Crockpot ground beef

I will never go back to browning ground beef on the stove again. Ever. This is so easy! (And foolproof!)


Completely inspired by my friends Leah and Cris (and a little tip I found in a Gooseberry Patch cookbook)… Crockpot Ground Beef! (Otherwise known as Freezer Ground Beef… Just depends on if you’re naming by where it started or by where it ends up!)

I started off with 5 pounds of thawed ground beef, straight into the crockpot. (Yes, normally I do use a crockpot liner. But I knew there would be lots of mixing with this one, and I thought the plastic would just get in the way.)


Add plenty of salt and black pepper. (Remember, you’re seasoning 5 pounds of meat here!) Like a different flavor? Add that too!


Mix it all up with your Mix ‘n Chop. (Don’t have one? You need one. Trust me.)


Slap the lid on, and cook on low for 2.5-3 hours. About every 45-60 minutes pop in and mix it up again. Or whenever you think of it. Using the Mix ‘n Chop breaks the beef up so fine and crumbly… so good!


I let it cool for a little while before I got it packed for the freezer. I weighed out portions of 12-14 ounces (roughly 2-3 cups). The raw ground beef will be 16 ounces, but it loses some weight during cooking. You can expect 16 ounces of raw beef to be 12-14 ounces once it is cooked (depending on the fat content).


I popped it into quart-size freezer bags, labeled with the name and date, and into the freezer they went!


Pull one bag out the night before you need it to thaw in your refrigerator. Or, if you’re like me and forget until it’s time to make dinner, take one out of the freezer and pop it into the microwave for a few minutes to thaw. Then just use it like you had just spent 20 minutes slaving over a stove!


I’ve also done this with taco seasoning instead of salt and pepper. Add one packet of taco seasoning per pound of ground beef (or buy in bulk and use 1/4 cup of seasoning per pound of beef), mix well, and cook the same. No need to add water. And, ta da, taco night just got easier!

What are your favorite seasonings to use with ground beef?

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