Need Idiots guide to buying beef.

[spesmilitis]

So I get to buy raw beef for the first time. I never done it before because I either thought saturated fat was evil, lived in the college dorms and ate in the dinning commons, or lived with vegetarian parents.

Well, I move out tomorrow and I will be looking forward to buying some ground beef.

What do I need to know? How long will it last uncooked? After I cook it, how long will it last? How do I cook it?

 

[Quiksilver]

I buy for two days at a time. Go for lean or extra lean ground beef. Sat. fat isn't evil, but with 8-12 eggs a day, it isn't necessary to pound it back.

Itll last 2-7 days in your refrigerator depending on packaging and how long it was on the shelves, itll usually say its expiry date though.

Cook it in a frying pan. Dump the load of beef onto a preheated fry pan that has 2-3 tbsp of EV olive oil, mash it up with a spatula, and wait till it browns... then add whatever you like to it.

Thats just my way, of course... EFFORT likes to freeze his, and I'm sure thre are many other ways too.

 

[KarmaSutra]

I buy in bulk as well. It's cheaper and, if properly contained, will last you quite a while.

Uncooked meat can vary depending on the temperature of the refridgerator but a good rule of thumb is not to exceed 5 days. If it smells the least bit funky or looks slimy, toss it. If cooked it will last 3-5 days. If you do freeze it wrap it in cellophane twice then in aluminum foil to avoid burn. It will last a month or so.

DO NOT BUY GROUND BEEF! Instead read the label and pickup ground chuck or ground round. Ground sirloin is too lean and tastes like a rubber band with no flavor. Regular ground beef is too fat and will leave a grimy taste.

I add some fresh minced garlic, onions and peppers to mine and cook it over high heat to sear in the flavor and then store it in an airtight container and use it daily until it runs out. Then repeat. I like Kikkoman low sodium soy sauce in my ground meat too.

 

[wolf116]

I had raw beef the other day, got it fresh from an organic butcher. I'm going to start eating liver.

 

[Throttle]

depends partly on the application. play around with different types, starting with either 80/20 or 85/15. other varieties have their place, but not in your basic beef-and-veggie combo. they all last great in the freezer if re-wrapped (or if you buy vacuum-sealed packs--the only trouble there is you can't see the meat, but it's never been a problem for me). I usually grab whichever is cheapest and re-wrap it in .75 to 1.5 lbs. chunks for freezing.

Also, straight up ground beef re-heats well in the microwave. I often fry up more than i can use -- it keeps a bit longer cooked than not.

if you can get a hold of a cast iron skillet (make sure you know/learn how to care for it!), they're ideal for browning beef.

don't worry if it changes color -- the juices will slowly drain and change color. on the other hand, if it starts to smell, you'll have to decide whether or not to eat it (cook hard and spice heavily if you do -- why do you think tropical & subtropical food is so spicy & often overcooked? -- spoiled meat).

 

[spesmilitis]

I also saw already made patties in a freezer section. Thoughts on those?

 

[penkitten]

im with karma, dont buy ground beef , because it is so fatty, you can watch it shrink away as you are cooking it. i like ground chuck and round.
i buy in bulk and come right in and seperate the meat into what i think are a pound each and i wrap it up in aluminum foil and freeze what i will not use in the next 24 hrs.
the longer meat is in the fridge, the browner it turns. it doesn't look fresh to me when it turns. i like it to look red/pink.
last week i had a english roast in the fridge for about four days and when i noticed it turning to the last shade of brown, i cooked that boy that night and all i had to do the next day for dinner was heat it up.

there are many ways to cook ground chuck/beef, so if you tell us what you are trying to cook, we can tell you how to cook it.
everyone here will have a unique way of how they cook, you are bound to find that out.

after you cooked something, you can put it in storage bags or tupperware and it should be good in the fridge for a few days or you can freeze it for a few weeks.

 

[spesmilitis]

there are many ways to cook ground chuck/beef, so if you tell us what you are trying to cook, we can tell you how to cook it.

I'm trying to cook beef. Thats all I know.

