Ground beef has long been a go-to ingredient for many dishes, from burgers to tacos. Though it is delicious and easy to cook with, we get a lot of questions every year about ground beef – such as how lean ground compares to medium or extra lean? Is it nutritious? How do you season it best? And what is the best way to cook it? Keep reading for all the answers to your burning questions about ground beef.
What Do We Know About Ground Beef?
You might say we know a thing or two about ground beef. We have been farming in the Peel region for 6 generations (7 if you count the grandkids!).
We raise Aberdeen Black Angus cattle in Caledon while also attending to our on-farm store, café and butcher shop. Our aging vault is where a lot of the magic happens to create the flavourful beef our customers rave about. You can think of dry-aged beef similar to the aging of wine and cheese – the flavours become more complex and concentrated.
Needless to say, beef is our specialty!
We’ve received a lot of questions about ground beef throughout the years. So we’ve put together this guide with the help of our expert, in-house butchers and chefs! We hope we’ve answered all your FAQ’s about ground beef below.
Why Ground Beef is So Important?
First off, ground beef is on the list of minimally processed, whole foods along with fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds, whole grains, meat, fish and eggs. Whole foods are nutrient dense and provide you with a range of essential nutrients.
It’s important to know which foods are considered “whole foods”. Particularly, while studies like this are sounding the alarm about the overconsumption of highly processed foods. On average, Canadian diets now contain almost 50% ultra-processed foods.
This means home-cooking has given way to fast meals and snacking. We’re foregoing nutritious whole foods for chips, juice, sweet treats, commercially produced breads and meals, sweet cereals, soda and more.
Despite these stats, ground beef continues to be an important staple in Canadian diets. “Almost 50 percent of beef consumed in Canada is ground beef and more than 90 percent of Canadians consume ground beef every week. Ground beef is one of the most popular and trusted sources of protein…”
What is Ground Beef? There’s More to It!
Though it may seem like a simple answer, there are several different types of ground beef. The ground beef consumers purchase from the store or butcher shop is usually shoulder, hip and other trim which has been minced into smaller pieces. Ground beef is also known as mince or hamburger (which can be confusing because ‘hamburger’ is typically used to refer to the patty and not the meat).
Trim is a term used by butchers to describe the edge or outside cuts of meat that are left after larger cuts have been removed such as roasts and steaks. Butchers rarely use a hip or whole chuck in ground beef.
From the chuck primal they will cut cross rib roasts and blade short ribs roasts first before using the rest of the meat for ground beef. To create the roast’s final, perfect look, extra meat and fat are trimmed off and used for ground beef.
The same is done with the hip. Butchers will make roasts from the hip such as inside round, outside round, sirloin tip and eye of round. Any remaining end pieces (or trim) will go into the ground beef.
The butchers will also have trim when they prepare premium steaks like ribeye, striploin, tenderloin and sirloin. Does this mean there is steak in my ground beef? Yes indeed, although it is a relatively small amount.
Butchers use trim to easily adjust the fat content in the beef by adding fattier trim. The amount of fat in ground beef dictates whether it is classified as regular, medium, lean or extra lean.
Choosing Your Grind: The Different Types
What is Regular Ground Beef?
Regular ground beef is the fattiest of the grinds with up to a maximum of 30% fat. This grind will be the cheapest because more of the weight is fat, which usually melts away when cooked.
Both regular and medium ground beef is primarily from the chuck (shoulder) such as the short rib and blade.
What is Medium Ground Beef?
Medium ground beef has a maximum fat content of 23%. The higher fat content of medium (and regular) makes them perfect for dishes where the fat has a chance to render off while cooking such as burgers and meatballs.
Contrary to popular belief, fat isn’t all bad. It has some benefits, such as adding flavour and keeping the meat moist. It also acts as a binder when forming ground beef into meatballs or burgers.
What is Lean Ground Beef?
Lean ground beef has a maximum fat content of 17%. Lean ground is the most popular of all the grinds for its versatility. You can use it for almost any ground beef dish including burgers, meatballs, pasta sauces and casseroles.
Lean ground is primarily composed of lean hip cuts. Although, one cut in the shoulder called the shoulder clod (pectoral) makes a good fat-to-meat ratio for lean ground as well. You’ll recognize one of the cuts in the shoulder clod as the cross rib roast.
What is Extra Lean Ground Beef?
