How to Cook Ground Beef

5 from 6 votes

How to cook ground beef to use for your favorite ground beef recipes!

Prep Time5

Cook Time10

Total Time15

Course: Dinner, Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Ground Beef

Servings: servings

Calories: 204kcal

Author: Erica Walker

Remove ground beef from refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature (about 20-30 minutes).
In a medium or large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat (a little closer to the "high" side than the "medium" side).
Add ground beef to pan and press down to cover the bottom of the pan (like you are making a big hamburger), then break into large pieces (A wooden spatula with a big flat edge works best for this).
Allow to cook for 3-4 minutes without stirring or breaking up more. Try to break that habit of adding the beef to the pan and immediately chopping up into little tiny pieces right off the bat.
Flip the ground beef over, season with salt (or any other seasonings your particular recipe calls for) and cook on the other side for another couple minutes.
After a couple minutes, start breaking into smaller pieces. Resist the urge to stir constantly or the beef won't get "browned". Continue to brown by stirring, then waiting a minute or so, then stirring again until the ground beef is brown and cooked through.
For more tips on cooking ground beef, see notes above.