Grassfed ground beef - makes dry burgers?

[Frances]

Hey everyone

I've found that grassfed beef makes drier burger patties than grainfed, and I've seen that mentioned elsewhere as well. Does anyone have tips for making the burgers more moist? I try not to undercook mince, as I had e-coli recently and don't want to run the risk until my system's had heaps of time to recover.

Thanks!

[michelle888]

Add chopped up bacon or other animal fat to the mix before making your patties. The leaner meat will always make a drier burger, so adding fat will help combat this. Cooking the meat less will also help, but I understand your concern with the e.coli.

The other option is to buy a fattier cut of meat and grind your own.

[Taylor]

I add sauteed onion and egg to grass fed beef when I make burgers. They are nice and moist. Grass fed beef cooks a lot faster than grain fed so be careful not to overcook.

[Frances]

Thanks guys! I'll definitely try egg next time and throw in a few other bits and pieces as you say.

[Colleen Roy]

I would think that adding any finely chopped veggies would add moisture. I'll try this tomorrow when I cook my second batch of grass-fed burgers. The first batch was fine, albeit over-cooked-but that was my fault. I got distracted in the garden when they were on the grill! Good luck!

[Johnny M]

In general, if you're getting grass-fed, get fattier beef. It's tastier and less dry. Also I've read various articles that claim that e coli is far less common in grass-fed beef than regular.

[Adagio]

I eat the fattier ground grassfed beef and never have a problem. You can add finely chopped parsley and leaner meat stays moist.

[Delaine Ross]

Also, let the meat come to room temperature before cooking.

[Laura B]

You could add grated zucchini or carrots?

[PaulaB]

I save the fat from cooking U.S. Wellness sugar free bacon and add a little of that to my burger if it looks too lean. A dollop of homemade mayo works well for me, too.

[Susan W]

The ground grass fed beef that I have been buying lately has been REALLY lean, so I have been adding Ghee. Um...holy smokes is it good. Diced mushrooms help as well as they emit moisture when they cook. Also...over cooking grass fed beef will dry it out a lot, but I know it's hard to get over the ecoli fears.

[SummerGirl]

I add an egg, some sauteed chopped onion, a squirt of tomato puree/paste and some cumin. They always turn out really tasty and not dry at all. I think it's def the egg that makes the difference.

[Laura B]

The ground grass fed beef that I have been buying lately has been REALLY lean, so I have been adding Ghee. Um...holy smokes is it good. Diced mushrooms help as well as they emit moisture when they cook. Also...over cooking grass fed beef will dry it out a lot, but I know it's hard to get over the ecoli fears.

It is my understanding that E. Coli becomes an issue due to feed lot conditions where cows are basically living in piles of manure. It is caked onto their bodies and can get into the meat during the mass slaughtering. I wouldn't be concerned with the grass fed beef, especially if you know the source.

[Susan W]

It is my understanding that E. Coli becomes an issue due to feed lot conditions where cows are basically living in piles of manure. It is caked onto their bodies and can get into the meat during the mass slaughtering. I wouldn't be concerned with the grass fed beef, especially if you know the source.

I am not worried about E. Coli and I do believe responsibly raised cattle lessens the chance, but it can be anywhere (including on lettuce) and the OP was concerned because she had contracted it in the past. It drives my mom nuts that I cook my burgers rare to MR and often eat steak tartare.