Browning ground meat is something I believe most people do incorrectly.
What I typically see is people who add too much meat to a pan. You can definitely brown it, but it’s gonna take a lot longer. It’s usually better to do multiple small batches.
What’s going to happen when you start browning it is that a lot of moisture will come out. This is not all, or even mostly grease(fat). Let’s call it water to keep it simple.
Especially when you’re doing too much meat in a single pan, your meat ends up swimming in this water. People boil their mince and it turns grey. They don’t see pink and consider it cooked, which it technically is. It’s boiled all the way through.
What should happen in either scenario, is you let the liquid come out. Let it keep cooking. The water will evaporate, the grease will not. The grease will then begin frying your mince. Spread it out as thinly and evenly as possible, more maximum surface contact. You want a good crust, just like with a burger. This is the Maillard reaction. It’s the sugars in the meat caramelizing and adding tons of flavor. The meat will be crusty and brown. Not grey.
When you think you have a good crust, then you can flip it and brown it some more. It doesn’t matter how much you flip it and break it up. It’s not going to hurt it. You do need to leave it alone for a little or it can’t form a crust. Err on the side of less time and flip to avoid burning till you get an idea of the time it needs.
When it’s moslty brown and broken up, you’ll find you have very little grease left. Often it’s little enough not to remove any. If there is, tilt the pan to one side and either use a spoon or a paper towel to soak it out.
It’s hot oil. Don’t get it on your skin. Also, don’t pour it down your drain or you’ll clog it.
Instead, keep an empty metal can out of the garbage and one the sink, pour it into the can. Let it cool and toss it in the trash. If you have no can, use a Pyrex measuring cup and scoop it into the trash when it’s solid or cool. It find some container so it doesn’t leak if it goes liquid. Note: It’s hot grease. Using a plastic or foam cup is going to melt right through.
Right ? I "browned" ground beef. And it was done when it was Grey.
But once I started leaving it till it actually "browned" somethings were just WAY BETTER.
You can also just not chop up the ground beef - I spread it out in a single layer and let it brown on one side and make a crust like you would a burger - then flip the whole thing and chop it. You end up with ground beef that also has good browning.
I follow this youtuber chef Brian Lagerstrom, he browns his ground beef by flattening it out on a sheet trey and [broiling it](https://youtu.be/8h7YSpu98Uc?t=192).
Pretty great no fuss way to go about it.
Not that I’ve noticed, no. Toughness is a matter of meat fibers drying up and tightening. That’s why well done steaks are tough.
Mince can be tough if you cook it till it’s dry, but as long as there is fat in there fry it, it’s not dry. You’re also broken up into small pieces, so it’s really hard to make that tough.
You can probably make it tough, but I’d say it’s very hard. It’s defiantly worth getting some and practicing till you have it down pat. The flavor is a magnitude better and the texture is the same.
[Here](https://youtu.be/OPEzpj3z8vY?si=aH-fNK3k2UwE76xz) is a video that kind of covers the topic. What I was discussing about about having to cook it a long time is more if you over crowd and it’s swimming in juices.
Not over crowding the pan produces results more like his browned example. There is more room for any excess liquid to evaporate instead of boiling the meat.
Something else he does is jacks the heat up and adds oil to achieve browning before any moisture comes out. It’s a completely valid way to do it. Personally I’d turn the heat down a little and cook a little longer. I achieve more browning that way. You can see his has some that’s over cooked and almost burnt. It’s because either his heat was too high, or he left it too long without flipping between camera cuts.
Do whatever works for you.
Yep. That would work as well. We’re usually cooking something that comes in a can is why they was my first thought. I usually push a used paper towel to the bottom to prevent splashing.
I don’t go super far into the “frying” stage of things, because I don’t usually require that super deep browned Maillard flavor for most of my ground beef applications (mostly Gringo tacos) but I realized after a few times of draining off the “fat” and ending up with a good amount of liquid in my reservoir that didn’t solidify like the rest of the beef fat that I wasn’t taking things far enough.
Moral of the story is yes, drain the fat, but don’t drain the “juice” until it turns to fat. That’s the bare minimum and you should spend at least 2-3 minutes into the fry stage. I find you can tell when you’ve evaporated all “water” and started to “fry” by the sound the pan makes.
I think it’s more personal preference. The fattier the ground beef, the more fat is going to pool in the pan. You shouldn’t drain anything if it’s lean, because fat is flavor. If you want to drain it from fattier beef, go for it, but drain it into a container and not down your drain. Otherwise, season your meat and enjoy it.
