lean ground beef

Stuck with a load of lean ground beef and not sure how to fatten it up? Don’t worry.I’ve been in this exact situation more times than I care to remember.In this recipe, I’m going to show you 7 quick and delicious ways to add that all-important fat to your ground beef.

How To Add Fat To Lean Ground Beef

portion beef back fat (tallow) (optional)

portion bacon (optional)

portion bacon fat (optional)

chorizo (optional)

butter

portion sausages (optional)

portion pork mince (optional)

portion cheese (optional)

Adding beef fat to lean ground beef can transform it into something truly magical.The trick to using beef fat is to use BACK FAT specifically.

Ensure both the tallow and beef are COLD before adding to your food processor. I recommend placing them in the freezer for around 20 minutes before your ready to process them. If the meat is too warm it will smear and you’ll end up with mushy ground beef.

The same applies to your grinding equipment. Place it in the freezer at least one hour before you need to use it.

Work out how much tallow you need to get the desired lean to fat ratio. If you’re unsure, skip to this section where I cover it in detail.

Grind together the ground beef and the tallow just until they’re both properly mixed. Don’t overdo this step. Too much handling can also result in a mushy texture.

If you don’t have a grinder or food processor at home, you may have some luck asking your butcher if they’d be willing to work in the fat for you.

Add beef back fat (tallow)

You have three options when it comes to adding bacon to ground beef.

Grind the bacon and mix with the ground beef before cooking/making patties.

Add cooked bacon to your ground beef.

Use the bacon fat/drippings to cook the ground beef.

Warning: adding bacon in this way requires you to cook the meat ALL the way through. Food poisoning is a real thing and even more important when it comes to dealing with pork products.

Another open is to cook the bacon BEFORE grinding it and adding it to the ground beef. Cooking the bacon first still allows you to have your burgers rare to medium-rare without having to worry about any foodborne illnesses.

You can also add bacon fat to lean ground beef. Once you&#039;ve calculated how much fat is required (see matrix), add the bacon fat to the lean ground beef before cooking.

Add bacon

Sausages are a great way to make your ground beef more juicy and fatty.And the best part?You don’t need any additional equipment or hassle to mix them together.

Work out how much fat you need to add, and then mix the sausage meat and ground beef together in a bowl.

Add sausage

Keep it simple when adding chorizo. Providing the ground beef is around 90% lean, I recommend adding 1 part chorizo for 3 parts ground beef.

Add chorizo

Adding cheese is a foolproof way to add fat and oozy-juicy-ness (is that even a word?). All without needing to add any other meats.

Choose your cheese. Blue cheese, Feta cheese, and Cream cheese all work well here.

Add a generous helping of your chosen cheese into the raw ground beef and gently mix by hand.

If you’re using a solid cheese I recommend cutting it into small chunks or use a cheese grater if you’re feeling lazy.

Cold cheese works best for this task. I recommend freezing the cheese for 20-30 minutes before mixing it into the raw beef.

Add cheese

Adding butter to ground beef elevates the beef’s flavor profile while not adding any other distractions (flavors). Butter also adds moisture and tenderness to the beef.

Dice or grate the butter into small pieces (too big and you’ll have pockets of air in the beef once the butter melts).

Ensure the butter is cold (like ice cold) before adding to the beef. I recommend freezing both the butter and beef for about 30 minutes to make sure they’re at a similar temperature.

Gently work the butter pieces into the ground beef and form individual patties. A light touch is crucial here to prevent the ground beef from turning mushy.

Add butter

This homemade lasagna is an Italian classic turned American favorite that&#39;s sure to be an instant addition to your recipe book. With a made-from-scratch meat sauce that&#39;s spruced up with McCormick® Herbs &amp;amp; Spices, our hearty lasagna recipe is packed full of rich, robust flavor. As with most lasagna dishes, this one includes a trio of cheeses — ricotta, mozzarella and Parmesan — for gooey goodness that&#39;ll have you coming back for more. Plus, no-boil noodles allow for easier preparation that&#39;s ideal for busy weeknights or when cooking a feast. To make it a complete meal, serve this meat lasagna with crusty Garlic Bread and a simple side salad of mixed greens, tomatoes and cucumbers. 