Extra lean ground beef has the least amount of fat—with a maximum of 10 percent fat. The majority of extra lean ground beef comes from hip cuts as they tend to be leaner. Of course, there is also trim added to adjust the fat ratio.
Extra lean ground beef is lower in fat and some would agree that it can be dryer and less flavourful than its fattier counterparts (although if you buy quality beef you’ll find it has great flavour!).
Here’s an interesting tip! Did you know neck meat has the perfect ratio of fat to meat ratio for extra lean ground beef?
Specialty Ground Beef
While most of us are used to purchasing ground beef that is already minced and ready to cook, some butchers also offer specialty grinds by special request. These can be specific fat contents or even mixed with other meats or organs. Requests like these are usually for a specific recipe or diet.
It can be tricky to grind very small amounts of meat so your butcher may request that you take a minimum amount of specialty grind.
Some more common specialty grinds include Ground Sirloin, Ground Chuck and Ground Brisket:
Ground Sirloin
If you’re looking for a leaner grind with steak flavour, then ground sirloin is the way to go. Ground sirloin is commonly seen in recipes for sirloin burgers. Because this steak grind is of higher quality, it also has a higher price point than regular grind.
Ground Chuck
Ground Chuck is a type of ground beef that can have different fat content levels, depending on what shoulder cuts the butcher uses. If the butcher uses short rib and blade, the ground beef will be closer to medium ground beef. While the shoulder clod/cross rib would be a lean ground beef.
The best way to get the ground meat you want is to communicate with your butcher about the desired fat level.
Ground Brisket
Some shoppers like to request ground brisket – usually because they are looking for a fattier grind. Brisket makes a grind that would be classified as regular.
Your butcher is always happy to create custom grinds for you. But if you are interested in making your grinds at home, here are some tips to help you out.
Tips for Grinding Meat at Home
- Sharp tools are key! Ensure your knife and grinding plate are VERY sharp.
- Your equipment should be cold. Place the grinding plate and bowl in the fridge before using.
- The meat should also be cold. Keep the meat in the fridge until you are ready to start cutting and grinding. Some people like to partially freeze their meat in advance (just until ice crystals start forming).
- If you handle the meat too much, it will become tough. Only handle it as needed.
- Don’t over-grind the meat, again because it can make it mushy and tough. For medium and regular ground beef, grind the meat twice (any more and it goes mushy!). For lean and extra lean ground beef you can grind the meat 3 times (this is mainly done to blend the fat in for a more “lean” look).
- Clean your equipment. Make sure you take apart your equipment, clean it and sanitize it thoroughly so that it is safe and ready for next time!
How to Cook Ground Beef
Tips to Yield the Best Tasting Ground Beef
A common mistake home cooks make is not browning their meat before adding it to a recipe. Browning the meat helps to create a delicious crust on the outside while sealing in the juices and flavour on the inside. Here are expert tips on how to make the best-tasting, juiciest ground beef:
Quality Matters
Not all ground beef is the same. The quality of ground beef can vary depending on the source of the beef and the breed. Buying quality ground beef will give you a better-tasting, more flavourful end result.
Use a HOT, Non-Stick Skillet
If you are cooking your ground beef in a pan on the stove, make sure to use a non-stick skillet (you want a pan that can handle high heat). Turn the stovetop on to medium-high and preheat the pan BEFORE adding the meat. Adding meat to a cold pan won’t help you achieve the desirable crust. You can test if the pan is hot by flicking drops of water on the pan and watching to see if it sizzles.
Should You Oil the Pan?
Adding oil isn’t necessary, especially for fattier grinds like regular and medium. Although, we recommend adding oil to help improve the browning of your ground beef.
In terms of leaner grinds, you’ll want to use oil to prevent it from sticking to the pan.
Don’t Over-Crowd the Pan
If you are cooking a large amount of ground beef, make sure to do it in batches rather than overcrowding the pan. This will help ensure that your meat has room to brown and not just steam in its juices.
A large 10-inch frying pan should comfortably fit 1 pound of ground beef without being too crowded. For 2 lbs of ground beef, you’ll want to use a larger pan, cook it in batches or use a second frying pan.
Stirring Too Much
You want to get some colour on your ground beef for the best flavour. Stirring your ground beef in the pan too much can prevent it from browning properly. The key to nicely browned ground beef is to leave it alone after placing it in the pan.
