Summer Recipes with Ground Beef (2024)

FAQs

What to make with a lot of ground beef? ›

How to season ground beef? The best way to season ground beef is with salt, pepper, and your preferred spices, either before cooking, or at the end of the process, depending on the recipe. What to season ground beef with? Season ground beef with salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and cumin for added flavor.

Cook ground beef to an internal temperature of 160 degrees F as measured with a food thermometer. The color of cooked ground beef can be quite variable. At 160 degrees F, a safely cooked patty may look brown, pink or some variation of brown or pink.

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.

A package of ground beef can stay in the fridge for up to two days from the date of purchase, as recommended by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. By day two, it's best to either cook the ground beef or freeze it. Freezing ground beef is a great long-term solution, as it can last in the freezer for months.

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.

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. Fish can be made more flavorful with dry mustard powder, thyme and turmeric.

Ground beef can be pink inside after it is safely cooked. The pink color can be due to a reaction between the oven heat and myoglobin, which causes a red or pink color. It can also occur when vegetables containing nitrites are cooked along with the meat.

For raw ground meats, poultry, seafood and variety meats (liver, tongue, chitterlings, etc.), refrigerate them only 1 to 2 days before either cooking or freezing. Beef, veal, lamb and pork roasts, steaks and chops may be kept 3 to 5 days.

How much ground beef to feed 30 people? ›

How much meat per person? If meat is the central part of your dish, you will most likely want 1/2 of a pound per person.

One pound of ground beef can go a long way if you're cooking for one. In fact, we can get at least four single serving meals out of just one pound.

Color, texture, smell and the expiration date all offer important clues if your ground meat has gone bad or if it's safe to eat. And if you have any doubts about the quality or freshness of your ground beef, throw it out — the alternative could be food poisoning.