The U. S. The official data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that the price of a pound of lean ground beef went up to a huge $5. 57 per pound. It’s been a rough time for the economy, and prices for everything are going up because of inflation. What’s the solution? Learning how to creatively stretch ground beef to cut the cost!.
You don’t have to become vegetarian or pay a king’s ransom for a good hamburger if you and your family aren’t ready to do either. You can get creative instead. Okay, maybe a little sneaky, too.
But first, let’s talk turkey, I mean ground beef. The lean option of ground beef, 93/7, is not easy to prepare. That’s because there’s not enough fat in it to turn out juicy, delicious fare. Super lean ground beef requires careful seasoning, fussy cooking, and even adding fat. So save your money and go with a less lean more flavorful option.
Let’s say that you, like I, prefer 80/20 ground beef. Recently, I paid $2. 97 per pound for that at my supermarket on sale (reg. $5. 49). But I didn’t really pay even that much.
My effective cost was more like $1. 97 per pound. How? Please don’t tell a soul—I stretch it. I take the best quality ground beef and then “extend” it by at least one-third. So whatever the price in the store, I mentally reduce it by 33% to get my effective cost.
Lean ground beef can be a healthy choice, but it often lacks flavor and moisture. Fortunately, there are easy ways to add fat to lean ground beef to make it more delicious!
Adding fat to lean ground beef serves two main purposes
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It adds flavor The fat dissolves into the beef during cooking, dispersing its rich, meaty taste throughout. This gives lean ground beef a major flavor boost
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It keeps the beef moist and juicy. Without adequate fat, lean beef easily dries out during cooking. Extra fat creates juiciness and improves texture.
Below I’ll explain 10 simple methods for adding fat to ground beef. I’ll also cover how much fat to add, plus tips for the best results.
Why Add Fat to Lean Ground Beef?
Let’s quickly go over why it’s beneficial to add fat to extra lean meat:
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Flavor – Fat carries a ton of flavor. Adding fat to lean beef greatly improves its taste.
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Moisture – Fat keeps ground beef tender and juicy as it cooks. Lean beef can become dry and crumbly without added fat.
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Texture – The richness from fat gives lean beef a more indulgent, meaty texture.
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Cooking performance – Fat helps lean beef hold together better for burgers and meatballs. It also allows for a nicer sear.
For the best results, aim for 85% lean / 15% fat ground beef. But adding just a bit of fat to 96-99% lean beef makes a big difference.
Below are simple ways to bump up the fat percentage.
10 Easy Ways to Add Fat to Lean Ground Beef
1. Use Beef Tallow or Bacon Grease
Animal fats like beef tallow or bacon grease are ideal for adding moisture and richness to lean ground beef. They blend seamlessly into the meat.
How to do it:
Dice the fat into small pieces and mix it into the beef by hand.Aim for pea-sized bits of fat evenly distributed. For precise amounts, see the chart below.
To get the texture just right, make sure the fat and beef are thoroughly chilled before mixing. Consider placing them in the freezer for 30 minutes beforehand.
Mix gently to avoid overworking the meat. Then form patties or meatballs as usual. The bits of fat will melt into the beef as it cooks, keeping it tender and flavorful.
2. Mix in Raw Sausage or Chorizo
Raw sausage is an extremely easy way to add moisture and spice to lean beef. I like using spicy sausage or chorizo, but any raw sausage will work wonderfully.
How to do it:
Simply remove the sausage meat from its casing and mix it into the ground beef by hand. Use a 50/50 ratio for a major boost in juiciness and flavor. Or do 80% beef / 20% sausage if you want a more subtle effect.
Since the sausage is raw, be sure to cook the beef thoroughly to an internal temperature of 160°F.
3. Grate in Cold Butter
Butter may seem like an unusual addition, but it melts deliciously into ground meat during cooking. It adds great richness and moisture.
How to do it:
Grate cold, hard butter into the raw beef. Tiny shreds blend in easily without oversoftening the meat. For precise amounts, refer to the chart below.
Mix the butter flakes gently into the beef by hand. Then form into patties or balls right away before the butter softens.