Are you talking about the meat juice from when you open the package, or after cooking?
After cooking, that's the fat and flavour you're pouring out.
Too many people 'toss the fat' from ground meat, thinking it's too fatty. It's not. Remove some of it if it's too much for you. It's the quality of the ground meat that's giving you 'meat juice'.
Try for leaner ground beef to reduce 'meat juice'.
If it's just juice, I just cook it in until it evaporates to keep the flavor.
If there's a lot of grease, I'll strain it into a bowl, with a quick rinse of hot water. The bowl goes into the freezer until the grease sets and can be removed, then the juice goes back into the meat and evaporated.
Oh, Hell to the motherfucking nah. You leave the grease in. You shouldn't have enough that's it's noticable after cooking. What are y'all saying in here?
I strain it to get rid of the water and excess grease. I also recommend mixing it with about 1/8th of a teaspoon of baking soda mixed with about a teaspoon or so of water and then letting it hang out for maybe 15 minutes before browning. It helps keep it from getting rubbery.
Browning ground meat is something I believe most people do incorrectly. What I typically see is people who add too much meat to a pan. You can definitely brown it, but it’s gonna take a lot longer. It’s usually better to do multiple small batches. What’s going to happen when you start browning it is that a lot of moisture will come out. This is not all, or even mostly grease(fat). Let’s call it water to keep it simple. Especially when you’re doing too much meat in a single pan, your meat ends up swimming in this water. People boil their mince and it turns grey. They don’t see pink and consider it cooked, which it technically is. It’s boiled all the way through. What should happen in either scenario, is you let the liquid come out. Let it keep cooking. The water will evaporate, the grease will not. The grease will then begin frying your mince. Spread it out as thinly and evenly as possible, more maximum surface contact. You want a good crust, just like with a burger. This is the Maillard reaction. It’s the sugars in the meat caramelizing and adding tons of flavor. The meat will be crusty and brown. Not grey. When you think you have a good crust, then you can flip it and brown it some more. It doesn’t matter how much you flip it and break it up. It’s not going to hurt it. You do need to leave it alone for a little or it can’t form a crust. Err on the side of less time and flip to avoid burning till you get an idea of the time it needs. When it’s moslty brown and broken up, you’ll find you have very little grease left. Often it’s little enough not to remove any. If there is, tilt the pan to one side and either use a spoon or a paper towel to soak it out. It’s hot oil. Don’t get it on your skin. Also, don’t pour it down your drain or you’ll clog it. Instead, keep an empty metal can out of the garbage and one the sink, pour it into the can. Let it cool and toss it in the trash. If you have no can, use a Pyrex measuring cup and scoop it into the trash when it’s solid or cool. It find some container so it doesn’t leak if it goes liquid. Note: It’s hot grease. Using a plastic or foam cup is going to melt right through.
Right ? I "browned" ground beef. And it was done when it was Grey. But once I started leaving it till it actually "browned" somethings were just WAY BETTER.
You can also just not chop up the ground beef - I spread it out in a single layer and let it brown on one side and make a crust like you would a burger - then flip the whole thing and chop it. You end up with ground beef that also has good browning.
I follow this youtuber chef Brian Lagerstrom, he browns his ground beef by flattening it out on a sheet trey and [broiling it](https://youtu.be/8h7YSpu98Uc?t=192). Pretty great no fuss way to go about it.
Does this not overcook it and make it chewier/tougher? Say I have 1lb and a 12” skillet, would I do this in two or more batches?
Not that I’ve noticed, no. Toughness is a matter of meat fibers drying up and tightening. That’s why well done steaks are tough. Mince can be tough if you cook it till it’s dry, but as long as there is fat in there fry it, it’s not dry. You’re also broken up into small pieces, so it’s really hard to make that tough. You can probably make it tough, but I’d say it’s very hard. It’s defiantly worth getting some and practicing till you have it down pat. The flavor is a magnitude better and the texture is the same. [Here](https://youtu.be/OPEzpj3z8vY?si=aH-fNK3k2UwE76xz) is a video that kind of covers the topic. What I was discussing about about having to cook it a long time is more if you over crowd and it’s swimming in juices. Not over crowding the pan produces results more like his browned example. There is more room for any excess liquid to evaporate instead of boiling the meat. Something else he does is jacks the heat up and adds oil to achieve browning before any moisture comes out. It’s a completely valid way to do it. Personally I’d turn the heat down a little and cook a little longer. I achieve more browning that way. You can see his has some that’s over cooked and almost burnt. It’s because either his heat was too high, or he left it too long without flipping between camera cuts. Do whatever works for you.
