Brown Ground Beef

Browning ground beef is a way to remove the fat from the beef, before adding the beef to another dish, such as tacos. There are two basic ways to brown ground beef - over the stove and in the microwave. Use these steps to learn how to brown ground beef two different ways.

Steps

Browning Ground Beef over the Stove

  1. Spray a frying pan with non-stick cooking spray. Set the stove on medium heat and begin breaking apart the meat with a spatula.
    • Put your ground beef in a frying pan that is big enough to hold all of your beef with plenty of room for the beef to be moved around.
  2. Add water to the pan of beef. A 1/4 cup (59 ml) of water per 1 lb. (.45 kg) of beef is standard. This will help with the browning process.
  3. Continue to break apart the beef in the pan. Turn the chunks of beef as you go.
    • Ground beef will break apart easily. Constantly keep turning the beef as you cook to make sure that one section of the meat doesn't stay directly on the pan for too long, causing the meat to burn.
  4. Turn all the meat continuously until any red or pink of meat turn brown. Continue this process until all the meat is brown.
  5. Drain the water from your beef.
    • Pour it into a colander or gently drain all the grease and water from the meat using the spatula to prevent meat falling into the sink.
    • Pour the beef onto a paper towel. Gently dab the beef with another paper towel to remove excess oil and water.

Browning Meat in the Microwave

  1. Arrange your ground beef in a microwave container, so it is laying out as flat as possible. Add 1 cup (250 ml) of water to the meat and place in the microwave.
  2. Cover your ground beef with a microwave-safe lid, or oven cooking bag.
  3. Cook the beef on medium heat for 2 minutes. Check the beef and break apart any pieces. And repeat the process several times until the meat is cooked and there is no pink showing.
  4. Use a colander to drain any fat or oil from the ground beef. Dab with a paper towel to remove any excess moisture.



Tips

  • To add extra flavor to your meat as you brown, replace the 1/4 cup (59 ml) of water with beef stock.
  • Some recipes call for meat browned with onions. Add finely diced onions to the pan before adding the beef and cook as normal.
  • You can also add seasoned salt to your meat as you cook to add flavor.

Things You'll Need

  • Paper towel
  • Non-stick cooking spray
  • Pan
  • Spatula
  • Ground beef
  • 1/4 cup (59 ml) water
  • Colander

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Sources and Citations