As the beef cooks, the butter melts into it beautifully. Just beware of potential splattering if cooking burgers in a skillet.
4. Mix in Crumbled Bacon
Chopped cooked bacon is a foolproof way to add smoky, fatty flavor to ground beef.
You can also use raw bacon. Just be sure to cook the beef thoroughly.
How to do it:
To use cooked bacon, simply chop it into tiny pieces first. For raw bacon, mince it in a food processor.
Add the crumbled bacon to the raw beef. Mix it in gently by hand until evenly distributed.
Aim for 10-15% bacon by weight relative to the beef. A little goes a long way!
5. Blend in Grated Cheese
Shredding cold cheese into ground beef adds delicious flavor and moisture as it melts.
Good options include cheddar, Monterey jack, pepper jack, Swiss, and blue cheese.
How to do it:
Grate the chilled cheese into shreds, or chop it into very small cubes.
Mix the cheese pieces gently into the raw ground beef until evenly distributed.
For precise amounts based on fat percentage, refer to the handy chart below.
The cheese softens into the meat beautifully during cooking, amping up flavor and richness.
6. Mix in Some Fattier Ground Meat
Got ground beef or pork with a higher fat percentage on hand? Blend some into the extra lean meat for an instant fat boost.
How to do it:
Calculate how much you need based on the fat percentages of each (see chart below). Then gently mix the two together by hand until homogeneous.
For example, mixing 50% 90% lean beef with 50% 80% lean beef results in 85% lean meat.
7. Add Finely Minced Mushrooms
Chopped mushrooms aren’t exactly a fat, but they add moisture and richness similar to fat. Plus they shrink considerably as they cook.
Any mushroom works, but meaty porcini or portobellos are best.
How to do it:
Pulse the mushrooms in a food processor until finely minced. Or mince them by hand.
Mix the minced mushrooms into the raw ground beef until evenly incorporated. Use 10-15% mushrooms by weight relative to the beef.
8. Use Oil for Pan Frying
When pan-frying lean ground beef, use oil instead of cooking spray. This adds a touch of fat to coat the meat.
How to do it:
Heat 1-2 Tbsp oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Common choices are olive oil, avocado oil, ghee or beef tallow.
Brown the ground beef in the oil as usual, stirring occasionally to break it up. The meat will absorb some of the oil as it cooks.
Pour off excess oil after cooking if needed. The slight amount absorbed adds nice moisture and richness.
9. Mix in Egg Yolk
Stirring a beaten egg yolk into raw ground beef adds moisture and binds the meat. It helps form juicier, more tender patties.
How to do it:
In a small bowl, whisk 1 egg yolk per pound of ground beef.
Pour the beaten yolk over the meat and gently mix together by hand.
Cook the beef right away, as usual, so the raw egg cooks through fully.
The cooked yolk acts as a binder to keep juices and fat locked in.
10. Brush with Oil Before Cooking
Brushing lean beef patties or meatballs with oil before cooking provides a touch of fat to keep the exterior from drying out.
How to do it:
Lightly coat the surface of formed raw patties or meatballs with oil. Use a pastry brush or just brush on with your fingers.
Good oil choices include olive oil, avocado oil, vegetable oil, ghee or beef tallow.
Cook the beef as normal until done. The oil helps maintain moisture and encourages better browning.
How Much Fat to Add to Lean Ground Beef
As a general rule, ground beef with 15-20% fat content has the best moisture, flavor and texture.
To hit this sweet spot, here’s a handy chart with how much fat to add based on percentages:
| Fat % of Original Meat | Fat to Add by Weight |
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| 96% lean | 33% fat |
| 93% lean | 28% fat |
| 90% lean | 22% fat |
| 85% lean | 18% fat |
Some examples:
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To make 96% lean beef ideal for burgers, add 33% beef tallow by weight. So for 2 lbs beef, add 0.66 lbs tallow.
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To improve 90% lean beef, add 22% butter by weight. For 1 lb beef, add 0.22 lbs (3.5 oz) butter.
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To make 85% lean beef perfect for meatballs, add 18% sausage meat by weight. For 3 lbs beef, mix in 0.54 lbs raw sausage.
