Ground meat is a broad term that can include any animal muscle, fat, and connective tissue. It’s typically used to describe hamburgers or other processed meats like sausage. Ground beef has become the most popular type of ground meat in North America over the last few decades, increasing the demand for convenience foods. However, it should be noted that this increased popularity has also led to some negative consequences such as higher rates of heart disease and obesity.
Ground meat can be used in several healthy recipes like ground meat casseroles, ground meat soups and ground meat stews.
Why is it called ground meat?
In terms of anatomy, ground meat is processed meat – aka meat that has been ground up or minced into tiny pieces.
The people who developed these different ground meats had to name them somehow, so they called them ground beef, ground pork etc., and eventually, the term stuck!
What type of meats can be used as ground meat?
There are two main types of ground meat that you should be aware of – lean ground meats, which can contain up to 85% fat-free beef or turkey, as well as sausage meats like hot dogs that can contain up to a maximum of 30% ground beef, pork and even lamb.
These are the common types of ground meats
- Ground Beef also called Mince Beef
- Ground Lamb also called Mince Lamb
- Ground Pork also called Mince Pork
- Ground Turkey also called Mince Turkey
- Ground Chicken also called Mince Chicken
- Ground Venison also called Mince Venison
- Bison also called Mince Venison
- Fish also called Mince Venison
- You can also find mince or ground lobster, prawns etc used in dumplings
How much ground meat is consumed in the US?
The US is expected to produce about 27.5 billion pounds of beef in 2021, and it’s estimated that ground meat makes up for somewhere between 10% to 40% of all meat eaten in the US alone. It should also be noted that ground meats are pretty popular in other countries, like France, Germany, and the UK.

What ground meat has the least calories?
The number of calories will depend on the type of meat and fat in the ground meat. For example, one serving of ground beef (3oz or 85 grams) with 90% lean beef and 10% fat will be about 149 calories, while a ground beef with 75% lean meat and 25% fat will be 249 calories. So if you go with leaner meats like chicken or higher content of lean meats in your ground meat, you will have lower calories.
What are the benefits of ground meat?
Ground meat does have some benefits, such as containing many micronutrients and not having to be cooked all the way through. However, ground meats also have their downsides, which include being very high in fat and cholesterol – especially ground beef.
What type of ground meat should you buy?
The ground meat that you buy depends on what you’re going to use it for. For example, ground lamb can be used for ground meat casseroles, just as ground beef is. Still, I don’t recommend using groundfish in place of ground beef because they have different textures. Most groundfish recipes already include many other ingredients like onions, spices etc., ground meat too!
The moral of the story is ground meats all have different consistencies and flavours, so choose one that best suits whatever you’re making.
How many calories in a hamburger ground beef patty?
The calories for ground beef will depend on what ground meats you use, as it can have many different consistencies.
If you’re making your ground meat patties, it best to use ground meat that’s 80% ground beef and 20% ground pork or ground meat that’s 90% ground beef and 10% ground bacon, as these ratios will give you a better consistency for the burger patty that won’t fall apart while cooking.
Just keep in mind that ground beef patty shouldn’t be ground too finely as it can cause the ground meat to dry out while cooking and become very tough.

Which ground meat has the most protein
Just like calories, the amount of protein in your ground will depend on the levels of fat vs lean meat vs type of meat. However, if you wanted to eat ground meat with a higher protein level, it would be best to choose Turkey over Beef or Lamb or other ground meats.
Where should ground meat be stored?
Ground meats, like all meat, are sensitive to temperature and can quickly get spoiled, so be sure to store yours in the fridge rather than on the countertop if you’re using that day; otherwise, keep in your freezer. That way, you can make sure that your ground meat is always extra fresh!
What recipes use ground meat?
Some of the more common recipes are ground meat casseroles, ground meat patties, ground meat pies and ground meat tacos, but ground meats don’t have to be cooked, such as a beef tartare! See the range of different recipes we have.
Some of our more popular ground meat recipes.
Quick And Tasty Vietnamese Meatballs
Swedish Venison Potato Sausage