Once your pan is hot, you should spread it out evenly in the pan and then resist the urge to stir it. Leave it untouched for a few minutes. When it’s browned on one side, flip the pieces of ground beef over to sear the other side.
There is really no need to “stir” ground beef – but you do want to break apart the large clumps.
Seasoning
While you may be tempted to skip this step, adding some seasoning while cooking your ground beef will help bring out its flavour. At a minimum, you’ll want to use salt and black pepper. You can also add garlic, onion powder, or herbs for some added complexity.
Don’t Over Cook Your Ground Beef
Cook the meat until it is no longer pink in the center and remove it from the heat. Overcooking will quickly evaporate the moisture leaving your ground beef dry and unappetizing.
Oven Roasting Ground Beef for Large Batches
If you’re cooking for a lot of people and need to brown ground beef, you can do this in the oven.
- Preheat the oven to 350˚F.
- Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
- Spread the ground beef evenly on the tray and season with salt and pepper.
- Cook for about 15 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and break apart the larger clumps with a wooden spoon.
Can You Cook Frozen Ground Beef?
You know the feeling – it’s 6:30 pm and you’re scrambling to get dinner on the table for your loved ones. You’re left wondering if you can cook ground beef from frozen.
Technically, you CAN cook ground beef from frozen. Should you? We don’t recommend it and here’s why…
Cooking ground beef from frozen can lead to uneven cooking. This means that some parts of the meat will be cooked through while other parts will still be frozen or raw.
Additionally, cooking ground beef from frozen can cause it to lose a lot of its juices. That’s because cooking ground beef from frozen will take longer which results in the evaporation of all the delicious juices. This leads to dry and tough meat.
Lastly, browning ground beef helps to create flavour. If the meat is frozen, it will not caramelize properly to form a brown flavourful crust.
So, while you CAN cook frozen ground beef, we don’t recommend it. It’s always best to thaw the meat before cooking.
How to Quickly Defrost Ground Beef
Of course, the best way to thaw ground beef is by taking it out of the freezer and putting it in the fridge overnight. To avoid any spills, place the ground beef on a plate or in a bowl to hold any juices.
We don’t recommend leaving it on the counter to thaw, as bacteria can grow quickly in the warm environment.
If you don’t have enough time to thaw the meat overnight, you can use one of these quick methods:
Faster: Water-Bath Thawing Method
This method of thawing is quicker than the traditional overnight-in-fridge method and provides more even results than the microwave method below. The only downside is that it requires some attention to switch out the water. This method takes about 1 – 2 hours for 1 pound of meat.
- Remove the ground beef from its packaging and place the ground beef in a sturdy freezer-quality ziplock bag (for an environmentally-friendly option, reuse a food-safe bag). Remove as much air as possible. If your ground beef is already in a freezer bag, you can skip this step.
- Submerge the bag with ground beef into a bowl with cool water.
- Change out the water every 20-30 minutes until thawed.
Fastest: Microwave Thawing Method
This method is the quickest way to thaw your frozen food, but you have to be careful. If not, your food may be thawed unevenly and even partially cooked. Use the microwave to thaw your food, not cook it.
Place frozen ground beef on a microwave-safe plate lined and use the defrost settings to thaw it. You’ll have to flip it over halfway through the thawing process.
Refreezing Ground Beef
Note that once ground beef has been thawed, never refreeze raw ground beef due to the potential of food-borne bacteria.
If you don’t plan on eating the ground beef within a 1-2 days after thawing, it’s best to cook it before refreezing. This way, you can safely store it in your freezer for later use.
Storing Ground Beef
We’re answering all your ground beef storage questions from raw beef to cooked beef and more!
How Long Can Ground Beef Stay in the Fridge?
Ground beef should be stored in a fridge with a safe temperature between 0-4 ˚C
- Fresh, raw ground beef can be stored in the fridge for 1-2 days at which point it should be either cooked or frozen
- Cooked ground beef can stay in the fridge for up to 3 days before it should be eaten or frozen
How Long Can Ground Beef Stay in the Freezer?
If storing for long periods in the freezer, be sure to wrap the meat well in butcher paper, freezer paper, heavy-duty foil or heavy-duty plastic freezer bags or Ziploc bags.
- Ground beef is safe indefinitely if kept frozen however, the quality will deteriorate
- Frozen ground beef is best enjoyed within 4 months
How to Tell if Ground Beef Has Gone Bad?
