I have always enjoyed making my own SloppyJoes, Spaghetti meat sauce and so on.
What I did not like was the constant stirring to break up the meat into smaller pieces. I am a
OldGuy who likes the easiest path, anyway, what is super fast is to use a electric hand mixer
(egg beater) in a pot, not a skillet. I was amazed that I broke up 2 pounds of raw hamburger to dust
in less than 30 seconds. I am a Newbie who just obtained the Anova Oven and Loving it. I hope to post easy recipes in the near future.
Hey Oldguy, that’s a good technique for a smooth meat mixture, only it could be too heavy a load on a light duty mixer. You could also use a large whip.
Just be sure to keep your mixer’s revs up and time under 30 seconds so you don’t distress the motor. If it feels or smells hot, stop.
Looking forward to your recipes.
Thanks for you wisdom! and comments
I’m curious about this method of using an electric mixer to break up ground beef. (never heard of it) Do you use the mixer AFTER it’s cooked?
Thanks for your question. I do it when the hamburger is raw, that way it will cook more evenly, however,it will of course break it up after it is cooked. I might also say that if your adding sauce to
the hamburger mixture you can also use the electric mixer after it is cooked.
The usual method for making meat sauce, meatballs, meat loaf, etc., is to use a stand mixer with the paddle attachment and add seasonings and other ingredients for a homogeneous mixture. Use a slow speed and don’t over mix. You want a smooth mixture, not a paste.
Thanks, oldguy (and chatnoir), I had never heard of using a mixer to help with this task. When I found a hand meat separator to help break up hamburger in the frying pan, I thought, “Where have YOU been all my life?”
I wonder if this mixer method would work with ground sausage (like the 1-lb Bob Evans sausage rolls)? That stuff is really greasy & sticky and it’s a PITA to get separated while cooking. I’ve started sous vide cooking that now because of another member’s post some time back, and while it’s easier than what I was doing, it’s a greasy mess to get it out of the wrapper and sliced into patties.
According to Christopher Kindle, previously from Ametica’s Test Kitchen and now Milk Street, he surprisingly suggests adding a bit of water to the raw meat then begin browning it as usual. I don’t remember the proportions, but I’ve tried it and it works. The water loosens the meat and evaporates while cooking.
Hey Sew, shape your sausage patties before SV cooking. This cook uses an oiled portion scoop to set the meat out on parchment paper. Then lightly (1/2 tsp / 5 ml EVOO) oils his hands and shapes them. Trim the paper to fit your SV bag and slide paper and patties right in.
You can use the same technique for Hamburger patties too.
Sewlady, Thanks…Just a reminder you may want to use a pot instead of a fry pan to prevent
meat from flying out of the pan. This also gives you more room to add things to the mixture.