19 Deeply Satisfying Ground Beef Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret to best ground beef? ›

The trick to cooking ground beef well is to not move it around a lot until it's finished cooking and nicely browned. This helps create a crust on the meat which is delicious. I sauté it in cooking oil. I usually use olive oil because that's my go-to, but your favorite cooking oil will work too.

80% lean ground chuck (shoulder) will be the juiciest and most flavorful. It's also the grind I recommend for making burgers for the grill. It has the perfect fat-to-meat ratio. These burgers will still be juicy when grilled to the recommended internal temperature of 160 degrees.

A slice of cheese, a rich sauce, a pile of caramelized onions, a slice of tomato, etc., will help to make the burger moist and delicious. So, don't overcook the meat and add a few yummy topping. That's all you gotta do.

The calcium-rich properties of milk react with enzymes in the meat to gently soften the proteins. Whole milk (not reduced fat), buttermilk, and yogurt all get the job done – with a special nod to buttermilk and yogurt for their optimal tenderizing acidity levels.

Mexican and Tex-Mex restaurants boil raw ground beef with water and seasonings until cooked through to achieve a super fine texture, and the aforementioned Maid Rite sandwiches (aka Loose Meat Sandwiches, which are NOT Sloppy Joe's!) use steam to keep the cooked ground beef soft after cooking.

Different types of meat require different spices. Beef tastes great when seasoned with oregano, rosemary, sage, garlic or a combination of these seasonings. Poultry gets an added burst of flavor with spices like paprika, lemongrass and saffron.

What's the difference between "hamburger" and "ground beef"? Beef fat may be added to "hamburger," but not "ground beef." A maximum of 30% fat is allowed in either hamburger or ground beef. Both hamburger and ground beef can have seasonings, but no water, phosphates, extenders or binders added.

Dakota Grass-Fed Organic 90/10 Ground Beef was just ranked as the Best Beef Product of 2021 by the world's #1 nutrition website, "Eat This, Not That!" Dakota Grass-Fed and Grass-Finished Organic Ground Beef is raised with no added hormones or antibiotics ever and is naturally gluten-free.

What is slime in ground beef? ›

Lean finely textured beef (also known as Pink slime or LFTB, finely textured beef, or boneless lean beef trimmings or BLBT) is a meat by-product used as a food additive to ground beef and beef-based processed meats, as a filler, or to reduce the overall fat content of ground beef.

The white stuff coming out of chicken as it cooks is simply extra protein that dissolves in water and is forced out of the meat by heat. Food scientist Topher McNeil, PhD, explains, “The [chicken] muscles themselves actually contract and squeeze out the liquid that's in between muscle cells.”

However, a sticky or slimy texture — either when cooked or raw — may indicate the presence of spoilage bacteria. You should toss it immediately. To avoid spreading bacteria from one surface to another, wash your hands thoroughly after touching raw meat.

There are two sure fire methods for making ground beef taste good: browning and seasoning. Browning meat comes from putting it in direct contact with a hot surface, like a grill or saute pan and letting the Maillard reaction take place.

Let the beef sear for a few minutes without moving it around. Once the beef has browned, break it into smaller pieces with a wooden spoon as it continues to cook until done.

Baking soda acts as a tenderizer for ground beef, keeps it moist during cooking, and encourages deep browning by raising the acidity level of the surface of the meat. Simply add 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda to 1 pound of ground beef for more tender meat with better browning.