Protein is an essential part of life as a human, as our bodies require it to digest food, regulate hormones, repair tissues, and build muscles and bone. Eating more protein can also increase your metabolism and help to burn fat, as well as contribute to lower blood pressure and aid in recovery after an injury. While there is a plethora of vegan sources of protein available, often the easiest way to meet your protein consumption goals is to head to the butcher.
And as ground beef is such a versatile ingredient, being included in so many recipes, it’s a good place to start. The amount of protein found in a pound of ground beef isn’t the same for all types of ground beef, however, as it depends on the ratio of meat to fat. Fat contains no protein, so therefore a blend of ground beef with a higher fat ratio will carry less protein per pound. A pound of fairly lean ground beef of 90% meat and 10% fat, known as 90/10, comes in at just under 86 grams of protein, and is great for using if you’re blending a mix of fatty pork with lean beef. The average amount of protein recommended for adults is around 40 grams per 1000 calories consumed, so that’s roughly 80 grams per day.
Ground beef can be comprised of many part of the cow, but there is one cut of steak used most often for ground beef. Chuck steak is a more tough part of the cow, less desirable for steaks and better for slow cooking like braising, and therefore a less expensive cut to become ground meat. There are plenty of elements to consider when buying ground beef, starting with knowing what type of ground beef you’ll need for your recipe.
More fat in beef equals more flavor but less protein
A pound of 80/20 ground beef contains 78 grams of protein after being cooked. 80/20 is a commonly used blend for making burgers, so a four-ounce burger would contain slightly less than 20 grams of protein. For meatloaf lovers, you should always use ground beef with a higher percentage of fat, and a 70/30 meat to fat ratio pound of beef has almost 68 grams of protein. If you use eggs as a binder in your meatloaf, that will increase the amount of protein by about 6 grams per egg used. Less commonly seen blends of beef are 75/25, with almost 70 grams of protein per pound, and 95/5, which ranks high with 88 grams of protein. The bottom line is that the lower the fat ratio, the more protein the ground beef will have.
Ground beef can be thought of as a blank canvas in the kitchen, as there are so many wonderful ways to add flavor when cooking ground beef. It can be turned into any number of meals, but we love whipping up an easy ground beef casserole for a hearty and filling dinner. Far less expensive than a traditional steak used for carne asada tacos, ground beef makes for an easy street taco at home. For those working with a tighter budget, adding diced peppers and onions is a great way to stretch ground beef for more uses. As with raw chicken, you should never rinse ground beef before cooking it, to prevent the possibility of spreading bacteria in and around your kitchen sink.
