The Kindest Cut of Meat Is Ground AS Americans plan their Independence Day barbecues, they should skip the tony sirloins and chops, and opt for what can be the most sustainable, economical, gastronomically flexible and morally responsible cut of meat: ground. There are good reasons ground meat shows up in traditional recipes the world over - in meatballs and tortellini, dumplings and samosas, meat pies and stir-fries - and it deserves a respected place at our collective table. Ground meat is often derided as low-quality, and its image hasn't been helped by a spate of pink slime exposés. And it's true that most meat recalls in the United States involve ground meat. But not all ground meat is created equal. Hamburger made at a large, industrial processing plant is cobbled together from hundreds or thousands of animals, typically raised in feedlots on a corn diet and fed antibiotics. By contrast, small grass-fed beef farmers across the country have an enormous amount of good ground meat to sell. Yes, it's a little more expensive, but still well within most Americans" budgets. It's typically from a single animal, one raised right, on green grass. A large chunk of any carcass ultimately ends up as ground meat. After the popular cuts like steaks, chops and roasts are taken out, the rest of the meat is ground - 26 percent of a hog, 38 percent of a beef cow, 41 percent of dairy cows and 46 percent of lambs. We don't think of dairy cows as meat, but once their milking days are over, they become burgers. Of the 84 billion pounds of meat America produces each year, fully one third, 28 billion pounds, goes through the grinder. Partly because of this, ground meat from grass-fed animals is relatively inexpensive. While a tenderloin of grass-fed beef might sell for $34 per pound or more, ground meat from the same animal might cost $8.50 per pound. Family restaurants, supermarkets and especially hamburger joints, even the new generation of fancy ones, all know this well, and pass on that savings to diners. In the same way that nose-to-tail butchery can save a household money, buying ground meat can encourage small-scale, diversified livestock farming, since it helps supplement income from the pricier cuts. At your local farmers" market, ground meat is a great value and a far more ecologically wise choice than strip steak. Ground round is a flexible ingredient. In New York, companies like DeBragga and Pat LaFrieda specialize in custom-made ground meat blends that balance fat, muscle and other components for the perfect bite. National brands like Niman Ranch and Organic Prairie offer burgers, hot dogs and sausage made from animals raised on pasture, rather than hormones or antibiotics. And what if your only local option is a supermarket? No question, much of the meat there will be the factory-farmed variety, but that's all the more reason to request grass-fed or organic options, preferably raised nearby. National chains like Whole Foods Market and regional chains like Wegmans in the Northeast or New Seasons Market in the Northwest have their own in-house meat-buying rules, based on ecological and humane standards, that ensure you can trust their ground meat, whatever you are buying. THOUGH Walmart, the nation's largest food seller, has unfortunately eliminated butchers, we've encountered butchers in chains like Kroger and Safeway who were happy to grind a whole grass-fed cut into hamburger. That won't save you money at the supermarket, but it will often stretch further during a party than a steak. Either way, always opt for ground-on-site instead of pre-made frozen patties, which contain all sorts of fillers and additives. If your supermarket butcher can't or won't grind on-site, consider getting your own meat grinder and experimenting. Ground turkey and chicken meatballs are a healthy twist on traditional beef meatballs - and an important market for poultry growers who can't sell every bird whole - while ground lamb makes a distinctive burger, especially when adorned with mayo and mint. Meat remains the most energy- and resource-intensive ingredient in our collective diets. All the more reason not to squander any bit that is flavorful, nutritious and eminently edible. This is also why diners increasingly see ground meat on the menus of the most conscientious chefs in the nation - from the duck rillettes at Higgins Restaurant in Portland, Ore., to the Iowa lamb albondigas at Devotay in Iowa City, from the beef and pork picadillo-stuffed plantains at Palo Santo in Brooklyn to the Bolognese, kielbasa and fontina-stuffed meatballs at Gramercy Tavern in Manhattan. If you follow their lead and make grass-fed burgers on the Fourth of July, you will be helping farmers and the local economy. And if you weren't eating them, the meat might have gone to waste. Brian Halweil is the editor of Edible East End and publisher of Edible Manhattan and Edible Brooklyn. Danielle Nierenberg is the director of Nourishing the Planet.