Browning Ground Beef in the Crock Pot

[TheresaL]

Here are the instructions:

1. Add raw meat to crock pot + 1 cup of water.
2. Cook on high for 6-8 hours or until meat reaches desired temperature.
3. Drain meat.
4. Break meat up with chopper or spoon.
5. Use as browned ground beef in recipes.

**Additional Note: Several readers have posed the question of the “danger zone” in cooking your beef this way. I wanted to respond as I have thought through this several times and waged the idea of crock pot cooking. I want to emphasis that it is important to use the 1 cup (or more if you think needed) of water when cooking your beef this way. The liquid gets “in between” and the meat cooks in the water, thus the surface area of the meat is being penetrated with the heat of the hot water, thus not placing the meat in the “danger zone” for as long.

In addition, it is important to cook the meat on HIGH, not low, when preparing it. We must always be cautious of raw meats being in the danger zone but we have cooked meats as in stews and other meats in our crock pots for recipes for years. Always use common sense and best practices when handling meat. If you are uncomfortable cooking your meat this way, feel free to bake, boil, or brown it on the stove top instead.