Can You Marinate Ground Beef?

Marinating chicken, beef steaks, and pork cutlets is a great way to soften the meat and incorporate flavor into your food.

If you have some ground beef tucked away in the fridge or freezer, you might be looking for a similar way to add to its beefy flavor!

Can you marinate ground beef? You can marinate ground beef — this is a good way to add more flavor to ground beef as well as to tenderize it and make it juicier. Marinating ground beef is easy, and the meat only needs a few hours of marinating.

If this sounds like something you want to try, keep reading to find out more about marinating ground beef, and why you should definitely try it out!

Is It Possible to Marinate Ground Beef?

Marinating ground beef is definitely something that is possible, and it is a simple way to add a lot more flavor to ground beef and make it more tender.

You can marinate all types of ground beef, but it is best for leaner ground beef, as it helps to make it more tender and juicy.

By marinating ground beef, you will not only be adding to the flavor, but you will be tenderizing the meat and allowing it to be juicier once cooked — what more could you want from your meal?

The process of marinating helps to break down the tougher fibers in meat, and this means that even lean or tougher cuts of meat and ground beef can cook down tender and juicy.

Why You Should Marinate Ground Beef

If you need more convincing to give marinating ground beef a try, here are the main reasons why it is a great idea.

Adds Flavor

Obviously, marinating ground beef will add flavor to your food. Most marinades include an acid (such as vinegar or lemon juice), some olive oil, and then a mix of herbs and spices.

You can pick and choose the flavors you use for the marinade to suit the dish you are cooking.

Tender Food

Ground beef often cooks up tough and dry, and this makes it fairly unenjoyable to eat.

By marinating the ground beef, you are adding moisture to it that will stay once it has been cooked, as well as helping break down the tougher fibers to make the ground beef more tender.

Reduced Fat

You no longer have to choose high-fat ground beef just to have tender ground beef — you can marinate low-fat ground beef and have it turn out just as tender!

How Long Should You Marinate Ground Beef For?

It’s true that the longer you marinate meat, the more flavor it takes on and the more tender it will be. However, you don’t want to let the meat marinate for too long because the acidity breaks the meat down too much and it will become chewy.

You should leave ground beef to marinate for at least 30 minutes, but you should not let it marinate for longer than 8 hours.

For this reason, it isn’t recommended that you marinate ground beef overnight, as it might be left for too long.

The ideal marinating time for lean ground beef is 2 hours. With fatty ground beef, it can be marinated for up to 8 hours.

Common Problems When Marinating Ground Beef

It helps to know some of the common problems that arise when marinating ground beef. This way you can be sure to avoid them, and marinate your ground beef in the best way possible!

Using the Wrong Marinade

Choosing the right marinade is so important to ensure your ground beef turns out great. The key to a good marinade is using acid and fat. The acid works to tenderize the meat, and the fat works to add flavor.

The right acids to use include lemon juice, yogurt, or vinegar, and the right fats to use include olive oil, avocado oil, or coconut milk.

Over-Marinating Ground Meat

Marinating ground beef for a few hours is perfect to soften it and give it good flavor, but you need to avoid over-marinating the meat.

Most ground beef types should only be left to marinate for 1-2 hours, and fatty ground beef options should not be marinated for more than 8 hours.

Tips to Marinate Ground Beef

The basics of marinating ground beef include using a fat and acid mixture, choosing your preferred blend of spices and herbs, and allowing the ground beef to marinate for the right amount of time.

With that said, here are some more tips on how to marinate ground beef!

Choose the Right Container

It is so important to choose the right container when marinating ground beef. The ideal container would be glass, but a solid plastic container works well too. A ceramic cooking dish can be used too, as long as it can be covered.

Avoid using a metal container, as it can react with the acidic component in the marinade.

Another option to marinate ground beef in is a food-safe, sealable plastic bag. Make sure to squeeze out all the air from the bag before sealing it shut. 

Marinate the Ground Beef in the Fridge

Make sure that you leave your ground beef in the fridge to marinate to keep it from spoiling.

Leaving the ground beef to marinate at room temperature will increase the risk of bacteria growth, and you do not want the ground beef to spoil before you even get to cooking it.

Use Enough Marinade

You probably guessed this already, but you need to make enough marinade to cover all of the ground beef.

You cannot only have enough marinade to cover half the ground beef, as the other half will not absorb the flavor and become tender — this could lead to an inconsistency in flavor and texture when it has been cooked.

Making sure all of the ground beef is fully covered with marinade will also help to prevent the meat from drying out.

Discard Leftover Marinade

If there is any marinade left over once it comes time to cook the ground beef, then you need to discard it. You cannot use it again as it would not be safe to reuse it to marinate more meat.

Marinating Ground Beef in BBQ Sauce

If you are looking for an easy fix to marinate ground beef, then you might be happy to hear that you can easily marinate it in BBQ sauce!

You can simply pick out your favorite BBQ sauce, mix it in with the ground beef, and leave it to marinate for 1-2 hours.

BBQ sauce has all the right ingredients to flavor and tenderize the ground beef, and it is a great way to incorporate your favorite flavors into your ground beef meal.

Final Thoughts

It is definitely possible to marinate ground beef, and it is absolutely something that we would recommend!

By marinating ground beef, you incorporate more flavors into the meat — the marinade will also help to tenderize the meat, allowing it to be juicier and softer when it is cooked.

The trick with marinating ground beef is to choose the right marinade. It should contain both an acid and a fat, as well as your favorite spices.

You then need to marinate the meat for the right amount of time, and not leave it for too long, so the ground beef does not become too soft and chewy.

Take a read through all of the above to find out the best way to marinate ground beef, some tips on how to do so, and some common mistakes to avoid!

Related Questions

Now that we’ve learned how to marinate ground beef and why you should give it a try, here are some additional questions we thought you might have.

What Seasonings Can You Add to Ground Beef to Make It Taste More Flavorful?

The best ingredients to add to ground beef to make it more flavorful include onions, garlic, some salt, and some black pepper.

These are super simple ingredients, but they work wonders at bringing some great flavor to ground beef.

Should I Brown Ground Beef in Oil?

It is a good idea to add some olive oil to your pan before browning meat, but you can get away without using some. If you have marinated the ground beef in olive oil, then you will not have to add much oil (or any at all).

Oil, whether olive oil or coconut oil, definitely helps with browning ground beef!

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