Why Is Tube Ground Beef Cheaper

Hamburger in Regular Package or Rolls?

Updated on July 21, 2011

C.D. asks from Springfield, MO on July 20, 2011

22 answers

Does anybody know the difference between the hamburger that you buy in the regular package and the kind in the plastic rolls that look like big packages of sausage? We have always used the regular packages but noticed that they are more expensive. We had a BBQ with friends for the 4th of July and they used the kind in the rolls. I didn't notice any difference. I know the rolls are cheaper and it says on the package that there are no preservative and it shows the fat ratio and everything. I was just wondering if anyone could explain the difference to me. Thanks!
***Edit for clarity*** the kind on the rolls has the same ranges of fat content as the regular packages. You can get 80/20, 90/10 etc. so I know it isn't just about fat content.

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Featured Answers

R.S.

answers from San Antonio on July 20, 2011

I actually asked the butcher the difference.

He told me to buy the packages not the rolls. The rolls he said are mass produced and shipped to him that way. He has no idea the cuts of meat in them. The packages he personally grinds himself and you actually end up with nicer cuts of meat in them. He told me sometimes the packaged ground is prime meat that he could no longer sell as a steak but he can grind it and sell it as ground beef.

I would rather have a chance at eating prime ground beef verses older choice.

3 moms found this helpful

N.G.

answers from Dallas on July 20, 2011

The meat in the rolls is just pre-packages, but the same. I buy the rolls. I agree with MzKitty, I don't like browned ground beef that looks like little worms! (I thought that was just me, LOL!)

3 moms found this helpful

More Answers

A.C.

answers from Savannah on July 20, 2011

This sounds stupid, but I wouldn't buy the rolls for the longest time because they were cheaper, lol. I thought there must be something wrong and I was a bit of a food snob. Then one day I was poorer than usual and thought seriously, what is the difference? I looked for date, fat content, sat fat, I compared the nutrition label.......it was all fine. I cooked it, and I be darned, it's the same stuff! So I use it all the time now.
Rachel D made an interesting point: it DOES brown a little more chunky than the meat in the clear package, I don't know if the clear package was just looser and the roll is packed tighter or what. So what I do to offset that is cook it a little lower with the lid on. The steam seems to help crumble it up. You have to lift the lid and stir a few times, but it will crumble smaller that way for those tacos.

3 moms found this helpful

A.W.

answers from Kalamazoo on July 20, 2011

It doesn't matter how it is packaged - it matters what it is called
ground hamburger - most fat
Ground chuck - less fat
ground beef from round - pretty lean
ground sirloin - the leanest?
That's why it gets more expensive, because you are not paying for fat that will just cook off and disapper. If you make a burger with hamburger, it will shrink considerably. If you use ground sirloin (or lean venison) it will hardly shrink at all.

3 moms found this helpful

F.H.

answers from Phoenix on July 20, 2011

I buy it in the rolls. I don't like it in the package because unless you mold it like for meatloaf or something it looks like cooked worms if you brown it! Maybe its just me, but it really grosses me out but I'm not really "good" with raw meat anyway thanks to being on my familys ranch during butchering season when I was a tween!

3 moms found this helpful

J.W.

answers from St. Louis on July 20, 2011

Tube meat scares me. I don't even like the regular stuff after it was frozen.

It is the frozen that makes it cheaper. To bring fresh meat to market you have a set number of days or it can't be sold. Freezing drags that out so you pay less to bring it to market. It also tends not to be of the same quality as the fresh.

If you are going to cook it to death like at a BBQ then it doesn't really matter. All the flavor comes from what you pile on it, or dip it in, not the meat.

2 moms found this helpful

G.B.

answers from Oklahoma City on July 20, 2011

They are the same meat but if you put it in a plastic sheath it is less expensive as far as handling and packaging in Styrofoam trays. They also use less staff to do the processing so it is cheaper. The larger packages take less work too so that's why they are less.

PS:

I always add about 1/2 cup water to my cooking ground beef. It keeps it softer and when you drain it the fluid all comes off. If you keep smashing the meat into smaller pieces it breaks up nicely and you can end up with a finely cooked ground meat.

2 moms found this helpful

K.G.

answers from Minneapolis on July 20, 2011

I think it has to do with the packaging. There is only the tube and metal twists, not styrofoam, plastic wrap, and the stickers. From what I can tell, that's the only difference.

