Get Ready

Forever flexible, ground beef can be pan-fried for meat sauces and casseroles or shaped into burgers, meatballs and more.

COOK ground beef in non-stick skillet over medium-high heat for 8 to 10 minutes, breaking into small chunks with cooking. Cook thoroughly, until browned throughout.
DRAIN.
ADD to pasta sauce or soups or use in chili, casserole, taco and soup recipes, seasoning to taste.

Watch

Common Cuts

Extra lean ground beef
Maximum fat content 10% (90% lean)

Lean ground beef
Maximum fat content 17% (83% lean)

Medium ground beef
Maximum fat content 23% (77% lean)

Regular ground beef
Maximum fat content 30% (70% lean)

Myth Buster

MYTH:

Ground beef has colour added to it – that is why it is purple in the centre of the pack but bright red on the surface.

TRUTH:

Ground beef is 100% beef with no additives, fillers or colours. As beef is exposed to oxygen, it naturally develops a red hue – so the meat at the surface of a package is bright red. The meat at the centre will turn red too once it’s opened up to the air.

Tips for Ground Beef

Cook’s Notes:

All ground beef comes designated as Extra Lean, Lean, Medium or Regular, based on the maximum fat content. This designation is the same for all ground meats: beef, turkey, veal, chicken, pork and lamb.

Ground beef types

EXTRA LEAN (10% maximum fat) great for flavour-packed recipes that you don’t drain after cooking. Use in meat loaf or cabbage rolls.
LEAN (17% maximum fat) Canada’s No. 1 grind is a good all-purpose choice. Use in all kinds of ground beef recipes.
MEDIUM (23% maximum fat)
REGULAR (30% maximum fat) use for grilling, broiling and drain to reduce fat before adding to your recipe. Use Medium in burgers and meatballs, and Regular or Medium in pasta sauces and casseroles.

Have you tried “Steak Experience” Ground Beef? Look for the names Sirloin, Chuck and Round on packages of ground beef. These names indicate that the ground beef is made from a single cut, not a mix. Ground Sirloin tastes like Sirloin Steak for example – it’s ground beef gone gourmet.
Refrigerate ground beef within 1 to 2 hours of purchase.
Refrigerate at 40° F (4° C) or lower, on bottom shelf to avoid dripping on to other foods.
Thaw in the fridge, allowing 12 to 15 hours per pound, OR thaw in the microwave, cooking immediately after thawing.
Cook all ground beef thoroughly to 160° F (71° C). Test temperatures with a digital read thermometer. Never eat ground beef raw.

Big Batch Beef

The Question of Colour

Contrary to popular belief, the colour of beef is not a reliable indicator of freshness. In its initial state, beef is a deep purple colour. As it is exposed to oxygen in the air, the pigment turns cherry red. That same beef can turn purple again if oxygen is removed. The perfect example is vacuum-packaged beef.

With certain packaging types, that initial cherry red pigment will begin to take on a slightly brown hue quite quickly. The meat is still fresh and safe to eat, but just not as bright a red as when it was first exposed to oxygen. The Best Before date is still the best way to know if your fresh beef needs to be prepared and eaten right away or frozen.

Some ground beef can be brownish in the centre. This is because the small amount of oxygen present in the centre gives the meat pigment a brownish hue. However, the meat remains fresh and safe to eat up to its Best Before date.

Cuts used with Ground Beef

Common Cuts | Ground Beef

Ground Beef Options

regular-ground-beef-canadian-beef
EXTRA LEAN GROUND BEEF
Maximum fat content 10% (90% lean)

regular-ground-beef-canadian-beef
LEAN GROUND BEEF
Maximum fat content 17% (83% lean)

regular-ground-beef-canadian-beef
MEDIUM GROUND BEEF
Maximum fat content 23% (77% lean)

regular-ground-beef-canadian-beef
REGULAR GROUND BEEF
Maximum fat content 30% (70% lean)

Ground Beef recipes:

Eggplant and Beef Caponata

If you want to skip making the Big Batch Beef, use 1/2 lb (250 g) fresh ground beef, browned with 1 EACH small onion and clove garlic, minced. If you're looking to change up the flavours, substitute toasted slivered almonds for the pine nuts and diced dried apricots or sliced green olives for the golden raisins.

Florentine Beef and Cheese Stuffed Shells

The two-pan plan... Although this recipe may seem a bit fussy, it makes two pans, so you can bake one for the kids right away and refrigerate the other to bake for your Date Night Dinner while they watch their favourite Harry Potter movie. Serve theirs with a glass of milk and some veggies and dip and yours with a side-salad of baby greens dressed with balsamic vinaigrette (using their veggie and dip leftovers to add to your salad of course!) And don’t forget your glass of ‘red’ – you deserve it. Cheers!

Salisbury Steak with Mushroom Wine Sauce

Here is the perfect burger recipe when it gets to be too cold for grilling. When is a hamburger, not just a hamburger? When it's a Salisbury Steak served with this yummy wine and mushroom sauce!

Traditional Lasagna

This ground beef classic may seem fussy to make but using a béchamel sauce and medium ground beef makes this so much better than a purchased lasagna. Béchamel is easier than you may think and using oven-ready noodles saves prep and clean-up time. BONUS: This recipe makes about 2 cups extra meat sauce that you can package up and freeze to use as a speedy weeknight spaghetti dinner.

Garlic-laced Beef Meatballs with Spaghetti & Simple Pantry Sauce

Golden Rice & Beef

The colours alone could knock this one out of the park, but the sweet, savoury and somewhat exotic flavours carry it the extra mile. This is a fantastic dish for any occasion, any time of year.

So Trendy Beef Burgers

Up-to-the-minute ingredients featured in this recipe combine to transform beef burgers into haute cuisine.

Cheesy Beef & Lentil Pasta Bake with Roasted Veg

Healthy AND delicious come together in this baked pasta dish inspired by the cuisine of Northern Italy. A beefy tomato sauce studded with plenty of roasted vegetables and fibre-rich lentils enrobes whole-grain noodles. Topped with creamy ricotta cheese, this recipe is perfect for serving a hungry crowd.