Ground beef offers quick, easy and delicious options for any meal and for any occasion. We love it for it's versatility, ease of cooking, and major nutritional value. Ground beef provides 10 essential nutrients including protein, zinc, iron and many B vitamins. This high nutritional value, combined with it's texture and small crumble size, ground beef is an ideal food to give to small children or elderly adults.
It can be grilled, baked, broiled, braised or fried in the skillet. Ground beef is truly a jack of all trades! Some of our very favorite ground beef recipes can be found here.
Here at Oak Meadow Meats, we grind our ground beef in house, from whole muscle cuts. This gives the meat a rich flavor and dependably consistency.
Traditionally, this cut comes in a range of lean to fat ratios:
70% LEAN
Ground Beef that is not less than 70% lean (usually a 73/27 or 75/25 lean-to-fat ratio) is used for burgers and in recipes calling for browning (crumbles) and pouring off drippings, such as chili, tacos and spaghetti sauce. When properly cooked, it is moist and juicy.
80-85% LEAN
A mid-range lean-to-fat ratio is a nice option for dishes like meatloaf and meatballs, where you’ll be forming a ball or loaf, but you’ll be cooking in a pan or skillet. In addition, 80-85% lean is perfect for making delicious burgers! This ratio is also good to use when draining fat won't be an issue. When properly cooked, it is moist and juicy and has a slightly firm texture.
93% LEAN
Ground Beef that is 93% lean or leaner meets government guidelines for “lean.” If you’re trying to choose lean meats, this is an excellent choice for you. It works well in dishes that require crumbles, like meat sauce, tacos, stuffed peppers or casseroles where draining fat might be difficult.
We carry 85% and 93% lean ground beef. In our experience, they are the two most versatile and desirable.
A meat thermometer is the BEST way to check beef’s temperature. Ground beef should be cooked to an internal temperature of 160F. Color is not a reliable indicator of ground beef doneness. Cooking ground beef to 160F will protect your family against food borne illness, and is especially important when preparing for young children, elderly adults or those with compromised immune systems.
What’s your favorite way to use ground beef? Any cooking or storage hacks we should know about?