Starting the browning process...
Draining off the fat...
Completely browned
Let the paper towels absorb the remaining grease
Work to get the rest of it out...
Yuk... that's all I can say... eeewww!
One happy mommy!
If you are like me... I don't make the time... nor do I know on a daily basis what schedule Josh is going to be on... if he will be home for dinner... if Kendra or my parents will be eating with us... so to think that far in advance and actually remember to take hamburger out of the freezer before I leave for work is impossible for me. My mom taught me this trick back several years ago... brown all of your hamburger at once. That way you only have the smell once... the extra dishes once... and I can "fly by the seat of my pants" and still cook something fast and easy for my family on a moments notice. Josh's favorite is Hamburger Helper Cheese Macaroni... (Kendra is going to love that) - but it works for Spaghetti - Tater Tot Casserole - BBQ - Lasagna - Tacos... just zap in the microwave and you are off to the races. Every 6 months I get an extra check at work... so I try to buy my meat then. I bought 30 pounds of extra lean (I think it was 93%) and I still got a ton of fat off of it. So for every 7.5 pounds I got a whole glass of fat and gunk skimmed off. I brown it in a skillet (I think the heat stays more even and it doesn't burn... when I do it on the stove top I have to watch it every second). As the meat is browning I tip the pan so the grease runs to one side and then I spoon it into a glass. After it's completely browned I have several plates with layered paper towels that a put the browned meat on to finish draining. After it's cooled some I take more papers towels and using both hands (in the pic I am only using one... I had to use the other to take the pic) and really make sure to get all of the grease out of the meat. Make sure to add new paper towels each time you start a new batch. I then pour it into freezer bags. It's usually just a little over a pound in each one... then I make sure to get all of the air out of the bag and seal it up good and tight... then off to the freezer. After 4 hours... I was ready to be done... but I know the time and energy it is going to save in the long run... Bon Appetit!
