Oven Cooking - Ground Beef

I have worked in some pretty small kitchens from time to time BUT have never failed to figure out how to complete a scheduled meal. A long time ago I developed an easy, simple way to cook bulk ground meat in a commercial oven using little supervision and a potato masher.

Why would this be a useful thing to know? Not all kitchens have large braising pans, electric skillets, or enough pots to cook it on the stove.

I use 4 inch chafing dishes/hotel pans and cook 10 to 15 pounds of meat in each one. Doesn't matter if its ground beef, ground chicken, ground pork, sausage...

Start with about half an inch of water in each pan...here I have 2x10# (2 packs of 10 pounds each) of Ground Beef (80/20 meat fat ratio). See my water pitcher in the background?

Take the meat and spread it out in pan. You can do this quickly it does not have to be "just so".

 I have a commercial convection oven that I set to 375 Fahrenheit (fan on low). You can use 350 or 400 degrees Fahrenheit its not an "exact" type of thing, but the first time you cook it like this keep track of your own times to repeat the process the same way every time. It's easier to teach someone else this way.

This is what it looks like in my oven. I do not cover the meat. The heated air works quicker and allows for some additional coloring and texture of finished meat(besides it looking a light gray from essentially oven steaming it). Yes! I keep a sheet pan in the bottom of my oven at all times for catching drips or mistakes...as you can see some on the pan, black spots.

And another "zoom out" view...

Let the meat cook undisturbed for thirty minutes, no matter what...you can adjust finishing time later. Depending on your oven, the temperature you use, kind of meat, et cetera...the time it takes to cook ground meat to proper internal temperature varies. I believe its 155 Fahrenheit for most ground meats except poultry, which I believe still has to reach 165. See how it looks kind of "meat loaf-ish"? Its time to pour as much juice/fat/water off as you can. Plus if you remove the liquid, its less dangerous using the masher to "ground" the meat! Ok, your thirty minutes has gone by...

Notice now we have most of the liquid and impurities drained off. Please don't feel like you have to drain the pan of liquid till every last drop of liquid is out, that defeats the purpose of this being easy and simple. See how the meat looks like a big loaf?

Time to turn that potato masher into a multi-tasker...Alton Brown would be so proud right now! I usually mash it down with the masher squiggles going one way, then mash the meat again with it going the other way...use the masher as a "rake" to move big chunks around for another mash if needed. This is when I would season the meat. After the first drain and mash. Back in the oven!

Its time to put the meat back in till its done all the way AKA (also known as) being at the proper internal temperature. This could be 15 minutes or more...depends on the meat and how many pounds you started with. But if your using a timer just set another 15 and check it again. NOW we are pretty sure the meat is done...drain it again if you think it has released more liquid than you want to keep in it.

Mash again. This is the second and last time. Once while cooking and again after the meat is done. Your now ready to use your meat, and/or let it cool, label & date, and put in freezer or fridge.

If your commercial kitchen is small like my current one, we do not use a fryer so we also do not have a grease pit that holds oils and fats until a big truck comes and services it(sucks it out). So, I let the fat separate naturally and then I ladle into a +Ziploc bag inside a Cambro pitcher.

Then I throw it in a freezer till its solid, pull it out of the pitcher, and throw it away!

Twice A Year - Grease Catch/Pit

The grease pit should be cleaned twice a year. More if there is an emergency like water backing up into the kitchen and/or horrible smells coming up from the floor drains in kitchen. Observe the photos:

The panel for the grease pit is directly in front of the big windows in the kitchen.

This is what it looks like after a full 6 months of collecting the grease and waste of the kitchen drains. Preferably you would not let any grease or food waste go down the drains, but as it is with cleaning dishes, more of it gets down the sink than you can imagine. 

[I use the word "dishes" lightly, it mostly reflects pots, pans, trays, utensils...not actual plates.]

It stinks like...well, like real sewage!

To clean it dress yourself with a double apron (front and back) and cover yourself like with the biggest trash bag and then cut holes for your arms and head. Use the good latex gloves and bring a few more sets with you. Also you want to have one of those face masks like at the hospital or when painting. You can buy them cheap at Home Depot and keep a few around. The smell could make you vomit.

I use a slotted spoon or spatula to scrap all the solid chunks of grease and waste off the top and fill up a "tea pitcher" with the waste. I use the hand-truck to carry the second largest pot on it. I line the pot with the largest and thickest garbage bag. This is what I fill up as I scoop waste out...you can scoop it straight to the pot, or fill up the pitcher first and then dump in the pot.

The pitcher you can keep closer to the actual work. And later you may want to use the pitcher for skimming off the top then pouring into the pot. 

When the bag is full close to the top of the pot STOP because you want to tie a knot in the bag and roll the pot up the hill to the trash. When you do this, the pot rolls uphill at a slant so you don't want that stuff bouncing back or pouring out on you or the ground.

Then use the pot handles to pick it up and dump into the trash dumpster. Then repeat this process as many times as necessary. Usually 2 to four times. When I get done I throw everything away: Gloves, pitcher, garbage bags I have used, even the slotted spoon and/or spatula...Everything can be replaced relatively cheap from Sam's Club or Webstaurant.com. Throw the aprons in the bag of dirty laundry.

Doing it yourself is a difference of $20 or $30 dollars in supplies versus $600 a year. Now if cleaning it is not an option then call the local Roto-Rooter Plumbing Service and get a quote. My first quote I got in 2012 was almost $300.00 (Three Hundred Dollars) so I would imagine it would be more than that now. And you need to get it done twice a year.

This is how it should look when your done. Or pretty close to this.

Probably the two best times to do this is end of the school year when VFCA is done and before summer camp has started AND during Fall or Christmas Break when the VFCA is not in session. During the day it's best to do it between 1pm and 230pm so you leave enough time on either side for lunch to be over and before parents start coming regularly to pick up their children from LVA. Because LVA is all year around. Bring a change of work shirt or chef jacket in case of splatter and/or smell permeates clothes.

Low­Fat Banana & Chocolate Chip Muffins

INGREDIENTS

○  3 medium very ripe bananas
○  1egg
○  1/3 cup low­fat milk
○  1/2 cup granulated sugar (maybe substitute with honey)
○  1/2 cup brown sugar
○  1 1/2 cups flour (wheat or white)
○  1 teaspoon baking soda
○  1 teaspoon salt
○  2 tablespoons to 1/4 cup chocolate chips (depends on how chocolatey you like it!) Also I like to use mini chips, less chance of them sinking to the bottom of the muffin.
○  2 tablespoons pecans/chopped walnuts (optional)
○  1/2 Cup Applesauce
○  1/2 Cup Rolled Oats (also called old-fashioned or whole oats)

• 
  # The last two ingredients applesauce & oats are also optional, but I wouldn't use one without the other. It messes with the structure of the muffin. Wet & Dry.
• 
  DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
   
2. Lightly coat 12 muffin tin liners with cooking spray and place in muffin tin.
   
3. In a large bowl, mash bananas with a fork.
   
4. Whisk in egg, milk, granulated sugar, and brown sugar.
   
5. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt.
   
6. Add flour mixture to banana mixture and combine well.
   
7. Fold in chocolate chips and optional pecans/walnuts.
   
8. Spoon equal amounts of batter into 12 muffin cups.
   
9. Bake 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
   
10. Allow to cool slightly in pan, then remove to wire rack.
    

# Baking times will vary depending on your oven and size of tin. We like to use the mini muffin tins which take less time.

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