4

I like to cook ground beef by putting it in an oven safe dish and baking it at 350 Fahrenheit for 30 minutes. This works great for my purposes, but so much of the delicious fat is rendered to a liquid, e.g. there is a little island of beef in a pool of fat.

I would very much like to consume this fat rather than waste it. I do not fare very well directly eating the liquid/(semi-liquid after cooling) fat.

Can you think of any way to cook ground beef that does not result in rendering the fat? Maybe what I am asking for is impossible - if the ground beef needs to reach an internal temperature of 165, and fat starts to render at 135-140, ..

Alternately: can you suggest a method of cooking that results in smaller fat loss?

Improve this question
4
  • 1
    I cannot, but my great grandmother used to smear bacon grease on her toast. Similarly, you could fry some bread or mushrooms in the fat and soak it up. Just season it with salt and it should taste reasonable. (Sorry if that's what you meant by directly eating.)
    – kitukwfyer
    Oct 31, 2020 at 12:53
  • 4
    try adding some breadcrumbs and finely diced vegetables and bake it as a solid meatloaf rather than spread out. They will absorb the fat as it renders. Alternatively you could use it as the start of a gravy, though unless you bought lean ground beef there may be too much to use in a gravy.
    – Kate Gregory
    Oct 31, 2020 at 15:38
  • @kitukwfyer, that's a fair idea. By "direct eating" I meant that I let the fat cool a bit and scooped it up with a spoon. :)
    – negacao
    Oct 31, 2020 at 16:26
  • 1
    I find adding water helps keep the fat in. Probably because it keeps the beef from getting hotter than the boiling point of water. That's below the temp. where most rendering happens. This is personal observation, not science, so I don't think I should post it as an answer. I usually just pour the water over the beef, no mixing involved, and not too much or you get boiled beef.
    – Wayfaring Stranger
    Oct 31, 2020 at 19:47

3 Answers 3

Reset to default
6

Counterintuitively enough, cooking it at a higher temperature will help. The longer you spend cooking it, the more fat will render out. Cooking it faster means more fat will still be in the meat, even if the temperature in the oven is higher.

Improve this answer
1
  • 1
    Thank you. I will experiment with different times and temperatures.
    – negacao
    Oct 31, 2020 at 15:02
3

Start with less fat.

To state the obvious, 5% fat steak mince has a lot less fat than 20% fat beef mince. You'll have much less of a problem with excessive fat with that. It'll generally taste better too.

Make a roux.

When browning off the mince, add a 50-50 mix of flour and cornflour to turn the released fat into a roux. When you then add water, the roux gives you a nicely thickened gravy instead of just fat.

Improve this answer
2

Instant mashed potatoes.

Mix some in with the raw burger meat. Maybe 1/4 cup per pound? Unlike breadcrumbs, no-one will know it is in there. Even if they know, unless you are doing a keto diet there is no problem. Few burger eaters object to mashed potatoes. The instant mashed potatoes will soak up water and meat and flavor. Plus your burger meat goes a little farther.

Improve this answer

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge that you have read and understand our privacy policy and code of conduct.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.