So you’d like to get out of the rut of serving the same two or three boring meat dishes but also realize your toddler won’t be sharing a ribeye with you any time soon? Here’s the move: think of ground beef as a cut of meat, rather than something separate–and simpler–than a steak. Restrict shreds or paste of beef, lamb, pork, or even poultry to merely being ground-up meat and you’re going to be stuck doing the same ol’ ground beef things, like burgers and meatballs, over and over; see it as a blank canvas or template for flavor, though, and it can approximate almost anything you want to eat.
Here, then, are some key ways of doing so, with recipe links to get you started:
- Marinade It. Yes, you can marinate ground meat the same way you would pieces of steak. Start here: those sweet and umami flavors of bulgogi, typically applied to thin cuts of ribeye, work great on ground beef; the same is true of carne asada, too. Up your game next with donburi, which foregrounds soy and ginger flavors; and try these Vietnamese-inspired pork patties, which can be made using fish sauce and lemongrass.
- Mix It Up: Ground meat, particularly when using leaner/less fatty grinds, not only plays well with fattier or rich add-ins but basically requires it. We use bacon in these Vietnamese meatballs to add richness and heft. Our smashburger really sings because of the addition of avocado (and a little mayo, to boot); these Persian-style meat patties embed potatoes directly into the meat patty, allowing for a crispy crust to form.
- Change the Form: Try changing up how you combine and present the meat, like this chapli kabob, or this potato- and onion-stuffed kotlet; this “arabic pizza,” otherwise known as lahmacun, uses a paste of meat, vegetables, and spices as a coating for bread. And have you tried to schnitzel/cutlet/tenderloin ground meat? It’s brilliant. Let us show you how.
- Stuff/Sandwich It: If nothing else, just stick it in between some carbs. We’ve got burger options for that, of course; tacos, too. But what about chopped cheese (or a cheesesteak)? Or, have you tried making a meat sandwich with pita? Consider going even one step further with the Iraqi dish known as kubba: stuff and fry mashed potatoes with meat inside. (Yes, it’s great.)
Look out for juicy lucy, birria, shawarma, and more recipes soon to keep this list–and your options–growing.