2 moms found this helpful

R.D.

answers from Richmond on July 20, 2011

I've bought the roll-o-meat's in the past. It's cheaper, it's easier to weigh out and divide (for freezing), etc... BUT, from experience, although technically it's the exact same quality of meat, the fresher, regularly packaged stuff browns and crumbles better... it's AWESOME for burgers and meatloaf though!! The only time I don't use it is if I have to brown it for taco's or something.

2 moms found this helpful

S.H.

answers from St. Louis on July 20, 2011

we buy straight from the butcher shop....low fat ratio, no preservatives, & a company we can trust.

Whooops, just noticed you're in Columbia! We use The Butcher Shop in Freeburg. Love buying fresh meat! & their salt & pepper breakfast sausage ropes are YUM. It's what most of the Catholic churches in mid-MO use for their suppers.

2 moms found this helpful

B.C.

answers from Norfolk on July 20, 2011

I buy either one depending on what is on sale.
They both freeze alright, but it takes the rolls a little longer to thaw (because they are thicker).
The hamburger tastes the same.
It's just different packaging as far as I can tell.
Have you ever bought a regular hamburger package and found the inside surfaces were darker colored and the outside seemed more brightly red?
To me that means it's been re-packaged so it looks more attractive.
The longer meat is on display, the darker it looks because the meats oxidizes.
So, butcher packaged means the butcher can play games, but with pre packaged, you can't see through the wrapper and he can't re-package it.
I've known some good butchers, but there's a few I would never buy meat from.

J.G.

answers from San Antonio on July 20, 2011

I think it's all the same stuff. But some people like to buy what they can see thru the clear plastic, so the store gets their money's worth for packaging it that way for them. I also do think they grind that in-store most of the time. The rolls come in a truck I think.

T.H.

answers from Kansas City on July 20, 2011

Okay, I'm glad you asked this b/c I have wondered the same thing. About 6 months ago I started buying the rolls b/c it is much cheaper and it still comes in the same varities (fat ratio, etc.), like you mentioned. So far I haven't noticed one bit of difference. I decided to try it for myself hoping to dissolve the mystery but I don't think there is one..maybe someone more "meaty" can clue us in! ;)

K.L.

answers from St. Louis on July 21, 2011

I only buy meat packaged that way if it is frozen. Otherwise, I cannot see the condition of the meat. The packaging is not only better for freezing, but also for slicing burgers. When I remove it from the freezer, I allow it to only thaw partially. Then I can just slice the burgers and they are already shaped for the grill. That is the great advantage of the tubed packaging. I don't have to pat out the burgers.

Y.C.

answers from Washington DC on July 20, 2011

I used to be wary of the tube meat, but now I'm ok with it. I like it because it freezes better, for longer periods. Regular wrapped packages get freezer burned really easily.

T.M.

answers from St. Louis on July 21, 2011

I've used both and can't tell a difference in terms of taste. I think the flat packages of meat are a coarser grind, whereas the rolls are finer (more similar to the texture of sausage).

K.K.

answers from Dallas on July 21, 2011

Suposedly it is safer as well. Less handling during prodution cuts down on cross contamination.

D.G.

answers from Dallas on July 20, 2011

I use the rolls all the time. It is cheaper and I haven't noticed any difference. It does brown chunkier but that really doesn't matter to us. Tastes the same and works the same.

S.T.

answers from Kansas City on July 20, 2011

i dont see or taste a difference.

J.B.

answers from Atlanta on July 20, 2011

Unless you buy freshly ground beef that was ground onsite or that is labeled organic, you are most likely eating beef containing pink slime. It's disgusting. Google the NY Times article from January 2010 about it. Since then I don't eat ANY ground beef I can't ID as organic or freshly ground on site -preferably for me while I wait. it's fine to buy some meat and poultry on sale, but it's not where you really want to save big bucks! No matter what it says, the tube meat is definitely cheaper and lower grade. If you can find one, talk to meat inspector. A fruend of mine's dad was one. It's illuminating and quite disconcerting!

M.P.

answers from Sacramento on July 20, 2011

Seems to me like the meet in the rolls is fattier - even though it says it has the same fat content as the package when I make patties out of it I have so much gunk on my hands - WAY more than when I use packaged meat.

S.S.

answers from Daytona Beach on July 20, 2011

i always thought that it was a different weight? like the rolls are 1 or 5 or 10lbs. i thought the package was 2lbs, etc. could be wrong? i always buy the roll.

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Source: https://www.mamapedia.com/article/hamburger-in-regular-package-or-rolls

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