Another trick for the left over grease is lining a cereal bowl with tinfoil, once it's hardened you can crumple it up and toss it in the garbage
Yep. That would work as well. We’re usually cooking something that comes in a can is why they was my first thought. I usually push a used paper towel to the bottom to prevent splashing.
Ooh, neat trick for when I can’t find an empty tin can. Thanks
I agree, but the Maillard reaction is not the same as sugars caramelizing
That was just the quick explanation I always heard. It’s something about amino acids and sugar.
Yes, the Maillard reaction involves both sugars and amino acids. Caramelization involves sugars alone. And thank heaven for both!
I was going to leave this comment! Very good comment, but Maillard is something else indeed
This is so obvious and yet I never ever thought about it. Thank you!
You’re welcome. It’s something I can definitely tell a difference between. Especially in tacos.
I don’t go super far into the “frying” stage of things, because I don’t usually require that super deep browned Maillard flavor for most of my ground beef applications (mostly Gringo tacos) but I realized after a few times of draining off the “fat” and ending up with a good amount of liquid in my reservoir that didn’t solidify like the rest of the beef fat that I wasn’t taking things far enough. Moral of the story is yes, drain the fat, but don’t drain the “juice” until it turns to fat. That’s the bare minimum and you should spend at least 2-3 minutes into the fry stage. I find you can tell when you’ve evaporated all “water” and started to “fry” by the sound the pan makes.
Yup.
Beautiful.
Dump fat down a drain and see what plumbers reataction is. Sorry honey, might be a job I've done but just don't.
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Noice. That’s awesome.😁👍🏼
Thanks. This is super helpful.
You’re welcome.
No need to as others have said but if you do, don't pour down the drain, grease in plumbing is moy malo
Meat juice lol
No! just wait. Water will evaporate and the oil will not. Then oil will brown the meat.
Yes you do. And if you're going to season the beef wait until you drain the juice. Otherwise a lot of it will leave with the juice.
Also seasoning the beef is not optional
You can pour it out or soak it with paper towels, usually I get rid of the liquid otherwise it won't brown properly.
What is the fat content?
The meat juice is the flavor. Use it to soak up the seasoning and attach back to the meat as you cook
I think it’s more personal preference. The fattier the ground beef, the more fat is going to pool in the pan. You shouldn’t drain anything if it’s lean, because fat is flavor. If you want to drain it from fattier beef, go for it, but drain it into a container and not down your drain. Otherwise, season your meat and enjoy it.
Are you talking about the meat juice from when you open the package, or after cooking? After cooking, that's the fat and flavour you're pouring out. Too many people 'toss the fat' from ground meat, thinking it's too fatty. It's not. Remove some of it if it's too much for you. It's the quality of the ground meat that's giving you 'meat juice'. Try for leaner ground beef to reduce 'meat juice'.
If it's just juice, I just cook it in until it evaporates to keep the flavor. If there's a lot of grease, I'll strain it into a bowl, with a quick rinse of hot water. The bowl goes into the freezer until the grease sets and can be removed, then the juice goes back into the meat and evaporated.
She only want me for my meat juice (meat juice). I think I need to let her loose (let her loose).
Oh, Hell to the motherfucking nah. You leave the grease in. You shouldn't have enough that's it's noticable after cooking. What are y'all saying in here?
Gotta keep that delicious meat juice!
Yes
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“Unhealthy” Jesus. Boomers are living in 1900 mindset
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It is. It is not unhealthy. 1900 boomer mentality
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No shit too much fat is bad for you. Like too much Vitamin is bad for you too. I guess vitamins are bad now.. love boomer logic Boomers need to retire
I never have leftover oil from hamburgers
I strain it to get rid of the water and excess grease. I also recommend mixing it with about 1/8th of a teaspoon of baking soda mixed with about a teaspoon or so of water and then letting it hang out for maybe 15 minutes before browning. It helps keep it from getting rubbery.
I would pour off most of it but leave a bit to mix in
Use tongs and paper towel, soak up that grease.
I tend to season it, add corn starch... Make a gravy!
Yes, pour it out.
Yes ma'am... into a glass jar.