I still love making hamburgers on the grill. I guess whenever I eat them childhood memories come up for me. - Bobby Flay

When my husband was in grad school, a majority of our dinners centered on what was then a very inexpensive meat – ground beef. We would have hamburgers on Monday, ground beef and potato layered casserole on Wednesday, spaghetti with meatballs on Friday, and Sloppy Joes on the weekend. That’s a lot of ground beef. We did save grocery money, but we also developed an unfortunate taste for high fat low veggie meals. Plant foods now rule our plates as we have reduced the amount of ground beef we eat. Our concern now rests squarely on the quality of the meat.

Even the most pink slime filled ground beef of today is not cheap, and the USDA rules about what can be put in ground beef are somewhat more flexible than I would prefer. In addition to some rather icky ingredients, you may find a little E. coli and other pathogens infesting ground meat because of less than stellar ingredients and unsafe preparations.

One way people react to this issue is to become Vegetarian and bypass meat altogether. If you are a dedicated Carnivore though, your best option is to learn to grind your own meat from high quality certified organic roasts and steaks. Garlic and other seasonings may not be on the USDA list of acceptable hamburger ingredients, but are delicious additions to the process. Grind your way to a tastier hamburger.

How to Grind Meat

About.com's terrific culinary arts lesson about grinding a chuck roast is well illustrated with an abundance of pictures. Use the same technique to grind sirloin or round. Meat grinders range in price from about $30 to $500. If you are very lucky, you might pick up a wonderful old grinder for a few dollars at a garage sale.

Cook up something delicious using your own ground beef.

Olympian Burgers is a delicious take on the traditional burger and was a 2009 Beef Cook Off winning recipe. 

Hawaiian Hamburgers gives your burgers an island flair. Serve it with a big bowl full of fresh cut pineapple. Wearing a lei is optional.

For delicious turkey, bean, and veggie burger recipes, click here!

I found this terrific recipe for meatloaf right here at Calorie Count. Give Mom’s (and Grandma Friedman's) Meat Loaf a try and taste the home made goodness.

Hatch Chilis are essential when making Michael’s Green Chili Meatloaf, fortunately we are right at the start of Hatch season. Buy them fresh roasted from your grocer or from an on-line grower for this unique recipe.

Cooking for a diabetic can take a little more effort. Diet's In Review's Diabetic Meatloaf gives you just the savory goodness your diet needs.

Almost Swedish Meatballs may not be authentic, but they are comfort food at its best. When eating comfort food, just make sure the portions fit your day, add a couple side veggies, and enjoy.

This recipe for Spanish Style Meatballs will be a big hit with the olive lovers in your family!

If you are a Vegetarian and have made it this far in the article, congratulations! This is your recipe reward.

Your thoughts....

What do you think of the ground meat debate? Do you avoid it, or are you more selective about the ground meat you do eat? Are you unconcerned with all the fuss over ground beef? If you are a Vegetarian, can you give us a few good alternative recipes that would be made with ingredients that are familiar to a Carnivore? When you grind your own beef, do you add seasonings to simplify your cooking? Share your ground beef recipes with everyone here! If you would like your recipe to be considered for CC Palate, please send it to me via pm.