What heat level should I use to brown beef?
I brown a lot of ground beef for meal prep and as the base of everything from pasta sauce to Mexican casserole.
I've noticed two different possibilities for heat - high and semi-searing, or low and slow. Which is better for flavor and texture?
Additional information:
- I use mostly lean beef, 90/10 or so
- I usually add spices and sometimes a small amount of salt
- Because I'm using the meat as a base, I don't want the extra "juice" that escapes.
2 answers
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With regard to texture: meat is a sponge of proteins holding water. As you cook it, the sponge tightens, forcing out water. If you stop and let it re-absorb the liquid, and it will regain some tenderness. Or you can keep going, and it will be tight and dry.
If you want a nearly creamy texture, cook the meat until it is no longer pink, then pop it into a blender along with as much of the liquid as you can get. I often do this with just part of a pot so I can get both the creamy texture and meatier chunks.
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Fat renders at a lower temperature than meat cooks, so if you are looking to get a lot of fat in the pan, the lower heat method, or even starting in a cold pan, will probably work better. Since you are using leaner beef, maybe this is not the goal, and so a higher heat sear may work better.
If this is something you make a lot as you say, you could try each and see what you prefer. If you are finding some recipes call for one and some recipes call for the other, I doubt either will have terrible results.
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