Even though we have a meat grinder in the kitchen, we don’t regularly grind meat ourselves. The setup, breakdown, and washing up required to grind a 2-pound chuck roast just isn’t worth the effort. Besides, hamburgers are supposed to be impromptu, fast, fun food.
To our surprise, though, the food processor does a respectable grinding job, and it’s much easier to use than a grinder. The key is to make sure the roast is cold, cut into small chunks, and processed in small batches.
For a 2-pound roast, cut the meat into 1-inch chunks. Divide the chunks into four equal portions. Place one portion of meat in the workbowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Pulse the cubes until the meat is ground, fifteen to twenty 1-second pulses. Repeat with the remaining portions of beef. Then shape the ground meat as directed.