Ground chuck (ground beef) rewards a little know-how: how to choose it, cook it, store it, and substitute in a pinch. Browse 39 recipes to cook with it.

What is ground chuck (ground beef)?

Ground chuck is ground beef cut from the chuck, the shoulder of the cow. It is the default supermarket grind, the one most cooks picture when they hear "hamburger meat."

Most ground chuck runs about 80 percent lean to 20 percent fat. That ratio is the whole point.

Twenty percent fat is enough to keep a burger juicy and beefy without leaving a greasy puddle in the pan, which is why chuck is the burger grind by default.

If your package just says ground beef with no cut named, it is usually a chuck-based 80/20. The chuck label tells you the fat came from one honest, flavorful muscle group instead of mixed trimmings.

Cooking With Ground Chuck

For burgers, the fat is your friend, so do not work the meat hard. Form loose patties and press a dimple in the center so they do not dome.

Salt the outside only, right before they hit the heat, or the salt pulls the proteins tight and you get a sausage texture. Cook to 160°F (71°C).

For everything else, brown it in a wide, hot pan in batches. Crowd a full pound into a small skillet and it weeps water and steams gray instead of building a crust. That browned crust is most of the flavor in a chili or a meat sauce.

Once it is browned for a sauce or casserole, drain off the rendered fat if the dish does not need it. An 80/20 grind throws off a real amount of grease, and a Tater Tot Casserole does not want it pooling on top.

Chili is where ground chuck earns its reputation. The fat carries the chile and cumin through the whole pot, which is why competition recipes like $25,000 Chili lean on a chuck grind rather than a lean one.

Pairing and Common Mistakes

Ground chuck wants bold, acidic company: tomato, onion, garlic, chili powder, Worcestershire, and sharp cheese. The fat and beefiness need something tart to push against, which is why it lands so naturally in tomato-based sauces and chilies.

The biggest mistake is overworking the meat for burgers or meatballs. The more you compress and knead 80/20, the more the fat smears and the proteins bind, and a juicy patty turns dense and bouncy.

The second mistake is buying lean and expecting chuck flavor. A 93/7 grind browns drier and tastes flatter, so if a recipe like Yummy Pasta with Meatballs wants tender meatballs, the fat in chuck is doing real work you cannot skip.

Substitutes

Plain ground beef at 80/20 is the same thing under a less specific label, so swap freely. Ground round (85/15) and ground sirloin (90/10) are leaner cuts of the same animal; they work but cook drier, so add a tablespoon of oil per pound or a bread-and-milk panade for meatballs.

Ground pork or a beef-pork blend keeps the richness and adds a softer texture, good in meatballs and meatloaf. Ground lamb pushes the flavor gamier.

For a leaner stretch, swap half the chuck for finely chopped browned mushrooms. They hold the texture and the savory bulk while cutting the fat, and nobody counts the ratio.

Buying and Storing Ground Chuck

Look for a label that says ground chuck or 80/20, with bright cherry-red meat and flecks of white fat worked through it. A grayish interior is just oxygen not reaching the middle of the package, not spoilage.

Trust the date and your nose over the color. A sour smell or a sticky, tacky surface means it is done.

Freshly ground from a butcher's case beats the tray-pack tube when the beef is the star, burgers most of all, because it has not been pressed and sitting as long.

Keep it on the bottom shelf of the fridge so drips cannot reach other food, and cook or freeze it within one to two days. Wrapped tight and frozen flat in a zip bag it holds quality three to four months.

Thaw in the fridge, never on the counter, where the outside warms into the bacteria danger zone while the center stays frozen.

Nutrition

Quick facts

Where to find ground chuck (ground beef): Ground chuck (ground beef) is usually found in the meats section or aisle of the grocery store or supermarket.

Food group: Ground chuck (ground beef) is a member of the Beef Products US Department of Agriculture nutritional food group.

In Chinese

地面夹头（碎牛肉）

British (UK) term

Ground chuck (ground beef)

en français

rez-de-mandrin (boeuf haché)

en español

carne molida (carne molida)

How much does ground chuck (ground beef) weigh?

Amount	Weight
1 lb	453 grams
1 ounce	28 grams

Related

Beef Products

Recipes using ground chuck (ground beef)

There are 39 recipes that contain this ingredient.

All 39 recipes