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A butcher in Kansas City bet me $50 my grinder was running too hot, and he was half right
Two years back I was working a Saturday shift at the meat counter in Kansas City when an old butcher named Sal came in to buy a standing rib roast. He watched me grind a batch of chuck for about a minute and then said my meat was coming out smeared, not cut, because the auger was getting warm. I told him I'd been grinding the same way for 11 years and never had a complaint. He pulled a $50 bill out of his wallet and said to run a second batch with the gear and blade chilled in the freezer for 30 minutes. I did it, and the difference in the texture was plain as day, the cold batch held its shape and the warm one turned to paste. So here is the debate I want to start: is it worth the extra step of chilling your grinder parts every single time, or is that just something you do for sausage and burger blends where texture really shows? Sal said any grind over 5 pounds deserves it, but my old lead hand in Wichita swore that a sharp blade and a fast hand beat cold metal every time. I still chill the gear for burger day, but I skip it for plain ground beef going into chili, and I lose maybe 2 minutes per batch. Curious where the rest of you land on this. Are you chilling parts, or do you think it is overkill?
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nora73518d ago
Man that Sal guy sounds like he knew his stuff, and losing a bet to a lesson you actually learn from is way better than losing it to nothing lol. I feel you on the split though, cause 2 minutes a batch adds up when you're just cranking out stuff for chili. I chill for burger and sausage but skip it for the throwaway grinds too, so you're not alone there.
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