Email to Linda Carnation      

ground - Beef Crumbles

Source of Recipe

.
Ground beef may be browned ahead of time and frozen
for quick and convenient use in spaghetti sauce, chili,
sloppy joes, etc.
Follow these tips for best flavor and quality.

ground - Beef Crumbles

1. When making beef crumbles for later use, if possible,
avoid using iron or aluminum cooking utensils as these
speed flavor changes.

2. Brown crumbles with onions or unroasted bell peppers
which have antioxidant properties and slow flavor changes.
OR, brown the meat, seasoned lightly, with one or more of
these herbs and spices that have antioxidant properties:
rosemary, sage, marjoram, thyme, mace, allspice and cloves.

Use the seasoning and amount that will be most suitable
for the recipes you make. Add more seasoning when you
prepare the food, if needed, as freezing may affect the
intensity of the flavor of spices and herbs.

3. Do not use salt; add salt later when the meat is used
in your recipe. Salt may hasten undesirable flavor changes
in beef crumbles.

4. Freezing the crumbles as part of a sauce, such as
spaghetti sauce, also helps preserve flavor. Make sure
the sauce covers the entire meat surface.

5. Cool and refrigerate beef crumbles promptly in shallow
containers. Containers may be placed in the refrigerator
before beef has cooled entirely. Loosely cover refrigerated
container until beef has cooled.

6. Promptly transfer the cooled beef crumbles to plastic
"freezer," NOT "storage" bags. Eliminate air pockets.
Freezer bags are thicker than storage bags and will keep
the food fresh longer. Label and date packages; include
amount of beef or number of servings.

7. Speed freezing and hasten thawing by freezing crumbles
in a thinner, flattened shape in freezer bags. Do not stack
packages -- the quality will be better if the beef freezes
faster. A rounded shape takes longer to thaw through to
the middle. Flattened packages also will stack better in
your freezer. Place on a flat surface, such as a metal pan
or cookie sheet until frozen. Then, remove and stack.

8. Use frozen beef crumbles within 2 to 3 months for best
flavor and quality. Freeze at 0 degrees F or lower.

9. IMPORTANT: Unless you plan to use beef crumbles
within a day or two, freeze crumbles promptly after cooling
for best quality and safety. If stored in the refrigerator
for a day or two, transfer to a tightly covered container
after they have cooled.


Basic Directions

Use 90% lean and higher ground beef for these directions;
16 ounces raw ground beef yields equally to 12 ounces fully
cooked ground beef crumbles.

1. In general, brown no more than 1 pound of ground beef at
a time. As ground beef browns, some meat juices are released.
If you overload the skillet, moisture is trapped and meat is
steamed rather than browned.

2. Brown lean ground beef in large nonstick skillet over
medium heat 8 to 10 minutes or until beef is not pink,
breaking beef up into 3/4-inch crumbles. Remove beef with
slotted spoon.

3. Add one or more of the antioxidant foods and spices listed
in number 2 under “Tips for Success” above to the beef as it
is browning to aid in flavor retention during freezing.
Alice’s Note: I find it most versatile and time-saving to add
one chopped medium onion to the beef as it is browning. So
many recipes call for both beef and onions; I’ve made my life
twice as simple by combining them.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: Information on making frozen beef
crumbles provided in part by the National Cattlemen's Beef
Association on behalf of The Beef Checkoff. and by Kaiti Roeder,
RD, Nebraska Beef Council (http://nebeef.org).