 

[penkitten]

I'm trying to cook beef. Thats all I know.

for a hamburger?
for spaghetti?
for meatball subs?
for meatloaf?
what do you want your cooked ground beef to become?
thats when we can help you with a recipe

 

[Throttle]

for a hamburger?
for spaghetti?
for meatball subs?
for meatloaf?
what do you want your cooked ground beef to become?
thats when we can help you with a recipe

how about, none of the above, and serve w/ veggies on top?

 

[Throttle]

I also saw already made patties in a freezer section. Thoughts on those?

you generally pay a premium per pound. they come as either real junk meat or very high quality stuff--the price premium and labeling is a good indicator.

when i want burgers, i grab a cylindrical vacuum pack of the desired diameter and slice it into patties. hand formed patties don't always work out so well.

[edit: brain seems to be turned off tonight...]

 

[mrRuckus]

i buy an 80/20 tube of 5 lbs of beef at walmart and stick the whole thing in a pot and boil it in water for about 45 min. drain it a bit and then add chili powder, pepper, frozen peppers, and a 29oz can of tomato sauce. real fast chili that's really easy to eat, which is really my main goal since most of my meals are 5-10 min and done with. the leftovers go in a big tupperware container and i just scoop out of that for the week.

i'm guessing draining it and running water through it takes it down to about 90/10. shrug.. i'm not anal about it and don't even try to rinse it that much.

 

[spesmilitis]

how about, none of the above, and serve w/ veggies on top?

Yeah pretty much. I'm a simple guy. My diet will consists of mostly beef, eggs, sweet potatoes, oatmeal, and fruits/veggies.

you generally pay a premium per pound. they come as either real junk meat or very high quality stuff--the price premium and labeling is a good indicator.

when i want burgers, i grab a cylindrical vacuum pack of the desired diameter and slice it into patties. hand formed patties don't always work out so well.

[edit: brain seems to be turned off tonight...]

I couldn't tell from Costco. It was cheap, but so is everything. It was 22% fat.

 

[Throttle]

if you're willing to portion and freeze (or just cook it up all at once, as mr. r suggests), it's tough to beat the shrink wrapped 5-lb packs at costco on price (at least, they were 5 lb pack when i was shopping there....) you'll find those at the "meat counter" probably somewhere very different from the pre-formed patties.

 

[JohnnyIrish]

if you're willing to portion and freeze (or just cook it up all at once, as mr. r suggests), it's tough to beat the shrink wrapped 5-lb packs at costco on price (at least, they were 5 lb pack when i was shopping there....) you'll find those at the "meat counter" probably somewhere very different from the pre-formed patties.

Speaking of Costco's meat counter. I saw I could pick up a giant slab of ground beef with 12% or less fat (so said its label).

Now Karma says no ground beef.. is that because 12% is still too much sat fat or what?

BTW- OP check this out.

 

[Throttle]

no, by 'ground beef' karma means stuff with > 25% fat. there's various gradations -- 'ground sirloin' usually means no more than 10% fat, 'ground chuck' and 'ground round' are in the 15-20% range. i'd rather go by the number b/c it's more precise & harder for labelers to fudge.

 

[Evzone]

Evzone's idiot-proof pasta and meat sauce

1. Get 93/7 (extra lean) ground beef.
2. Take somewhere between 1/4 to 1/3 pounds of the ground beef and put it in a frying pan. The amount just depends on how much you eat.
3. Add a little olive oil and some chopped onions. Add some garlic powder and black pepper as seasoning.
4. Heat at highest temperature. Use something like a wooden mixing spoon to mash up the meat and stir it around so it all gets browned.
5. After it's cooked, turn heat down to low. Add some kind of marinara sauce or other tomato-based pasta sauce. I just get cans of Prego from the store; nothing fancy.
6. While that simmers on low, boil water and add pasta.

And that's it. Yes, there are fancier and better ways to make pasta, but this is for simplicity and not elegance.

 

[kickureface]

do you guys eat the same stuff everyday basically? same meat recipes? beef?

 

[Bible_Belt]

Grass-fed beef - how is it?

 

[KarmaSutra]

Like hay fed beef. The taste is truly in the cut of the beef not what's inside the eventual handbag.