Draining cooked beef to reduce fat?

[grumpy28]

Hey all. I have seen several people post about how they buy 80/20 beef for cheap, then drain it to reduce the fat. Does this actually work? Would the beef then be closer to 93/7, or does it not help that much? Also how do you do it? Do you drain it in the colander in the sink, or a pan?? I would love to buy cheaper hamburger beef, but only if the fat can really be reduced. TIA

 

[MEM]

Hey all. I have seen several people post about how they buy 80/20 beef for cheap, then drain it to reduce the fat. Does this actually work? Would the beef then be closer to 93/7, or does it not help that much? Also how do you do it? Do you drain it in the colander in the sink, or a pan?? I would love to buy cheaper hamburger beef, but only if the fat can really be reduced. TIA

I do this and it does reduce the fat considerably - I drain it in a colander in the sink and then pour boiling water over it. I don't use the hot water from the faucet because I have an old house and hot water can leach lead out of old pipes.

 

[branv]

I didn't even know there were people who didn't drain hamburger meat until I ate at a friend's house last year. She just browned the ground beef, then dumped in the sauce for spaghetti. Man was it oily!

I guess I learned it from my mom, and lemme tell you, we were not healthy food people...southern fried cookin' dontcha know I continue to do it not for health reasons per se, but b/c I want to taste flavored meat, not oil.

Personally, regardless of the meat/fat percentage, I always drain my ground beef using a colander. I think my mom used to line the colander with paper towels and then pour the meat in, but I found that didn't remove as much grease. Now my brother (who is getting healthier these days) actually puts it in a colander and rinses it with water, then heats it in the pan again to remove any residual water. I don't do that b/c I don't like the taste, but it is healthier.

 

[feedindy]

I actually boil my ground beef and then drain it. That gets even more of the grease out because it ends up floating on the water instead of soaked into the beef. I use a paper towel in my colander because I don't have one with small enough holes-the ground beef would just go right into the sink!

 

[grumpy28]

Thank you for the replies! I do have one more question...........for those of you that drain it in the colander in the sink, do you put a pan underneath to catch the grease? I was always told that grease can clog a drain, so not to pour it in the sink?? Thanks so much!!

 

[Ashley Kees]

I do what my mom did, and keep a 3 pound coffee can under the sink for fat. I put the can in the sink, put the colander in the can, and pour away. When the can gets full or gross, I toss it.

 

[linda0706]

Thank you for the replies! I do have one more question...........for those of you that drain it in the colander in the sink, do you put a pan underneath to catch the grease? I was always told that grease can clog a drain, so not to pour it in the sink?? Thanks so much!!

My colander is fairly narrow at the bottom so I just place the empty meat tray in the sink & put the colander on top of it. Then I can just put the tray in the trash (carefully so it doesn't tip & pour out the grease into the trashcan.) The grease solidfies as it cools so there's no problem by the time trash gets emptied.

 

[travlnman1]

drain it in a colander over a coffee can in the sink.
I store my "fat can" in the freezer. That way it wont smell and the fat solidifies and I'd rather throw the solid hard fat away than a can of liquid grease that may leak.

 

[kehouse]

you can also buy roast when they are on sale, and have them grind them into hamburger. kroger has whole sirlion tip on sale for 1.99lb. so i usually have them cut me a roast out of it and then grind the rest. it is usually so lean that you don't really have any grease to drain, i just get a paper towel and pat it.

 

[tinytink]

drain it in a colander over a coffee can in the sink.
I store my "fat can" in the freezer. That way it wont smell and the fat solidifies and I'd rather throw the solid hard fat away than a can of liquid grease that may leak.

I do cook the ground beef then drain it in a colander but i put my colander in a stainless bowl. I let it sit overnight and by that time the fat becomes solid. I then dump it into a recycled produce bag and tie it up and put it in the trash. I also wipe out the bowl with slightly used napkins/papertowels to soak up any extra grease then I wash with soap and water.

 

[mickeyfan2]

you can also buy roast when they are on sale, and have them grind them into hamburger. kroger has whole sirlion tip on sale for 1.99lb. so i usually have them cut me a roast out of it and then grind the rest. it is usually so lean that you don't really have any grease to drain, i just get a paper towel and pat it.

DH and I grind our own.

 

[HM]

I drain ground beef no matter what the percentage. I spoon it into old glass jars (usually spaghetti sauce or jelly jars) and when they get full, put them in the trash. That way, there is no gunking up my drain pipes.

 

[linda0706]

you can also buy roast when they are on sale, and have them grind them into hamburger. kroger has whole sirlion tip on sale for 1.99lb. so i usually have them cut me a roast out of it and then grind the rest. .

What a great idea! I never thought of that!

 

[PatsMom]

I use a colander to drain my ground beef. I either use the meat tray it came in to catch the drippings or I use an empty coffee can. I thought everyone drained their ground beef. And I wouldn't put the grease down my drain because I'd worry about plugging it up. It also would not be good for my septic/leach field.

