renders out on the grill instead of staying in the patty. If the grind starts looking pasty, stop and chill everything.
- Grind twice. Coarse then medium gives a better texture than one pass at either size.
- Work in small batches. Two or three pounds at a time keeps the meat cold and lets you make different blends from the same session.
- Season the outside, not the inside. Salt mixed into ground beef starts dissolving the proteins and gives you a springy, sausage-like texture. Salt the patty surface just before it hits the heat.
- Flavor mixes are the exception. If you do want seasoning through the patty, our Spicy Garlic Burger Patty Mix and Grill Master Burger Patty Mix are built for it. Mix lightly and don't overwork.
- Clean-up trick. Run a few slices of white bread through the grinder before you break it down. It pushes most of the leftover meat out of the auger and plate.
New to grinding? Our guide to meat grinders covers sizing, plates, and what to look for before you buy.