Homemade Lasagna

beef

olive oil

yellow onion, chopped

McCormick® Parsley Flakes

McCormick® Basil Leaves

McCormick® Oregano Leaves

McCormick® Garlic Powder

sugar

salt

McCormick® Crushed Red Pepper

(28 ounces each) crushed tomatoes

(14 1/2 ounces) petite diced tomatoes

tomato paste

Parmesan cheese

container (32 ounces) ricotta cheese

mozzarella cheese, divided

Parmesan cheese, divided

eggs, lightly beaten

McCormick® Coarse Ground Black Pepper

(8 ounces) no-boil lasagna noodles

step 1

Preheat oven to 375°F. For the Meat Sauce, brown beef in large skillet. Remove meat from skillet and drain; set aside. Heat oil in same skillet on medium heat. Add onion, parsley, basil leaves, garlic powder, sugar, salt and red pepper flakes; cook and stir 5 to 10 minutes until onions are softened.

step 2

Return beef to skillet and stir in crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes and tomato paste. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer 20 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir Parmesan cheese into sauce. Set aside.

step 3

Meanwhile, for the Lasagna, mix ricotta, 1 1/2 cups of the mozzarella, 1/4 cup of the Parmesan cheese, eggs, parsley, basil leaves, garlic powder, salt and pepper in a large bowl.

step 4

Spread 1 1/2 cups of the sauce in bottom of 13x9-inch baking dish. Top with 1/4 of the lasagna noodles. Spread 1/3 of the cheese mixture over noodles. Top with 1 1/2 cups of sauce. Repeat layers two more times, ending with a layer of pasta and remaining sauce. Spray one side of a large sheet of foil with no stick cooking spray. Cover lasagna with foil, sprayed-side down.

step 5

Bake 35 minutes. Remove foil. Top with remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Increase oven temperature to 475°F. Bake 15 minutes longer, or until cheese is lightly browned. Let stand 15 minutes before serving.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/roASgB_PfAg

Make cheesy nacho supreme the whole crew will love with the help of this easy recipe. This restaurant-inspired appetizer is not only delicious, but it only takes 10 minutes to prepare. McCormick® Fajitas Seasoning Mix brings savory, citrus flavor to create the ultimate nachos grande supreme recipe. Just stack your nachos supreme high with all your prepped ingredients and watch them get devoured in minutes. It’s the perfect appetizer for your next game day party or any day of the week. No one is judging.

Nachos Supreme

onion,

chopped red or green bell pepper

McCormick® Fajita Seasoning Mix

water

restaurant-style tortilla chips (8 ounces)

Cheddar cheese (8 ounces), divided

Preheat oven to 375°F. Cook ground beef, onion, and bell pepper in a large skillet on medium heat for 5 minutes or until cooked through, stirring frequently. Drain if needed. Stir in Seasoning Mix and water. Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Arrange tortilla chips in a single layer on 2 lightly greased, foil-lined shallow baking pans, overlapping chips if needed to cover the bottom completely. Top each pan of chips with half of the meat mixture and the cheese.

Bake for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted. Serve immediately with your favorite toppings.

What do you get when you combine two foodie favorites - pizza and tacos? Taco Pizza! Top a simple homemade crust with taco-seasoned ground beef, salsa and extra cheese for crave-worthy (and easy) meal.

Taco Pizza

bread flour

yeast

McCormick® 30% Less Sodium Mild Taco Seasoning Mix

salsa

Mexican cheese blend {shredded Cheddar cheese}

lettuce

tomato

For the Crust, whisk water and olive oil in liquid measuring cup. Place flour, yeast and salt in food processor; pulse until well blended. With machine running, gradually add water mixture just until mixed and no dry flour remains in bowl, about 30 seconds. Process 1 minute longer until dough forms a ball.

Transfer dough to lightly floured surface. Knead by hand about 30 seconds until dough is smooth, shaping into a ball. Transfer to a lightly greased bowl. Spray dough lightly with no stick cooking spray. Cover with plastic wrap. Place bowl in warm, draft-free place and allow dough to rise about 1 1/2 hours until puffy. Transfer to lightly greased sheet pan. Press and stretch dough into a rectangle about 15-inches long by 10-inches wide. Cover with plastic wrap. Place baking sheet in warm, draft-free place and allow dough to rise about 45 minutes longer.

Meanwhile, for the taco meat, brown ground beef in large skillet on medium-high heat. Drain fat. Stir in Seasoning Mix, salsa and water. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to low; simmer 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Preheat oven to 450°F. Gently stretch dough towards corners of sheet pan to return to original size before adding pizza toppings. Spoon meat mixture evenly over crust. Sprinkle with cheese.

Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until cheese is melted and crust is lightly browned. Top with shredded lettuce and chopped tomato. Add additional toppings as desired, such as sliced jalapenos and sour cream. Test Kitchen Tip: For easier prep, make pizza using a prepared 12-inch crust. Top crust as directed, and reduce bake time to 12 to 15 minutes or until cheese is melted.

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How To Add Fat To Lean Ground Beef

Homemade Lasagna

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Top 4 lean ground beef recipes from across the web

The most viewed lean ground beef recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

How To Add Fat To Lean Ground Beef

Homemade Lasagna

Nachos Supreme

Taco Pizza

The most viewed lean ground beef recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine