How to Defrost Ground Beef

Knowing how to defrost ground beef safely is an important skill to have in the kitchen. Being one of the most common ingredients in meal preparation, you are sure to work with it eventually.

Unfortunately, there are still many dangerous misconceptions in the food industry about defrosting meat that could potentially jeopardize you and your family’s health.

In this article, we’ll show you everything that you need to know in order to defrost ground beef quickly and, more importantly, safely.

The Importance of Meat Safety

Defrosting isn’t just about thawing your ground beef as quickly as possible. It’s also about thawing it as safely as possible.

According to the CDC, 48 million Americans contract food poisoning every year. There are many different ways that people can contract foodborne illnesses. However, one of the most notable causes is consuming dirty or ill-prepared meat.

Meat is naturally dirty. Raw beef contains many different strains of bacteria that can cause serious poisoning. A well-known example is Escherichia coli (E.coli) but traces of Salmonella, Staphylococcus aureus, or Listeria monocytogenes can also often be found in it.

Consuming any of these bacteria can cause an infection, which for most people is going to be an extremely unpleasant experience. However, all of them have been known to kill in serious cases. This is the reason why you should never let your guard down when it comes to meat safety.

Does Freezing Kill Bacteria?

This is an extremely dangerous misconception that people have about freezing meat. 

Putting ground beef into your freezer does not sterilize it.

The bacteria will simply be placed in a state of low-activity by the cold temperature. They will remain almost static and they certainly won’t multiply. Don’t be fooled, they are ultimately still alive. As soon as the temperature is warm enough (between 40°F to 140°F), they will begin to multiply again and contaminate your food.

This is why between 40°F and 140°F is termed the “danger zone” by the USDA. Your ground meat should never stay within this temperature range for more than 2 hours. If it does, it will be unfit for consumption.

How to Quickly (and Safely) Defrost Ground Beef

Officially, there are three methods that you can use.

1. Defrosting Ground Beef in the Refrigerator

This method is simplest and safest, but it does take quite a lot of time.

All you have to do is transfer the frozen ground beef from the freezer to the fridge. Though the fridge is cold, it is still warmer than the freezer by order of magnitude. In around 24 hours, the meat will have defrosted enough for you to easily cook it.

As the temperature of most refrigerators is below 40°F, bacterial growth won’t be an issue.

The only downside, of course, is that it takes 24 hours for the meat to thaw. You will have to plan ahead.

Step 1: Put the Meat into a Zip-Loc Bag

Placing the ground beef in a Zip-Loc bag will prevent the bacteria-loaded drippings from contaminating other foods in your fridge.

Step 2: Thaw in the Fridge

To minimize the risk of bacterial growth, we recommend placing the bag on the lowest shelf of the fridge. Cold air sinks, so the lower shelves are often the coldest ones. The colder the environment, the more subdued the bacteria will be.

Wait for around 24 hours before taking it out. If you’re not ready to cook it the next day, you can store the thawed ground beef in the fridge for another 1-2 days.

2. In Cold Water

This is the method to go for if you need to defrost the beef quickly. The downside is that you will have to expend quite a lot of effort.

Basically, this method involves placing the ground beef in a watertight bag and submerging it in a container filled with cold water. Though the water is cold, it is still a lot ‘warmer’ than the temperature of the meat. In just a few hours, the beef will gradually warm up to the temperature of the water.

Ideally, the water temperature should be lower than 70°F. You can drop ice cubes into the water to quickly cool it down if your tap water is too warm.

The water should be changed every 30 minutes, so you’ll have to be on your toes while the meat is warming. If you don’t change the water and allow it to turn lukewarm, bacteria will take advantage of the heat and begin to multiply.

Step 1: Pack Your Ground Beef

Place the ground beef in a watertight Zip-Loc bag. Seal it tight and do not allow water to enter the bag.

Step 2: Prepare the Water

For the container, you can use anything from a sink to a pot. As long as you can submerge the bag of ground beef in it, it’s okay to use.

The water should be around 70°F or lower. Having a digital thermometer to hand is a good idea for checking the temperature.

In case your tap water isn’t cold enough, you can throw a few ice cubes in to cool it down quickly.

Step 3: Submerge the Bag

Make sure the bag is completely submerged in the water. Wait for an hour or two.

Change the water every 30 minutes to prevent the meat from getting too ‘warm’, too quickly.

3. In the Microwave

The microwave will defrost your ground beef in a matter of minutes. However, due to its tendency to dry out the meat, the overall quality of the beef is likely to be reduced.

Furthermore, because the heat of the microwave is so intense, your ground beef could potentially cook rather than defrost. As a result, you must exercise a lot of caution.

For this exact reason, you should only resort to this method if you’re very short on time.

Step 1: Pack Up the Ground Beef

Place the ground beef in a Zip-Loc bag. Seal it tight, then place it in the microwave.

Step 2: Defrost

Use the defrost mode on your microwave. Set the timer for 1 or 2 minutes.

Alternatively, if your model doesn’t have a defrost mode, you can set a low power level (around 30%). Heating time will still be 1 to 2 minutes.

Halfway through the allotted time, pause the microwave, and flip the bag. Flipping will ensure that both sides of the beef get the opportunity to defrost.

Check on the meat after to see if it has sufficiently defrosted. If it’s still a little bit cold on the outside, heat it again in 30-second bursts until fully defrosted.

Step 3: Cook Immediately

Once the ground beef is at the right temperature, cook it immediately. Do not let it rest. The meat will now be at the perfect temperature for bacteria to grow. Even a short wait of 1 hour could potentially turn the meat dirty.

Do You Have to Defrost Ground Beef Before Cooking?

Surprisingly, no. According to the USDA, you can cook frozen meat just fine without defrosting.

It is much safer this way, too. As we mentioned earlier, you do not want the meat to stay in the danger zone for longer than necessary. When you cook frozen ground beef, it won’t stay in the dangerous temperature range for more than a few minutes. This essentially eliminates the threat altogether.

One caveat exists, though. Cooking time is going to increase by as much as 50%.

Conclusion

Defrosting ground beef is rather straightforward, but, as you can see, it is a delicate process. Considering the risks involved, you’re much better off now that you know all the details.

We hope this guide on how to defrost ground beef has been useful to you!