I too grind my own beef with a Kitchenaid grinder attachment. I use chuck and put it through twice. I'm going to try doing it partially frozen now--that is a great idea. I also find that I can throw in some fresh parsley or whatever other herb and grind that right in too--when I lived in Morocco they would ask if you wanted a handful of herbs in your meat before they ground it, and it was delicious that way. I read Fast Food Nation a few years ago and in the descriptions of the slaughterhouses it sounded like most of the bacterial contamination of the meat is on the outside of the piece of meat from splashing (ick). So I think there is probably less contamination of the ground beef if you wash the whole piece and then grind it. In the store, it isn't getting washed, and so the bacteria on the outside gets ground into the ground beef.

At our Krogers, I just bought 2 bags of chicken hind quarters for 69 cents a pound in 10 pound bags. I have found hind quarters in such bags in a nearby IGA for as low as 49 cents a pound. Not organic, but perfect for what I wanted--dog food. This time, I cut off the thighs for DH and me (ending up with about 22 nice-sized thighs) and ground the raw legs and meaty parts of the backs (including the bones) for dog food. I freeze them in 1/3 cup balls and add one a day to our dog's dry food. She strongly approves. I seasoned our thighs and let them sit in the fridge for 24 hours, then, for the first time ever, I cooked chicken in the sous vide. Each thigh went into a cheapo fold over sandwich bag to help keep the vacuum bag clean and preserve the liquids with each thigh. Thanks, Dcarch for the verbal push! Most of them went into the freezer, but I kept enough out for two meals. They are delicious. Moist and flavorful. Before serving I will brown them quickly in a very hot skillet, add the drippings and some wine to the skillet and cook it down, pour it over the thighs, and enjoy. Or I may use the meat in a salad. Or. . . .?

I would rather pay big money for something that I couldn't make than snob ingredients. I could see indulging in kobe at a very fancy meal out, but not at home where I can make very good food with cheap cuts, let alone the "good" ones. Point of comparison, I found a listing for the average price of beef in 1965 which said it was $0.82/lb. which is $6.17 in today's money. 1965 was well before the price of beef shot up in the early 1970's.

Tried this the other night--sort of "cabbage rolls/Polish Pigs" without the rice-- nice change of pace. Diane's Home Cookin Chapter: 2014/15/16--to try--main dishes & sides Unstuffed Sweet-and-Sour Cabbage ================================ source: Gourmet 11/2008 1 (2-pound) head green cabbage, quartered or cut into sixths-- lengthwise and cored 1/2 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced, divided 1 large onion, thinly sliced 1 tablespoon olive oil 1/2 pound ground beef chuck 1/2 pound ground pork 1 (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes in juice 1/3 cup dried cranberries 3 tablespoon red-wine vinegar 1 tablespoon packed dark brown sugar 2 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley Accompaniment: steamed rice . Cook onion and remaining garlic in oil in a heavy medium pot over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 8 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high and stir in ground meats along with 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring and breaking up lumps with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink, about 3 minutes. Stir in tomatoes with their juice, cranberries, vinegar, and brown sugar and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally and breaking up tomatoes with spoon, until slightly thickened, about 20 minutes. Season with salt. Sear cabbage pieces lightly in bacon grease then place in a deep 12-inch heavy skillet with broth, 1 garlic clove (sliced), and a rounded 1/4 teaspoon salt. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, then cook, covered, turning cabbage occasionally, until very tender, about 45 minutes. (Add more broth or water if necessary.) Pour sauce into skillet with cabbage and simmer, uncovered, 5 minutes. Serve sprinkled with parsley. http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/unstuffed-sweet-and-sour-cabbage-350572 Unstuffed cabbage