The added fat should come from a solid source like butter, tallow, cheese, bacon or sausage. Oils don’t blend as seamlessly.
Tips for Best Results
Follow these tips when adding fat to lean ground beef:
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Chill the meat and fat thoroughly before mixing. The colder, the better.
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Mix gently to avoid overworking
How far will fillers stretch?
A pound of ground beef usually comes out to about 2 cups cooked. You can safely add a cup of filler to one pound of ground beef to make it stretchier. This will give you about 150 percent more meat to use. If you usually give each person a quarter of a pound of meat for dinner, you can make a dinner that serves four people into a dinner that serves six.
Regardless of your choice, the filler is usually much cheaper than the meat itself. You can get filler for less than a dollar a cup and then cook a pound of meat over several days. Doing this can make a significant difference in your grocery budget.
Add one cup of filler per pound of meat. If you’re afraid that your family will notice, start by adding less filler to each meal and work your way up. In recipes that use crumbled meat (e. ,g. As long as you use the same amount of filler and beef, you can make the meat last even longer. Make sure you add seasonings as if you are working with all meat.
You must be cautious when packing meat into a ball, loaf, or patty because it’s a delicate formula. It keeps its shape and cooks to the right texture and moisture because eggs hold the meat and filler together. If you use too much filler, meatloaf and meatballs will be mushy, and your burgers may fall apart.
Most meals are just right with one egg and no more than one cup of filler per pound of meat. If it’s too thick, add another egg.
How to stretch ground Beef
It works much better when I add something to the ground beef to make it go farther than when I just use beef. Depending on what I’m making, I’m always doctoring, seasoning, and adding this or that.
Take meatloaf for example. It’s likely that the word “meatloaf” makes you say “Yuck!” This is because putting a block of ground beef in the oven with some salt and pepper will make it as dry as shoe leather and about as tasty.
But mix that same amount of ground beef with a few good things, then bake it or grill it. You are going to be amazed. Even your children will say it’s great, and ask you to do that again. And again.
Just don’t be so anxious to tell your secrets. There’s something about adding stuff to ground beef that grosses people out.
For every pound of ground beef that you brown for tacos, chili, or sloppy Joes, add one cup of cooked rice right after you drain the grease from the meat. Your family will never know. There is brown rice or white rice, and both take the seasoning very well. It looks like all ground beef.
When you make tacos or chili, add grated, pre-cooked potato or dry potato flakes to the hamburger meat.
Cook it first in water until soft according to label instructions. Then add to any recipe that calls for ground beef and tomato sauce, but use less ground beef because the bulgur wheat will soak up some of the sauce. Shhh! I’ve been known to go 50/50 cooked bulgar to ground beef. That means 1/2 pound ground beef where the recipe calls for 1 pound.
Roast them first, then puree in the food processor or blender. Add one cup per pound of ground beef.
Add one-half cup of pre-cooked lentils, kasha, quinoa, or beans to the raw ground beef. Now cook it just as if you would if it were all ground beef.
How do I add fat to lean ground beef?
FAQ
Can you add oil to lean ground beef?
What is the best fat to lean ground beef?
Does adding fat to lean ground beef add flavor?
Adding that to lean ground beef will surely add a lot of flavor. Is this practice common with other types of lean meats too? Yes, adding fat to other lean ground meat is also very common. Some common types of meat where extra fat is almost always added are elk and venison.
How much protein is there in 100 grams of lean beef?
For every 100g of lean meat, there is an average of 32g to 35g of protein, in addition we have 7g of lipids, 84mg of cholesterol and 4. 3g of saturated fat.
How do you add fat to ground beef?
The best way to add fat to lean ground beef is to use beef back fat (tallow). Ensure the tallow and beef are cold before mixing them together. An easy fix is to grate butter or cheese into the beef. Or mix in a fattier meat like sausage or chorizo. You can add fat to your ground beef in a variety of forms. Here are the best things to add:
What should I add to lean ground beef?
The best thing to add to lean ground beef is fat. Beef fat, particularly back fat, should work well with ground beef. It adds a lot of moisture to the beef and is rich and similar in flavor to the actual ground beef!