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Buy ground round ground beef for delicious gourmet meals

Rounding up some ground beef for your next meat loaf or barbeque is simply a matter of choosing for freshness and fat content. If you're interested in store bought ground beef versus grinding your own meat at home with a food processor, be sure buy only top quality beef that is pale red or pink.

Buy ground beef such as ground chuck for hamburgers. This meat is very tasty and flavorful and will be delicious whether cooked on the stovetop or grilled. This meat also goes well in meatballs and meat loaf. For leaner ground beef you can choose ground round. While this meat contains less fat, great for the health conscious consumer, it is prone, like leaner meats, to drying out and becoming overcooked.

When buying ground beef you will want to refrigerate it immediately and eat within 2 days. If you cannot cook and eat within this time frame, it is best to freeze the meat right away.

As for storage, ground beef can remain in your freezer for up to three months. However, for the best taste and texture don't store for more than one month.

Ground beef recipe:

Gourmet Tex-Mex Burger

For 4 servings:
1-1/2 ground chuck
Salt and ground pepper to taste
Hot pepper sauce, adding several dashes

Divide the ground beef into 4 equal portions and form burgers 1 inch thick. You can choose cooking method such as, stovetop, grilling, or broiling. For all three methods, it will take about 3 minutes each side for rare, 4 minutes each side for medium, and 5 minutes each side for well done. Serve the burgers with guacamole and salsa fresca. Choose hamburger rolls and additional condiments as desired.