Learn how to cook ground beef the right way so it stays juicy but gets nicely browned. I’ll show you my secrets so it comes out perfectly every time.
Knowing how to cook ground beef well is a vital skill in my opinion. Ground beef is used in so many dishes! I use it in my basic pasta sauce, baked ziti, nacho dip, and this easy Mexican skillet dinner. I even love adding ground beef to my baked beans for a hearty side dish. Those are just a few recipes, though. You can use ground beef in practically everything.
Video: How To Cook Perfect Ground Beef
Shopping For Ground Beef
Chances are, you have lots of options at your store for ground beef. Sometimes you’ll find what specific cut the meat is from, but you’ll also find the fat-to-lean content. So if you see 85/15 on the label, that means it’s made up of 85% lean ground beef and 15% fat. This is the most common ratio and generally considered all-purpose. You may want a higher fat content (70/30 – 80/20) for super juicy burgers or extra-lean (90/10) for tacos or sauces, but when in doubt go for the 85/15 like I’m showing you today.
Look for the freshest meat available, packages that have the furthest out sell-by date. Once you’ve selected your ground beef, keep it cold and cook it within a couple days of purchasing. For longer storage, you can freeze it up up to 3 months – store it in a freezer bag and remove as much air as possible. After it’s been cooked, it can be refrigerated for up to a week.
How To Cook Ground Beef
The trick to cooking ground beef well is to not move it around a lot until it’s finished cooking and nicely browned. This helps create a crust on the meat which is delicious.
I sauté it in cooking oil. I usually use olive oil because that’s my go-to, but your favorite cooking oil will work too.
It’s important to use a nice big pan. You can use a non-stick pan but it won’t brown the meat as well. I prefer stainless steel or a cast iron skillet because it gives a better crust to the meat than non-stick does. Using a thick heavy pan is ideal for this since it cooks more evenly as well. Also, make sure your meat is going into a hot pan!
Once the beef goes into the pan, I flatten it out like a big, thin burger patty. I let a crust form before I start to break it up into smaller pieces with a wooden spoon and flip it. Then I let the meat cook through completely before breaking it into even smaller clusters.
This is my favorite way to cook ground beef, but did you know you can also cook it in the air fryer?
Seasoning Ground Beef
The meat needs to be seasoned no matter what you’re going to do with it. In the recipe below I add salt and pepper at the end. You can also add it midway through. It doesn’t matter much.
Garlic powder is another thing that I like to add. Chili powder works well too. But anything beyond salt and pepper depends on what you’re planning to use the meat for so I haven’t included anything else in the recipe.
Podcast Episode: Cooking Ground Beef
Listen to me explain briefly about how to cook ground beef, along with some other great tips, by clicking the play button below:
Listen to more Recipe of the Day episodes here.
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How to Cook Ground Beef
- Prep Time: 0 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Total Time: 12 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Entrée
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
DESCRIPTION
Learn how to cook ground beef the right way so it stays juicy but gets nicely browned. I’ll show you my secrets so it comes out perfectly every time.
Ingredients
- 1 lb. ground beef, I like to use 85% lean
- 1 Tbsp. olive oil
- 3/4 tsp. salt (if desired)
- 1/4 tsp. pepper (if desired)
Instructions
- In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat until hot.
- Add the ground beef and, using a spatula, press the beef into an even, flat layer in the pan, almost like you’re making a big hamburger.
- Let it cook untouched for 4 minutes. This is what helps create a brown crust.
- Start to break apart the meat, flipping it over.
- Cook, stirring occasionally and breaking it into clumps until cooked through, 4-5 more minutes.
- Season with salt and pepper, if using. Stir.
- Remove from heat and use as desired.
This post originally appeared in February 2019 and was revised and republished in April 2022.
trying it now thanks for sharing
You’re welcome, Michael. Enjoy!
So, after the first browning stage mine was sticking to the pan a bit. Lots of things stick to my pans though. I added some water to it because I read somewhere that that helps when things stick. It worked! And then, the beef was really browned and great.
Carole, Great idea to add a bit of water when it was sticking. I’m happy to hear that it stayed brown after that. I’m going to try adding some water to mine to see what happens next time I’m making it!
My ground beef would never really get browned like in restaurants and i didn’t know why. Now I do! I tried it and it worked!
That’s wonderful to hear. Thank you, Cheryl!
After years of cooking mediocre ground beef, I decided to test the waters and do a simple google search for “how to make good ground beef.” This recipe came up, and I thought it was worth a shot. I’m used to breaking the beef up from the start and constantly stirring until brown.
Well, let me tell you, this recipe is off the charts! You won’t catch me breaking up my ground beef from here on out. Lean ground beef is going to be a new staple. This tasty, quick recipe will come in handy as bidenflation has meat prices through the roof. Thanks for the great tips!
I’m so glad you found my method to be an improvement, Chris! I think it makes such a difference.
I truly believe you meant to say that you like to use 85% lean beef, not 85% FAT as stated in the recipe!
Thanks for pointing that out, Mike!
I tried to cook ground beef for my pasta, but it turns out that it had an unpleasant smell that I can’t get rid of. I was using steps just like yours except for flatting it like a huge hamburger. Will that step remove the smell of the beef? or is there anything that I can do to get rid of it?
Mark, if the ground beef has gone bad, it will have a bad smell and there’s no way to get rid of that. You should just discard it.
I make my ground beef the same way, I just thought it was the lazy way, but you’re right it does give a much better crust and it’s much easier to break it up when it’s partially cooked! I’ll have to try in a stainless pan and see if I get a better crust, I love the crispy bits the best. :)
Thanks, Angelica!