The old guy at the meat counter in Akron told me my grind was too lean and now my burgers finally taste right

Uma Lopez · 2026-09-23T23:55:05.007276+00:00

I was at a shop over on Kenmore Blvd last Tuesday picking up some chuck and the guy behind the counter watched me ask for the leanest grind they had and just shook his head. He asked what I was making and when I said burgers he said 80/20 is fine but that 100% lean chuck is why my patties crumble and taste dry every time. He told me to ask for a 70/30 mix and to have them grind it once on the coarse plate, not twice on the fine one, because over-grinding smears the fat and makes it greasy. I tried it that night, 1.5 pounds of the new mix, salt and pepper only, and the difference was wild, they held together on the grill and actually tasted like beef instead of a hockey puck. I've been asking for the leanest stuff for years thinking I was doing something healthy and instead I was just wrecking dinner. Now I want to go back and thank him but I'm not sure he'd even remember me. Does anyone else ask their butcher for a specific fat ratio or do you all just grab whatever is in the case?

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The old guy at the meat counter in Akron told me my grind was too lean and now my burgers finally taste right | Butchers - HW Forums