Who knew there was a trick to browning ground beef

Are you tired of gray-looking cooked ground beef? I know I am.

There is a reason why most recipes instruct the cook to sauté ground beef until it loses its pink color. Reaching that point is a fairly accurate way to know that the ground beef has reached a safe temperature. What recipe writers like me do not want to write is cook the ground beef until it is gray. Ugh.

Over the years, I’ve found that when I saute ground beef, it throws off water. Once the ground beef turns gray and I tip my sauté pan, there are usually several tablespoons of gray water in the pan’s bottom. Double ugh.

That’s why, when what was described as a “trick” to making ground beef brown better (boosting the flavor) and retaining moisture, I wanted to know how.

Back in 2021, the website food52.com shared an article by Valerio Farris titled: “We Tested the Internet’s Favorite Ground Beef Trick — Browned ground beef has never been browner, crispier, or more delicious.” Jeepers, if true, who wouldn’t want that?

The “trick” comes from what Asian restaurants do to most, if not all, their meats: They use baking soda, salt and sometimes cornstarch, a process known as velveting.

Wanting to see if this “trick” worked, I used a 21-ounce (1⅓ pounds) package of organic 93/7 grass-fed ground beef. This would be an ultimate test since ground beef is lean (only 7% fat), and grass-fed beef is not generally very tender.

I added the ground beef to a clean, medium-sized bowl and sprinkled it with ½ teaspoon of baking soda (the brand does not matter) and ½ teaspoon of Diamond Crystal kosher salt (the brand matters). Working it like meatloaf, I tossed and mixed the baking soda and salt into the ground beef. It took a minute or two. Then, I set it aside for 15 minutes.

Over medium-high heat, I got my skillet hot and added a teaspoon of fat (ghee — butter oil) and then the ground beef. As the ground beef cooked, using my spatula, I broke it up and then let it cook for a minute or two until the ground beef touching the skillet browned. Using the spatula’s edge, I divided the beef into quarters and flipped each quarter over. I let it brown for two minutes or so and then took the skillet off the heat.

What happened? For the first time, the ground beef was a beautiful brown, and there was no water (brown or gray) in the pan’s bottom. When I tasted it, it did not taste like baking soda. It had a big beef flavor and was tender, not chewy.

Nan was planning to make chili that day, so she used my browned ground beef. My tender and flavorful ground beef helped make Nan’s 3-bean chili look and taste delicious.

This also works for hamburgers. Sprinkle a ¼ to ½ teaspoon baking soda and ½ teaspoon of Diamond Crystal brand kosher salt over a pound of ground beef. Mix it in well and then let it rest for 15 minutes. Gently form into patties and sauté as usual. Note that they will brown nicely, which also adds flavor. Ta-da, tasty burgers.

Let me know your thoughts if you try this since I only share my experience.

• Don Mauer welcomes questions, comments and recipe makeover requests. Write to him at 1leanwizard@gmail.com.