One of the easiest ways to save money on your family’s grocery bill is by purchasing foods in bulk when they go on sale. When ground meat goes on sale, many cooks find it helpful to prepare cooked meat mixes for using later in their favorite recipes.
By preparing a ground meat mix, you will be able to prepare a number of recipes without needing to brown the meat, vegetables, and spices each time you cook! This technique will save time and money. There are TONS of recipes for ground meat mixes; however, you should make one that suits the taste of your family.
Ways to Cook Multiple Pounds of Meat
1) Stovetop: Brown ground meat, vegetables, and spices in a large skillet or pot. Drain fat.
2) Oven: Crumble the ground meat, vegetables, and spices into multiple 9×13” pans. Bake ground meat in the oven until done, and re-crumble it with a spoon to the desired texture.
3) Electric Roaster Oven: Preheat the roaster oven to 425°F. Lightly coat the inside of a roaster with cooking spray oil. Break apart meat; place in the preheated roaster. Cover; cook for 15 to 20 minutes or until meat is browned, stirring once. Stir in vegetables and spices until well mixed. Reduce temperature to 350°F.; cover; cook 1 to 1-1/2 hours or until flavors blend. Drain fat.
4) Microwave: Place crumbled ground meat in a microwave-safe 5-quart casserole dish. Cover. Microwave on HIGH for 14 to 16 minutes, stirring the meat two or three times. Drain fat. Stir in vegetables and spices. Cover. Microwave on HIGH for five to eight minutes more and then drain the fat.
Use a Thermometer
Do you have a food thermometer in your kitchen? If not, this is one of the best investments you ever make for your family! For raw ground meat, such as hamburgers, color is deceiving and should not be used to assess doneness; a food thermometer is the only way to be sure!!! Ground beef can prematurely turn tan or brown and appear to have a ‘cooked’ color at temperatures as low as 131°F, making foodborne illness a potential safety issue. Pathogens may be outside or inside the meat, so the internal temperature is important and the only way to know that it has been cooked safely. Premature browning is more likely in a patty that is formed from meat that has been exposed to air and starts out as red or reddish-brown in color. Cooking ground meat to at least 160°F (ground poultry to 165°F) and not basing it on cooked color is the guideline from USDA and something to remember.
Tips for Keeping Food Safe
- Always wash hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds before and after handling food.
- Don’t cross-contaminate. Keep raw meat, poultry, fish, and their juices away from other foods in the grocery cart, refrigerator, and while cooking.
- Cook to safe internal temperatures. Use a food thermometer to measure the temperature. Ground beef should be cooked to 160°F.
- Hold cooked food at 135°F or warmer.
- Do not leave perishable food out for more than two hours at room temperature (one hour when the temperature is above 90°F).
- Discard any food left out at room temperature for more than two hours (one hour if the temperature was above 90°F).
- Place food into shallow containers and immediately put it into the refrigerator or freezer for rapid cooling.
- Thaw meat safely. Be sure thawing meat juices do not drip on other foods. Thaw meat overnight in the refrigerator. On the stovetop, heat over medium heat for 10 to 15 minutes before continuing with the recipe. Meat may be thawed in the microwave oven, but it should be cooked immediately after being thawed.
- Use cooked leftovers within four days.
Cook and Clean Less
Browning ground meat is an essential bridge to many recipes, including tacos, chili, spaghetti, sloppy joes, lasagna, soup, casseroles, and other dishes. It is a lifesaver when time is short. Meals can be prepared in a flash when this mix is on hand in the freezer. Check out the recipe below for a great master base mix.
Check out this link found at the North Dakota State University Extension Service: Master Meat Mix recipes and tips at https://www.ag.ndsu.edu/publications/food-nutrition/meat-mixes for seven recipes for dinners using the mix. It is worth printing off!
Written by Vicki Hayman, MS, University of Wyoming Extension Nutrition and Food Safety Educator
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