When ground beef has gone bad, it may develop an off-odour or slimy texture. Do not taste test it to check if the ground beef is still safe – discard any meat that feels or smells suspicious.
You cannot use the colour of the ground beef as an indicator of freshness because it is normal for raw ground beef to be red, brown or even dull grey. We’ll talk about why ground beef has different colours in the next section.
Why is My Ground Beef Not Red? It’s Brown or Dull Grey!
Ground beef can vary in colour depending on its exposure to the air (oxygen). Freshly cut meat can be purple and then changes colours as the oxygen reacts with the meat pigments to turn it red. The exterior of beef pre-packaged in vacuum-packed bags can be brownish-grey due to the lack of oxygen. You can also find the interior of ground beef to be brownish-grey for the same reason (it lacks oxygen in the center of a pound of beef), particularly if the ground beef is tightly packed.
Is Ground Beef Healthy?
Ground beef is an excellent source of nutrition and a great source of protein, iron, zinc, selenium, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, phosphorus, pantothenate, magnesium, and potassium.
Many Canadians are deficient in key nutrients like Vitamin B12, zinc, and iron which help with energy, energy synthesis, immune health, memory, and more:
- Vitamin B12 and zinc intake are inadequate in 10-35% of men and women
- Iron is inadequate for 16-19% of women aged 19 to 50
- Zinc is inadequate for 41% of men aged 70 and older
Did you know?
Here are some beef facts supported by research to get you thinking about incorporating beef into your meals:
- Beef has a synergistic benefit (i.e., the Meat Factor). Adding beef to a meal will increase the absorption of iron from other foods like plant-based proteins and vegetables
- Iron from beef is “heme” iron, meaning it is bioavailable and more easily absorbed by the body than “non-heme” iron from plant-based sources such as spinach or legumes.
- Protein found in beef and other meats are referred to as “complete” proteins because they contain appropriate levels of all the essential amino acids required for human nutrition.
- More than half of the fat in beef is unsaturated. In fact, most of the unsaturated fat in beef is oleic acid, the same type of “healthy” fat found in olive oil.
Beef is a low calorie, zero carbohydrate way to get your protein compared to other protein sources. Check out this Calorie Comparison chart from CanadaBeef.ca below.
Nutrition Facts
One serving of cooked lean ground beef (3 ounces) contains the following*:
- 220 calories
- 25 grams of protein
- 0 carbohydrates
- 12 grams of total fat
- 5 grams of saturated fat
*based on lean ground beef that is crumbled and pan-fried
As you can see, lean ground beef is an excellent source of protein and also contains a good amount of iron. It is important to note that the fat content in beef can vary depending on the cut of meat used.
5 Delicious Recipes That Use Lean Ground Beef
Need some inspiration for how to use your cooked lean ground beef? Here are 5 delicious recipes that are sure to please:
1. Spaghetti and Meatballs: A classic recipe that’s always a hit! Serve your spaghetti and meatballs with a side of garlic bread and a salad for a complete meal.
2. Taco Salad: This healthy taco salad recipe is perfect for lunch or dinner. It’s packed with flavor and can be made in under 30 minutes.
3. Shepherd’s Pie: This hearty shepherd’s pie is filled with tender chunks of beef, carrots, peas, and corn. Top it with mashed potatoes and serve with a side of green beans for one-pot meal.
4. Sloppy Joes: Sloppy joes are ready in just 15 minutes! Serve them on hamburger buns with pickles and salad on the side.
5. Burger Bowls: These burger bowls are perfect for those days when you’re craving a burger but don’t want all the extra calories from the bun. Serve them with sweet potato fries or roasted veggies on the side.
6. Korean Beef & Broccoli Bowl: This flavorful bowl is made with lean ground beef and served over a bed of fluffy white rice. Add some extra veggies like mushrooms, peppers, or zucchini to make it even more nutritious.
7. Jalapeno & Cheddar Stuffed Burger Patty: Learn how to stuff burger patties with cheddar and jalapeno in this delicious recipe!
Final Thoughts
In conclusion, lean ground beef is a great source of protein and other essential nutrients. It’s low in carbohydrates and calories, making it a healthier alternative to other sources of protein. Incorporating lean ground beef into your weekly meal plan can be a tasty and easy way to get the nutrition you need. We hope we answered all your FAQ’s about ground beef!
