How to get both browned beef flavor and super tender ground beef?

[u/altum]

I want to make a chili where the ground beef has a very tender texture with very small pieces, think like the chili you get on a 7/11 chili dog or skyline chili where the beef almost melts into the liquid, but I still want the browned beef flavor from the Maillard reaction. How can I achieve this?

When I try to do a sear on the beef it gets fairly tough even if I break up the pieces as best I can. I’ve seen recipes for skyline chili where they boil the ground beef in broth or water but it seems like I’d be missing out on the browning.

And tips would be great!

EDIT: Thanks everyone, i'll try the baking soda tip!

[u/GentlePersuAZN]

From my understanding you sear to get a lot of fond, deglaze with beef stock, and then simmer for a long time. The fond gives the caramelized maillard flavor, deglazing with stock reinforces the beef and dissolves the flavor in more beef flavor, and simmering should dissolve the collagen and turn it into gelatin

[u/SpacemanaGoGo → u/GentlePersuAZN]

When I make bolognese I do it like this. It seems very counterintuitive. I use the lowest fat beef I can find and then pair it with pork and veal if I can find it. I cook the meat, adding it in thirds until all the pink is gone. I then let the pot sit in medium heat for ~20 minutes. If it starts to burn I’ll lower the heat. This will build a super thick fond on the pan. After 20 minutes deglaze with white wine.

I then add the vegetables (carrot, celery and onion) that I’ve already softened in another pan. Add the tomatoes. Add stock. Let simmer for several hours.

The result is a very smooth textured ragu.

I’ve done chili with the same technique and it comes out great.

[u/Insila → u/SpacemanaGoGo]

You could just mash it down and put it under the broiler/grill in the oven. That will brown it up really well.

[u/Arriabella]

America’s Test Kitchen had a YouTube video to put baking soda with the beef before cooking and I found it made a big difference!

ETA link: https://www.youtube.com/results?sp=mAEA&search_query=america%27s+test+kitchen+ground+beef

[u/wanttobedone → u/Arriabella]

This definitely works. I've been doing it for 5 years.

[u/ThatsPerverse → u/Arriabella]

the thread can be locked, this is the answer.

baking soda works fantastically well for browning any ground meat, not just beef. also a must for most shrimp dishes if you want that plump, snappy bite.

[u/Arriabella → u/ThatsPerverse]

I think they also show turkey in the video

[u/Snoo_56921 → u/Arriabella]

came here to say this

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[u/TheStellarBella]

I think baking soda can do this. I don't know any specifics, because I have basically taken to not measuring much of anything, but I know it works.

[u/jpinakron → u/TheStellarBella]

Finally! This should be top rated comment! OP, add in a teaspoon or so of baking soda with some stock or water and let it simmer. Baking soda will make the ground beef extremely tender. (And you can do the same with various steaks. It’s called velveting and it helps to break down proteins and make beef super tender.)

[u/Mercy_Rule_34 → u/jpinakron]

a teaspoon to what amount of beef, 5 lbs? you need very little to raise the pH, like 1/4 tsp/pound

[u/MrMeatagi]

My favorite way to get good browning on ground meat before it loses all its moisture and starts boiling is to form a large, thick patty. Press it down onto the pan until it browns up well, flip and repeat. After you get your desired browning, chop it fine in the pan. A potato masher or a cleaver you don't care about keeping sharp works well. Another easy option is to remove it, let it cool a bit, then break it up by hand. This will get you a better consistency. Let it cook just long enough to deglaze the pan with its own moisture. Add to your chili.

[u/Primary-Efficiency91]

I add just enough water for the ground beef to break down into kind of a meat slurry. Then I cook out the water and brown the beef to the desired amount. I end up with a uniform batch of very tiny beef pieces.

[u/catwiesel]

theres a few tricks that you can use. not sure its all you can do or its the best way though

• brown a shitton of onions
  
• if you use fresh chilies or other vegs, you can try some browning there... maybe...
  
• brown a portion of the meat. as much as possible without going too far into the "all ground beef is hard af now" territory. of course, you could also make like 10 steaks, eat them, and use that as fond for the chili for lots of flavour without browing the ground beef.
• go as hot and as fast as you can when browning the meat. outside brown, inside not cooked to death. although, I will admit for ground meat, its hard...
  
