"Ground beef is a terrific all-around ingredient for a ton of different dishes. You can freeze it to keep it good for a long time, but how do you know whether the ground beef you have or are buying is still good?"
"One of the easiest ways to tell if ground beef is bad is by smelling and visually inspecting the beef. Ground beef should have a healthy pink or red color if it's raw and still fresh."
"Raw ground beef should be moist but not wet. There shouldn't be any slime on the surface. In addition, there should be a manageable amount of liquid at the base of your packaging."
"Cooked ground beef, on the other hand, will mostly be gray, brown, or black, depending on how long you cook it. It should look like the outside of a grilled hamburger."