Bitter mincemeat! (2024)

FAQs

Bitter mincemeat!? ›

Perhaps you pressed too hard when you grated the zest? Sugar will counteract bitterness but as mincemeat contains a lot of sugar perhaps a few drops of vanilla extract would help.

Mincemeat over time does deepen in colour but the bitter taste may be that you pressed too hard when the citrus zests were grated!

But the mincemeat I'm talking about is thick, sweet, spicy and brown; a sludge of raisins, booze, orange peels, allspice and other aromatics. Some recipes also involve apples, and almost all varieties include shredded beef and suet.

Mincemeat is a combination of chopped dried fruits, spices, sugar, nuts, distilled spirits, a fat of some type and sometimes meat. The name is a carryover from 15th century England when mincemeat did indeed have meat in the mix; in fact, the whole point of mincemeat was to preserve meat with sugar and alcohol.

The mincemeat filling we know and love today includes ingredients like finely chopped dried fruits, candied orange, spices, sugar and nuts. Its name dates back to 15th century England when mincemeat would actually contain meat, unlike today's version found in our beloved modern mince pies.

Acid reflux, also called GERD, occurs when the lower esophageal sphincter weakens and allows food and stomach acid to move from your stomach upward into the esophagus and mouth. This is likely the most common cause of a bitter taste in the mouth.

If you're not sure whether your ground beef is still good, lean close and smell it. If the meat smells sour or unpleasant, it's probably bad and you should discard it. If it seems okay, use your fingers to test the texture. Meat that has turned bad will feel sticky, tacky, or slimy and should be thrown out.

All that means is it might be slightly past its best by now, but I find it keeps really well for ages. I might add a slug of brandy to perk it up a bit, but I'd probably do that anyway, tbh. If it's been sealed properly then absolutely I'd use it. Mincemeat exists because it keeps brilliantly for very long periods.

Mincemeat is traditionally cooked then cooled whilst stirring so it should be fine to eat "raw". A good one will have lashings of brandy in too so that should kill any nasties.

As long as you haven't allowed the surface meat to cross-contaminate the centre, the rest of it will be safe to eat rare. However, this is why eating undercooked ground beef (such as mince and burger patties) is unsafe, and why you should be a little more careful if dicing beef.

Why is mincemeat so expensive? ›

Mincemeat isn't difficult to make, but it has a lot of ingredients, which can make it expensive to produce in small batches, and it requires at least a day's advance planning to let the ingredients sit.

In American English, "mincemeat" is a sweet pie filling (I think it's mince pie in BrE) which originally contained some meat but in modern times it is generally made mostly of apples and raisins. It's not very popular anymore, but you sometimes see it around Christmas time.

The reason mincemeat is called meat is because that's exactly what it used to be: most often mutton, but also beef, rabbit, pork or game. Mince pies were first served in the early middle ages, and the pies were quite sizeable, filled with a mixture of finely minced meat, chopped up fruit and a preserving liquid.

By the 18th century it was more likely to be tongue or even tripe, and in the 19th century it was minced beef. It was not until the late Victorian period and early 20th Century that mince pies dropped the meat and had all fruit fillings (albeit with suet). Even today there are traditions associated with mince pies.

Mince pies have been eaten as part of a traditional British Christmas since at least the 16th century. Then they were made of a spiced, sweet minced meat mixture (often lamb), but they are now commonly made with sweet mincemeat, a mixture of dried fruits, sugar, spices, and brandy.

According to reports, medieval people believed that if you ate a mince pie every day between Christmas and Twelfth Night, you'd be brimming with luck and happiness for the next 12 months. While there may not be any truth in the old myth, the tradition of eating mince pies every Christmas has certainly stuck.

If you want to bump up the umami, you could add a few teaspoon of Worcestershire and/or mushroom ketchup. Cooked ground beef really doesn't have any real taste so it is necessary to season it up. You can use just salt and pepper or you can add virtually anything to it like jalapenos, peppers, onions, etc.

Add a flavorful liquid: Add a small amount of beef broth, tomato sauce, or red wine to the ground beef while it cooks to add extra flavor. Add vegetables: Finely chop vegetables such as onions, mushrooms, or bell peppers and add them to the ground beef while it cooks.

Start by tasting it, then add extra flavours that suit: nearly always add a little freshly grated lemon or orange zest, extra spice, extra brandy or rum and some cherries or nuts.

All that means is it might be slightly past its best by now, but I find it keeps really well for ages. I might add a slug of brandy to perk it up a bit, but I'd probably do that anyway, tbh. If it's been sealed properly then absolutely I'd use it. Mincemeat exists because it keeps brilliantly for very long periods.