Ground Beef Lettuce Wraps

These ground beef lettuce wraps follow Gordon Ramsay's chilli beef lettuce wraps: ground beef fried hard until it turns crisp and deep brown, drained, then tossed with garlic, ginger, red chilli, a little brown sugar, fish sauce and lime, and spooned into cold, crunchy lettuce cups with a sharp soy-lime dressing. They take about 30 minutes. What makes them better than most is the texture of the beef, and that comes down to two moves: a pan that is not crowded, and a sieve.

Gordon Ramsay's Chilli Beef Lettuce Wraps

Gordon Ramsay cooked chilli beef lettuce wraps in "Keeping It Simple", episode 2 of Gordon Ramsay's Ultimate Cookery Course (2012), the same episode as his easy fragrant fried rice. The recipe is published on his own website, where he pitches it as a quick starter for a few friends and a few beers.

His version mixes lean ground beef with ground pork, seasons it, and fries it in a little oil for 5 to 7 minutes until it is crisp, brown and broken down fine. Then comes the step most home recipes skip: he tips the meat into a sieve so it drains and stays crisp. The pan gets wiped, toasted sesame oil goes in with garlic, ginger, chilli, a pinch of salt and brown sugar for 2 minutes, and the meat returns with fish sauce, lime zest and juice and spring onions. A separate dressing of soy sauce, lime, sesame oil, chilli, coriander and fish sauce is drizzled over the filled little gem leaves. His one tip is that the color on the meat is what matters most.

This version keeps his method and flavors. It uses all ground beef by default, since that is what most of us have in the fridge, with his half-beef, half-pork mix as an easy swap. It also adds two things a home kitchen needs: an ice-water soak that makes the lettuce cups snap, and a thermometer check at 160°F.

How to Brown Ground Beef for Lettuce Wraps (Crisp, Not Grey)

To brown ground beef for lettuce wraps, heat a 12-inch skillet until it is very hot, add a spoonful of oil, spread one pound of beef in a thin layer across the whole pan and leave it alone for about 2 minutes before you break it up. Then keep frying, breaking it smaller as you go, for 5 to 7 minutes in all, until the crumbles are deep brown and crisp at the edges. Ramsay's rule for anything that goes into a hot pan applies: if it doesn't sizzle when it lands, the pan is not ready.

The reason is water. Ground beef releases a lot of juice as it heats, and a wet surface cannot get hotter than 212°F (100°C), the boiling point. Browning, the Maillard reaction, only begins once the surface passes about 285°F (140°C), according to the science of the Maillard reaction, and its savory, roasted flavor peaks around 320°F (160°C). Pile a pound of beef into a small pan and the juice has nowhere to go; the meat simmers in it and turns grey. Spread thin in a wide, hot pan, the juice boils off in a minute or two, the fat starts rendering out of the grind, and the meat fries in its own fat until it crisps.

Leaving the meat in one flat layer at first matters for the same reason. Constant stirring keeps knocking the surface back down into the juice, while a slab left in place builds a brown crust that you then break into crisp pieces. If you are doubling the recipe, brown it in two batches. Season it with salt and pepper as it goes in rather than hours ahead: salt only matters for binding when you shape meat into patties, which is why burgers are salted on the outside at the last minute, as on our Gordon Ramsay burger page.

Pick 80 to 85 percent lean beef if you want the crispiest result, because the extra fat is what the meat fries in. Leaner 90 percent beef works too; add an extra teaspoon of oil. Ramsay's beef-and-pork mix, the same pairing behind our Gordon Ramsay meatballs, gives a slightly sweeter, juicier filling.

Why Ramsay Drains the Beef in a Sieve

Draining the browned beef in a sieve keeps it crisp. Once the meat comes off the heat, any rendered fat and juice left around it soaks straight back into the crumbles and softens the crust you just built. Tip it into a sieve set over a bowl and the liquid runs off, leaving dry, crunchy pieces that hold their texture even after the fish sauce and lime go in.

It also gives you a clean pan for the aromatics. Wipe out the skillet with a paper towel before the sesame oil goes in, so the garlic and ginger cook in fresh oil instead of hot beef fat and dark bits that would scorch. Let the drained fat cool and throw it in the trash; poured down the sink, it sets and clogs the drain. Any medium or large fine-mesh sieve does the job, and a set covers you for straining sauces and rinsing rice too.

What Temperature Should Ground Beef Be for Lettuce Wraps?

