Cuts · also called: ground beef
Molida
Molida is the everyday workhorse of a Mexican kitchen — and ours doesn't cut corners. Hand-ground from naturally lean Piedmontese trim, it browns clean, holds together for albóndigas, and brings real beef flavor to whatever you build on top of it.
Where it comes from
Our molida comes from the trim left over after we break down the whole animal into primal cuts — chuck, round, sirloin, brisket. Instead of grinding only the cheap shoulder like a commodity grocery store, we blend trim from across the carcass, which gives the molida a richer, more rounded beef flavor than the dollar-per-pound stuff at the supermarket.
Each pound is vacuum-sealed straight from the meat counter, no extenders, no fillers, nothing added. The natural lean ratio sits around 90/10 to 92/8 — so you get plenty of flavor without a pool of grease in the pan.
Why Piedmontese makes the difference
Most ground beef tastes like ground beef because the breeds it comes from are bred for fat marbling. Piedmontese is bred the opposite direction — naturally double-muscled from the myostatin gene, so the meat itself has more flavor density and less fat per ounce. You taste the beef, not the rendered fat.
For molida that means: tighter, better-textured albóndigas; picadillo that doesn't turn to mush; tacos al pastor-style ground that holds up to bold seasoning without being smothered by its own grease.
How to cook it
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Picadillo (the daily go-to)
Brown the molida in a hot pan, drain almost no fat (there isn't much). Add diced onion, garlic, a sliced poblano or two, then tomato sauce, a pinch of cumin, and diced potato or carrot if you like. Simmer 15 minutes. Serve with rice, in tortas, or as taco filling.
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Albóndigas
Mix one pound of molida with rice, an egg, a splash of milk, chopped mint or cilantro, and salt. Form into balls and drop into a simmering chipotle-tomato broth for 20 minutes. The leanness here is a feature: the meatballs hold their shape and don't turn the broth greasy.
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Tacos & burgers
For weeknight tacos, brown with onion and your seasoning of choice — taco seasoning, ground chile, or just salt and a chipotle in adobo mashed in. For burgers, season simply (salt + pepper) and don't overhandle; cook to medium so the lean meat stays juicy.
Recipe inspiration
Picadillo — the staple that fills tacos dorados, empanadas, chiles rellenos, or tops a plate of rice. Some families add raisins and almonds; others keep it simple with potato and carrot. Either way, this is the recipe a pound of molida earns its way into.
Albóndigas en chipotle is the Sunday-night soup that doubles as Monday lunch — meatballs in a smoky, slightly spicy chipotle-tomato broth with squash, carrots, and chayote. Serve with rice, lime, and warm tortillas. Make a double batch; it gets better day two.