What Happens If You Don't Drain Ground Beef? -

This post contains affiliate links. Read the full disclosure here.

Contents

Have you ever tried making any recipe with ground beef? Perhaps you are wondering what happens when you don’t drain your ground beef. Let’s find out in this article.

If you don’t drain your ground beef, your food will be too oily. By draining your ground beef, you are getting rid of some fats and water from it, and if you don’t drain it off, the meal you are preparing might not taste well.

However, if you like your food oily, you can use ground beef without going through the process of draining it.

Some recipes would need the fat from the ground beef, so you will not need to drain it if that happens to be the case.

Having known what happens if you don’t drain your ground beef, let’s discuss how you can drain ground beef in the next paragraph.

How do I drain ground beef?

Draining ground beef is easy to do, but you need to follow a few steps to get it right. There are two methods to drain your ground beef.

Methods

Drain your ground beef from the pan.
Draining the ground beef with a strainer.

Drain your ground beef from the pan

This is the first way you can drain your ground beef. It is easy when you follow the steps closely.

Step 1: Cook your ground beef

Pour your ground beef on a pan and use a spoon to break it into pieces. Then, put the pan on the gas top. Switch on the gas, leaving it on moderately low heat, let the ground beef cook for about 9 to 10 minutes.

While the ground beef is cooking, you can season it with any of your spices including pepper, garlic and ginger powder, salt, and so on. Let the ground beef cook till it’s brown.

Step 2: Move the cooked beef to one angle of your pan

Use the same spoon you used in stirring the ground beef initially to move the cooked beef to the side of the pan. Bend the pan so that the oil will move to the other side, while you move the cooked beef to one side.

NB– Ensure you carefully bend the pan so the grease won’t spill out.

Step 3: Put the oil in an empty container

Utilize a metal tablespoon to scoop out the oil from the pan. Put the oil in a container or put tin foil in a jar and scoop the oil into it, the tin foil added will make it easier for you to dispose of the grease and easily clean the jar.

Step 4: Use a turkey baster instead of a tablespoon to suck up the oil from the pan

The turkey baster is like a pipe with a bulb at the end, so you’d need to clasp the bulb at the end and put the tip in the pan.

Then, unclasp the bulb after putting the tip in the pan to suck up the oil. Ensure that the grease does not go down to the bulb area as this would melt it.

Step 5: Use tissue paper to absorb the oil

Don’t go through the stress of cleaning the container, you can use tissue paper. You’d need about 3 to 4 tissue paper to absorb the oil in the pan.

Note that you might need more tissue paper if there is still oil in the pan after the initial clean-up. Carefully absorb the oil with tissue paper so you won’t hurt your hand as the pot will still be hot at this point.

NB– Before disposing of the tissue paper, let it cool.

Step 6: Put the grease if you scooped it in a bowl

You might need the grease in another meal, so you can scoop the fat into a bowl, then, let it cool for 20 to 30 minutes before putting it in your freezer. Within 2 hours the fat would have thickened.

Trending Searches

Draining the ground beef with a strainer

Another alternative to drain your ground beef is by using a strainer. You need to heed a few steps for this method. Below are the steps;

Materials

Spoon.
Bowl.
Hot water.
Strainer.
Pan.

Step 1: Cook your ground beef

Pour your ground beef on a pan and use a spoon to break it into pieces. Then, put the pan on the gas top. Switch on the gas, leaving it on moderately low heat, then, let the ground beef cook for about 9 to 10 minutes.

NB– Stir the beef while it’s cooking.

Step 2: Place your strainer on a bowl

When the ground beef is cooked, put your strainer on a big bowl (metal), then pour the cooked ground beef and fat into the strainer. Here, the strainer would retain the beef while the fat would go down to the bowl.

Step 3: Pour hot water into the beef

While the strainer is still on the bowl, pour hot water in the cooked beef to eliminate the remaining fat in it. This step can be repeated until you are satisfied with the fat content in the beef.

Step 4: Put the fat in the freezer

Let the oil cool down for about 20 to 30 minutes, then put it in the freezer for two hours. By that time the oil would have thickened and would float on the water. Ensure the fat has thickened before you bring it out of the freezer.

Step 5: Use a tablespoon spoon to scoop the fat

Scoop the fat floating on the water and dispose of it. When you are done scooping the oil, you can pour the water away. Then, wash the bowl, strainer, spoon, and pan.

Is ground beef healthy if you drain the grease?

Of course, ground beef is still healthy if you drain off the fat. When the ground beef is cooked and drained, the fat and calories will be lessened. In this case, you’d still have the fat and calories you need, but not as much as when the beef hasn’t been drained.

For instance, if you cook 5 ounces of lean ground beef, after it is being cooked it will be 4 ounces. Also, when it is drained, the fat content will reduce.

What can I make with ground beef?

You can make a lot of dishes with ground beef, they include; tacos, meatballs, burgers, soup, pasta, and so on.

When you have your ground beef well seasoned, you’d enjoy it when you use it for any dish. After purchasing the ground beef, cut out the amount of beef you need, then put it in your freezer.

Portioning it in the freezer would make it easy for you to make your dishes when you are ready. However, it is advisable to purchase lean ground beef to avoid a lot of grease in the pan when cooking.

FAQs

How do I cook ground beef without drying it out?

Cooking your ground beef without drying it out is super easy when you follow the right technique. Below are the steps to cook your ground beef without drying it out.

Step 1: Sauté your ingredients

Place your pan on the gas top. Then, sauté your diced onion, garlic, and ginger with olive oil.

Step 2: Cook the ground beef

Add the ground beef to the pan and let it cook. Keep stirring till the pink colour of the beef changes to brown.

Step 3: Scoop the cooked ground beef

You have to be vigilant for you to notice the colour change. However, when the colour of the beef changes to brown, scoop it out of the pan immediately. That way, your ground beef would not dry out after cooking.

Why do you add water to ground beef?

Water is added to ground beef while cooking to increase the moisture in it. However, this is not necessary for all dishes. Some dishes do not need a lot of moisture, just the one excreted from the beef is enough.

While some dishes need a lot of moisture from the beef as the beef cooks for a long period, the addition of water to your beef depends on the recipe.