Cook the ground beef to 160°F (71°C), the USDA safe minimum for ground beef. Grinding spreads bacteria from the surface of the meat all the way through it, which is why ground beef needs a higher number than a steak. Crisp, deep brown crumbles fried for 5 to 7 minutes are well past it, but if you stop early or cook a bigger batch, check a clump of the thickest pieces with an instant-read thermometer.

Color alone is not proof. The USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service found that ground beef can turn brown inside before it reaches a safe temperature, as it explains on its page about the color of cooked ground beef. Ground pork, if you use Ramsay's mix, has the same 160°F target, and ground turkey or chicken need 165°F.

Garlic, Ginger and Chilli: Building the Filling

The filling for ground beef lettuce wraps comes together in about 3 minutes: garlic, ginger and red chilli softened in toasted sesame oil with a pinch of salt and a tablespoon of brown sugar, then the drained beef, fish sauce, lime and green onions. Keep the heat at medium for the aromatics. Finely chopped garlic burns quickly and turns acrid once it passes about 356°F (180°C), while the sugar needs only around 320°F (160°C) to start caramelizing, so a medium pan softens and lightly colors both without scorching either.

Each seasoning has a job. Fish sauce brings salt and a deep savory note, the sugar rounds off the heat of the chilli, and the lime cuts the richness of the beef. Add the lime zest and juice and the green onions in the last 30 seconds and then turn off the heat, so the lime stays bright and the onions stay green and crunchy. Taste before you serve, the way Ramsay always does: if it needs more salt, add a few drops of fish sauce; if it tastes flat, more lime.

Chillies vary a lot. One Fresno or red jalapeño, seeded, gives a gentle warmth; two, or a Thai bird chilli, makes these properly spicy. Most of the heat sits in the pale ribs inside the chilli rather than the seeds, so scrape those out if you want it milder. For a sweet-hot glaze, stir a spoonful of Gordon Ramsay's chilli jam through the beef at the end.

Best Lettuce for Ground Beef Lettuce Wraps

The best lettuce for ground beef lettuce wraps is little gem, the one Ramsay uses, or butter lettuce (Bibb or Boston): both have small, naturally cupped leaves that hold a spoonful of filling and fold without cracking. Iceberg gives the most crunch and makes neat cups if you peel whole leaves from the head. Romaine hearts work as boats rather than cups.

Little gem and butter lettuce hold the filling best; iceberg wins on crunch. Whichever you buy, crisp it in cold water before you fill it.

Separate the leaves, rinse them under cold running water and soak them in a bowl of ice water for about 10 minutes. Lettuce leaves are mostly water held under pressure inside their cells, and that pressure, called turgor, is what makes a leaf firm and snappy. A leaf that has sat in the fridge has lost some of that water and gone floppy; in cold water the cells take it back up and the leaf firms again. The FDA advises removing the outermost leaves of a head of lettuce, rinsing produce under plain running water without soap or produce wash, and drying it with a clean cloth or paper towel.

Drying the leaves well matters as much as the soak. Water left in the cup dilutes the dressing and steams the warm beef, which is how lettuce wraps go soggy. Spin them in a salad spinner or lay them cup-side down on a towel, and keep them in the fridge until the filling is ready.

Ground Beef Lettuce Wraps Variations

The base recipe takes other flavors well because the crisp beef carries them. For Korean-style beef lettuce wraps, skip the fish sauce and stir a tablespoon of gochujang, a tablespoon of soy sauce and a teaspoon of sesame oil through the drained beef, then finish with green onions. For a PF Chang's-style version, add a tablespoon of hoisin with the fish sauce and fold in a small can of drained, chopped water chestnuts for crunch. For a Thai-leaning filling, swap the dressing for crying tiger sauce, the lime, fish sauce and chilli dipping sauce that goes with grilled steak.

Ground turkey or chicken works in the same method; they are leaner, so add an extra tablespoon of oil and cook them to 165°F. For a heartier dinner, put a spoonful of rice under the beef in each cup, or serve the wraps next to a bowl of Ramsay's egg fried rice. To make the dish gluten-free, use a tamari labeled gluten-free in place of the soy sauce and check the fish sauce label.

