Lean Ground Beef in a crock pot...?

Question

I cook roasts and chicken in a crock pot, but have never cooked raw ground beef in a crock pot. Has anybody ever tried that?

What I'd like to do is put the ground beef in, without having to cook it first, add a jar of prepared spaghetti sauce and cook it on low while I'm at work all day.

I'm hoping the meat would be well done and falling apart... then it could be stirred into a nice meaty sauce?

I just want to know if any of you have ever tried it, and how it worked for you.

http://www.extension.iastate.edu/chickasaw/news/crockpot.htm

This link gives more information about crock pot safety. That wasn't really my question... but it's an interesting addition to the question.

I think, if the meat was LEAN, and the sauce was blended into the meat, it would work fine. I'll be back tomorrow night and let you know how it worked.

It came out very nice! The "sauce" was obviously well-cooked, and even brownish in color. There was a very small puddle of grease at the top, which I spooned off and discarded first. The meat was still in a few big chunks, and I used a coil-type potato masher to gently squish it and stir it all together. It blended beautifully, and tastes wonderful, because the meat is so tender, the flavor blends nicely with the sauce. Recommended! But I'm sure if some of you have doubts about safety, you would want to check the temperature of your crock pots.

Answer 1

For me, Beef Crock Pot Recipes (slow cooker) are all about saving time. So we just tend to chuck the meat in raw, or even frozen at times.

You may if you prefer, brown the meat first. This will obviously make the meat brown and more attractive, in your crock pot beef recipe. It may also cut down the amount of fat. The “experts” recommend wiping the meat dry of all excess fat if you decide to brown first (but who really has time for all that?).

Answer 2

I would not do it - ground beef has to be browned thoroughly to get rid of bacteria.

Also browning it makes it taste better - I just don't think it would turn out all that well in a crock pot..