Lean Ground Beef...... what % fat??

[SURFTEXAS]

How do you cook ground beef on the BBQ? Do you make it into hamburger patties?

 

[gonelifting]

Is anyone familiar with Costco`s Angus Beef Patties? They come prepacked ten for like $10, they are delicious. What are thier fat %? Would they be considered low fat compared to others?

 

[TrueCowboy]

The fat % of raw hamburger is not nearly as important as many think. The fat % of the final product is what is important. As touched upon above, the cooking method is the most determining factor in the fat % of the cooked product. Regardless if you want the final product in a patty or crumbled you can drain the fat off as many times as you choose to lower the fat content.

Raw ground beef fat % is as follows:

Ground Hamburger: 30%
Ground Chuck (Shoulder): 20%
Ground Round (Hip): 15%
Ground Sirloin: 8%

Any of the above ground meats could have virtually identical final (after cooking) fat % if fat is repeatdly drained.

Using a "London Broil" (Top round roast or upper hip) would only yield a slightly lower raw fat % than the standard round 15% because it has most likely been trimmed more than what would be used in standard ground round. But the meat is identical (round).

Economics should IMO be the major issue at choosing which ground beef to buy. For instance, 5 lb. of ground HAMBURGER (30% fat) = .7 * 5 = 3.5 lbs. of meat. On the contrary, 5 lb. of ground sirloin = .92 * 5 = 4.6 lbs of meat. Therefore, ground hamburger could be 75% the cost of ground sirloin but you would actually be getting the same amount of meat/$. Another note is that it is worth something to reduce work of draing fat while cooking. For example, if ground chuck were $1.99/lb. and ground sirloin were $2.29/lb you would be getting the same deal in meat per $. Whatever additional cost the reduced work in cooking is worth you can add to determine how much more the ground sirloin is worth to you.

One more note. In the US most of the ground sirloin is derived from the cutter cow market. Since most of you don't know what a cutter cow is... it would be synonymous in humans as an 80 year old dried up woman. It is not most profitable for USDA Choice grade sirloins to be ground up into hamburger. So another point to remember when buying ground hamburger is that most likely the ground hamburger, round, or chuck is from slaughter steers wheras there is a good chance that the ground sirloin is from the dried up cow

My choice is generally always ground round.

 

[gonelifting]

Dude, you get karma just for that detailed answer about f`ing cows.

 

[JG1]

I have been trying to get in about 8oz of ground beef per night, usually about 1.5 hours after my post workout shake.

Bro', I'd avoid any fat 1.5 hours after your PW shake! You still most likely will have insulin in your blood, and you don't want to be eating fat at this time. Eat some good carbs with protein and keep that fat intake LOW....like almost 0.

 

[TrueCowboy]

Dude, you get karma just for that detailed answer about f`ing cows.

I have quite a bit of experience & education in that field Glad to see someone found it helpful....

 

[LaviathanX]

I get extra lean ground beef... 96/4. From Harris Teeter. I use it with my hamburger helper (use skim milk). 1.3lbs per package instead of 1lb. I eat 1/3 of it and save the other 2/3 in separate portions. Great source of protein. I used it during my diet and lost a lot of fat. Ate it every day.

Get cheesy shells or three cheese HH. Lowest calorie/carb count of them all.

 

[satchboogie]

no ground beef is less than 20%.

try boiling it first and see how much comes out.

 

[TrueCowboy]

no ground beef is less than 20%.

try boiling it first and see how much comes out.

This statement is false.

 

[freakazoid]

cook it in a frying pan and use a fine wire mesh strainer when you are done to drain the fat from the meat,,,, works like a champ.

just buy a small foreman electric grill,i picked one up at wall mart for like $13.