We're about to find out as I'm pulling a slick one on my family tonight. Without them knowing, I opened a can of the Keystone Ground beef, tore off the label, and trashed the evidence. I'm making my family's favorite dish tonight - BEEF & POTATO CASSEROLE
They won't discover that they were guinea pigs until they've eaten! Wouldn't you agree that this is the BEST way to get an unbiased review?
So, lets examine the ingredients first...
This can holds 1 pound of ground beef
This is the main reason why I'm considering this for my food storage -- ONLY 2 ingredients - beef and salt.
Lean meat, nothing artificial...
Upon opening, I pinched off a taste... Not bad!
Smell, taste, and texture is exactly what I would expect from canned ground beef. In other words, if I had to eat this straight from the can, it's do-able.
Fat drained
This is an example of what my own pressure canned ground beef looks like in comparison--same texture, fat rises to the top, and stored in its broth. The Keystone brand says their beef is minimally processed, which I presume it was canned the same way I do - raw packed, and cooked during the canning process.
okay back to my science lab and my unsuspecting family....
For this review, I did no prodding and my family was completely unsuspecting.
My daughter cleaned her plate and went back for seconds. After my husband finished his second helping, I asked if everyone was done eating -- so I could put away the leftovers.
HUSBAND stood with empty plate, "that was good! That was real good!" (he rubbed his belly)
Daughter nodded in agreement.
I replied "Well good! Ya'll ate canned ground beef from our food storage!"
Husband responded, "In that case, I will puke!" (he was joking)
Daughter grunted, "I could have gone my whole life without knowing that!"
I asked my husband again, "So do you like this ground beef, and would you like more for our food storage?"
He nodded, "Yes, it was very good. I couldn't tell the difference! Could you?"
I couldn't agree more. Other than maybe a texture - (it's creamier) due to the fact that it was pressure cooked, that was the only difference. If anything, it tasted better than some "fresh" ground beef I've cooked in the past (ever noticed that liver taste?)
So, the score for the KEYSTONE GROUND BEEF, I would give it an 8-or 9. I doubt I would score any cooked beef a 10, as mentally you always think fresh is best.
For purchase, I found the Keystone Ground beef online at WALMART. (It's not carried locally on our shelves) Currently $6.28 for the 1 lb can. Free shipping for orders over $35. This isn't a bad deal as fresh ground beef locally costs between $3-$6 a pound. I also think it's well worth it to have some in storage as this doesn't require refrigeration, and it is perfect as a back-up meal for power outages, camping, and even stocking an RV. And lets face it--- inflation hits, economy dives, meat prices are going to go UP.
"Expiration" says, BEST BY 2022 - which is 5 years from now.
This doesn't mean it's expired, but that it is best to eat within 5 years. Food can last for YEARS (beyond expiration dates) if properly canned and stored. So think of all the circumstances that can arise between now and then ---and the importance of having emergency food reserves for a rainy day...
Of course, the reason I'm doing the review is to make sure this meat IS edible so that we can be confident before buying more.
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So a hearty thumbs up!
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