I like to use ground beef that’s 85% lean; anything less lean has too much fat and beef that’s more lean doesn’t have enough flavor and is too expensive. The one exception I usually make is to sometimes use 90% lean when making meatloaf because there’s no opportunity to drain off any of the fat (after we’ve put it to good use, of course). Even so, 85% works OK and if I’m going to cook the meatloaf on a rack and use the drippings to make gravy, 85% is preferred. In just a moment I’ll show you how to put that 15% of fat to work and still get rid of any that we don’t need.
Most recipes that use ground beef call for it to be browned; most of those recipes also use sauteed onions (and maybe garlic, too). Browning beef works best in small batches, where “small” is a function of the size pan you’re using. I suggest you very loosely pack the bottom of the pan with beef to a depth of no more than 1 inch; any more and you’ll wind up steaming the beef rather than browning it. Yuck. Anyway, put the beef in the pan, turn up the flame to medium, and wait for some of the fat to render; as soon as it does, turn the flame up to high and stir frequently. If the beef starts to burn, turn the flame down a bit. As soon as the meat is brown all the way through but before the liquid in the bottom of the pan evaporates, remove the pan from the heat.
If the recipe doesn’t call for anything else to be sauteed, put a colander in the sink, dump in the contents of the pan, and stir it around a bit to drain off all the fat. Don’t worry about draining off the juices because you’ll almost certainly replace them with something tastier (usually beer or broth).
Repeat the browning and draining steps as many times as necessary. If too much beef sticks to the pan, deglaze it with whatever liquid will be used in the recipe. As always, be sure to save this liquid with all the bits of browned beef; it’s a vital source of flavor.
When the recipe calls for additional ingredients to be sauteed we have to be a bit smarter about this whole process. After the first batch of beef has browned, put the colander over a bowl before dumping in the contents of the pan. Stir to drain off all the fat then put the bowl (but not the colander) in the freezer. Unless you’re going to saute several pounds of other stuff the juices and fat from additional batches of browned beef can go down the drain.
By the time you’ve cooked all the beef the bowl of fat and juices in the freezer will have separated and the fat will have solidified on top of the juices. If you’re browning only a single batch of beef, chop up the onions (or whatever) while the fat cools in the freezer.
Remove the solidified fat and use however much of it is needed to sautee the remaining ingredients. However, start with a small quantity of fat and add more only if necessary; the idea is to use as little fat as possible and no more. Too much fat and it will separate out as your dish cools; again, yuck.
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