Ask Chef Romeo:

Question: Where Does Hamburger Meat Come From?

From: Brian Miller, SLC, Utah

Answer:

Where does Hamburger Meat Come From?  Sounds like a silly question, but in fact it is a very good question.  Most people don’t take the time to really think about where most of their daily food items originate or what process they go through before it ends up in their kitchen.

Let’s first start by saying that hamburger meat comes from cows.  (Pay attention.  There is a quiz at the end . . .)

You may know that hamburger and ground beef are ALMOST the same, but different.  The main element that separates the two ground meats is that: beef fat can be added during the grinding process of hamburger meat, but additional fat is not allowed to be added to ground beef.  According to the USDA, neither hamburger meat or ground beef can contain added water or more then 30% fat content.  That means that you should not see your local supermarket selling ground beef or hamburger at less than 70% lean.  Most ground beef and hamburger meat is ground fresh inside butcher shops and supermarkets, rather then the meat packing plants.

If you are wondering “where does hamburger meat come from” on the cow – the answer is that many different cuts of beef are used to make hamburger meat and ground beef.  The bulk of hamburger meat is made from the lesser quality and less tender cuts of beef, with trimmings from higher quality cuts added to the grind mixture.  The added trimmings and the grinding process aides in tenderizing the meat.

The History: Where Does Hamburger Meat Come From

If you are more interested in learning the history of where does hamburger meat originally come from? Well, that’s a bit more complex.   Some people argue that it was originated from German immigrants to the USA, who once cooked a popular steak dish called Hamburg.  Others argue that the hamburger was born when a butcher ran out of pork and substituted ground beef for his sausage patties.  There is no direct answer as to where the hamburger first originated, but it has certainly found it’s way into the American culture.

For more information on – Where does hamburger meat come from, I have provided informative links below

1. http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Fact_Sheets/ground_beef_and_food_safety/index.asp
2. http://www.mcspotlight.org/media/press/restaurant_news.html

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