 

[ducklite]

I buy 93% fat free and still drain it. I can't imagine not doing so. I pour mine right down the drain and follow with hot water. I've been doing that for 20 years and have never had a clog, but I also don't have a septic, and wouldn't do so if I did.

Anne

 

[allyphoe]

Would the beef then be closer to 93/7, or does it not help that much?

If you just drain, rather than blotting or blotting and rinsing, IMHO it won't get 80/20 to 93/7. If you blot, you'd be about 90/10, and if you blot and rinse, 95/5.

http://www.beefnutrition.org/uDocs/Reducing Fat in Cooked Ground Beef.pdf

Brown ground beef ​

in skillet over medium heat 8 to 10 minutes or until no longer pink. Stir occasionally to break beef into large pieces (about 1/4 inch). Meanwhile microwave 4 cups water in 1-quart glass measuring cup or microwaveable bowl on HIGH 5 to 6 minutes or until very hot, but not boiling (150 to 160 degrees F). Drain fat from skillet. Using a slotted spoon, remove beef crumbles to large plate or other container lined with 3 layers of white, non-recycled paper towels. Let sit 1 minute; blot top of beef with more paper towels. Place beef in a line mesh strainer or colander and set it on a 1/2-quart (or larger) sturdy bowl. Pour hot water over beef to rinse fat. Drain 5 minutes.​

​

Nutrient Comparison

3-ounce cooked portion, pan-broiled to medium doneness​

Ground Beef - 73% Lean/27% Fat Calories Fat (g)​

Pan-broiled patties* 248 18
Pan-broiled patties, after blotting 230 16
Pan-broiled crumbles, after blotting only 195 12
Pan-broiled crumbles, after blotting and rinsing 135 6​

Ground Beef - 80% Lean/20% Fat Calories Fat (g)​

Pan-broiled patties* 230 15
Pan-broiled patties, after blotting 217 14
Pan-broiled crumbles, after blotting only 191 11
Pan-broiled crumbles, after blotting and rinsing 130 5​

Sources: Iowa State University, Dept. of Food Science and Human Nutrition, Nov.1992
USDA Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 11-1(1997)

3-ounce patty, broiled to medium doneness*
Before blotting or rinsing and draining
Ground Beef Product Calories Total Fat (g) SFA (g) Cholesterol (mg)
95% Lean/5% Fat 145 6 2.4 65
90% Lean/10% Fat 185 10 4.0 72
85% Lean/15% Fat 213 13 5.1 77
80% Lean/20% Fat 230 15 5.9 77
73% Lean/27% Fat 248 18 7.0 77
Source: *U5DA Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 15
A 3-ounce cooked serving of ground beef (usually about 4 ounces uncooked) is about 4 inches in diameter and 1/2 inch
thick.​

 

[grumpy28]

Thank you so much for the info allyphoe! I never knew about blotting and rinsing beef before! But it does make sense. And all the $ I've wasted down the drain (pun intended!), buying 93/7, when perhaps I'd have been just as fine buying 80/20, and draining, blotting, and rinsing! D'oh!!

 

[mickeyfan2]

Thank you so much for the info allyphoe! I never knew about blotting and rinsing beef before! But it does make sense. And all the $ I've wasted down the drain (pun intended!), buying 93/7, when perhaps I'd have been just as fine buying 80/20, and draining, blotting, and rinsing! D'oh!!

You also have to figure in that a lb of of 93/7 will result in more meat than a lb of 80/20 (or 73/27). So you need to compare the price WRT the final amount of meat.

 

[allyphoe]

GoogleDietician says that a pound of 90/10 beef produces about 12 ounces of cooked meat, and a pound of 80/20 beef produces about 10 ounces of cooked / blotted / rinsed meat. If you pay 17% more for 90/10, the 80/20 is cheaper. Even if those numbers are really 13 and 9 (more in favor of lean), a 30% price differential means you come out ahead with cheap meat.

The USDA (http://www.ams.usda.gov/mnreports/lm_xb459.txt) says the current (sales within 21 days of 8/3/07) wholesale price for a 10lb chub is:
Ground Beef 73% 99.94
Ground Beef 75% 108.39
Ground Beef 81% 113.55
Ground Beef 85% 140.76
Ground Beef 90% 157.59
Ground Beef 93% 173.49

That makes 90/10 about 38% more expensive than 81/19 is, at the wholesale level. So you'd need a store that was willing to sell 90/10 at a significantly lower profit margin than they get on 80/20 to come out ahead buying 90/10.

 

[bevtoy]

To remove fat from many meats I boil chicken, beef and pork steak, and bratwurst then cut it in small pieces to grill with veggies on shish kabob, get nice grill flavor with out burnt veggies.
Also makes sure the chicken and bratwurst are cooked through when veggies are.