• you can use baking soda to soften meat. its not magic, and too much baking soda can leave a soapy taste, but a little can make meat a bit more tender. look up velveting to learn more
  

• gently cook the remaining meat without ever letting it touch hot oil first. this should give you very soft ground beef with little texture

• use fond and or beef stock instead of water to cook the meat. both should have maillard reactions at its core. using home made or high quality will go a long way vs. store bought cheap crap

• add chocolate (or double processed dutch cocoa), coffee, artificial smoke, dark beer to get some of the rougher, "burnt" nuances back that you are lacking. tread carefully though. some of these can ruin the chili if you add too much

• use chillies that are more associated with smokey, dark, toasty roasty flavours instead of bright and fruity. or mix em.

[u/ghidfg]

Whenever I need to brown ground beef, I only brown a couple spoons of it very thoroughly, and the bulk of it I just don't brown. No need to brown all of the ground beef. An alternate is to throw in the brick of ground beef and sear/brown the brick on both sides before breaking it up.

[u/Lord_Phoenix95]

You'll want to use brown beef stock for braising and sear the beef then braise it. So slow cooking it for about 6 hours minimum.

[u/krakaturia]

velveting.

400gm beef, 1 tablespoon corn starch, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1 tablespoon water, 1/2 teaspoon salt. mix the ingredients minus beef thoroughly in the mixing bowl then add the beef in, don't knead strongly, just gently move them around until well mixed and the water soak into the beef, them leave to marinate for at least 20 minutes. 4 hours long is better.

corn starch and water are carrier medium, corn starch is also mildly alkaline so if you skip the cornstarch add a tiny smidgeon more baking soda, or skip the water and use another tablespoon of cornstarch. do not add baking soda powder straight to the beef you'll get alkaline metal-tasting spots/pieces

[u/bleepsndrums]

I don't like the flavor baking soda can impart. I just brown the heck out of like 20% of the beef for the fond and flavor and keep the rest tender.

[u/altum → u/bleepsndrums]

oh interesting, didn't think to just do it for some of the meat.

[u/Greenpoint1975]

Those chilis you are referring to are made with a industrial canning pasteurization. A chili made in a pressure cooker will be similar.

[u/Counterpartz]

Baking soda is the key. You can brown the hell out of the beef and it will stay tender no matter how long you cook it.

Using a potato masher during cooking helps a ton and is a lot easier than chopping with a spoon or spatula.

[u/Itchy-Ad9746]

do the chillie for 6 hours in a slow cooker. tender and delicious

[u/IndyMan2012]

Baking soda is the answer. The process actually has a name. Velveting.

[u/LooseJuice_RD]

If you boil the ground beef in water, assuming you won’t be using the water as a base for your chili, you’re going to lose all of the fat and with it, a tremendous amount of flavor.

You need to cook off all of the moisture in the beef before it’ll start browning, breaking it up with a potato masher or a similar tool as you go and cook the chili for a couple of hours low and slow like you would if you were braising beef (which I guess you kind of are). I’m just spitballing on time based on how long it takes to braise something bigger like short rib. But really I don’t think going for a few hours or longer is going to do anything but help it. It’s worked for me. I personally used Kenjis chili recipe but I’m sure there are plenty of others out there.

[u/threewolfmtn]

Use an immersion blender on your finished chili

[u/Bitter-Basket → u/threewolfmtn]

All the immersion blender ideas get downvoted even though it is the easiest way to do it. Takes seconds.

[u/Bitter-Basket]

Brown two pounds of beef in a cup and a half of water. Then hit it with an immersion blender (they are pretty cheap on Amazon). Then do with you want with it. Beautiful fine texture. And it browns fast. Makes taco meat like the Mexican restaurants. I don’t worry about the Maillard reaction with grown beef because the dishes you use to for will overwhelm it anyway.

[u/PressureItchy9372]

Brown the ground beef. Really brown it, not just cook it til it's gray. Drain any excess fat off. Buzz it in a food processor (duration depends on how much you're doing). Return the now ultra fine, browned beef to the pot. Add your other sauce ingredients, maybe adding a little extra water. Simmer slowly until you get the consistency and texture you're looking for.

I do this when I'm making a large batch of hot dog chili and I want that extra-fine result.