All about ground beef

Next to chicken, ground beef is the most popular meat of families. They are the most popular of the least expensive meats. Kids are partial to them.

It used to be that ground beef came from certain parts of the cow, and were marked accordingly. Now we grade ground beef by the fat content. The good news is that they now have ground beef that is as low as 7 percent fat. If you de-fat it, it will be even lower. This meat, however, won't make the best hamburgers. It is better off in taco meat or a casserole where it will pick up more liquid and not be dried out.

If I use hamburger,if at all possible, I cook it where it drains into something, rather than stew in it's own juices. Meatballs are cooked om the oven over a rack on a sheet pan. Meatloaf is cooked in a meatloaf pan that drains the fat into a second pan.

The book I read said to use ground beef with 2-3 days from purchasing it. The book was from the 70's. That would be another reason to batch cook ground beef soon after you bring it home.

Fall meatballs

2 eggs, beaten
1cup dry breadcrumbs
1 cup granny smith apple, grated.
1/4 cup grated cheese
Garlic, salt, pepper,
1 pound ground beef

Sauce:
1can diced tomatoes
1/3 cup ketchup
1/2 tsp w sauce.

Mix all meatball ingredients except the meat together in a large bowl. Add meat and mix together. Do not over mix, meatballs can become tough.

Shape into balls. Place into baking dish. Blend tomatoes in a blender. Add w sauce and ketchup.

Pour over meatballs and bake at 350 for an hour or until meat is done.

I would serve with rice or noodles.

SLOW COOKER BEEF VEGETABLE SOUP

1 pound ground beef, cooked
1tsp onion powder
1tsp minced garlic
16 ounces of tomato sauce
2cans kidney beans,rinsed and drained
1 cup corn
1cup carrots, diced
1/2 green pepper ,diced
1/2 red pepper, diced
1 Cup chopped, fresh tomato
1T chili powder
1/2 tsp basil
Salt



Shredded cheese, sour cream or tortilla chips for garnish.

Place all ingredients except garnish in a slow cooker. Cook on low 8 hours.

Notes: if tomatoes are not in season, you could use a can of diced tomatoes. Drain the tomatoes, add the juice of the tomatoes to an 8 ounce can of tomato sauce and add enough tomato paste to make the right consistency.

1 pound of ground beef cooked, should yield 12 ounces of cooked meat, I am assuming that the article I read was using 25 percent fat hamburger.


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Jane