Make-Ahead, Storage and Leftover Ground Beef Lettuce Wraps

Store the beef filling and the lettuce separately and assemble ground beef lettuce wraps just before eating; filled cups go limp within the hour. The filling keeps in a covered container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days if you refrigerate it within 2 hours of cooking, and it should be reheated to 165°F, as University of Wisconsin Extension advises for leftovers. Reheat it in a dry skillet over medium-high heat for 2 to 3 minutes to bring back some of the crunch; the microwave warms it but softens it.

You can prep almost everything ahead: wash, crisp and dry the lettuce up to a day before and keep it wrapped in a paper towel in a bag in the fridge, and mix the dressing up to 2 days ahead (add the cilantro on the day). For parties, set out the warm filling, the lettuce and the dressing and let everyone build their own, the way Ramsay suggests.

If your wraps come out soggy, the lettuce was wet or the beef was not drained. If the beef is grey and soft, the pan was crowded or not hot enough. Bland? More fish sauce and lime, a little at a time. For more fast weeknight dishes in the same spirit, try the chicken stir fry with rice noodles or, for ground beef with a long simmer, Gordon Ramsay's chilli con carne. Get the beef crisp and the lettuce cold, and these ground beef lettuce wraps are on the table in half an hour.

Ground Beef Lettuce Wraps

Gordon Ramsay's chilli beef lettuce wraps: ground beef fried until crisp and drained, tossed with garlic, ginger, red chilli, brown sugar, fish sauce and lime, served in crisp little gem cups with a soy-lime dressing.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Servings 4 servings

Calories 340 kcal

Ingredients

  

Wraps

• 2 heads little gem lettuce, or 1 head butter lettuce, leaves separated

Filling

• 1 lb ground beef, 80 to 85% lean (or 1/2 lb lean ground beef + 1/2 lb ground pork)
• 1 tbsp olive or grapeseed oil
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt, plus a pinch
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 to 2 red chillies (Fresno or red jalapeño), seeded and chopped
• 1 tbsp light brown sugar
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 lime, zested, plus about 2 tsp of its juice
• 3 green onions, trimmed and thinly sliced

Dressing

• 1 tbsp soy sauce (or gluten-free tamari)
• 1/2 lime, juiced
• 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
• 1/2 red chilli, thinly sliced
• 1 small handful cilantro leaves, chopped
• 1 to 2 tsp fish sauce, to taste
• 1 tsp light brown sugar
• 1 tbsp olive oil

Instructions

 

• Remove any damaged outer leaves from the lettuce, separate the leaves and rinse them under cold running water. Soak in a large bowl of ice water for about 10 minutes, then drain and dry thoroughly in a salad spinner or on a clean towel. Refrigerate until needed.
• Stir all the dressing ingredients together in a small bowl until the sugar dissolves. Taste and adjust with more lime or fish sauce. Set aside.
• Heat a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until very hot, then add the 1 tablespoon oil. Season the beef with the 1/2 teaspoon salt and the pepper, add it to the pan (it should sizzle) and press it into a thin, even layer. Leave it for 2 minutes until browned underneath.
• Break the beef into small pieces and keep frying, stirring and breaking it up, for 3 to 5 minutes more (5 to 7 minutes in all) until it is deep brown, crisp at the edges and broken down fine, and reaches 160°F.
• Tip the beef into a sieve set over a bowl and let it drain. Wipe out the skillet with paper towels. (Let the drained fat cool, then discard it in the trash.)
• Set the skillet over medium heat and add the 1 tablespoon sesame oil. Add the garlic, ginger and chilli with a pinch of salt and the 1 tablespoon brown sugar and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes until soft and fragrant but not browned.
• Return the drained beef to the pan, add the fish sauce and stir for about 1 minute until hot. Stir in the lime zest and juice and the green onions for 30 seconds, then turn off the heat. Taste and adjust.
• Spoon the filling into the lettuce cups, drizzle each with a little dressing and serve right away, with the rest of the dressing on the side.

Notes

Ramsay uses half lean ground beef and half ground pork; both are safe at 160°F. For a double batch, brown the beef in two batches so it crisps instead of steaming. Keep the filling, lettuce and dressing separate until serving. Refrigerate leftover filling within 2 hours, use within 3 to 4 days, and reheat to 165°F in a hot skillet.

More Ramsay dishes with ground meat and big flavor: egg fried rice (same episode), beef-and-pork meatballs, chilli con carne, chicken stir fry with rice noodles and crying tiger sauce. Pans for it: Gordon Ramsay cookware. Browse every dish in Recipes.

Ground Beef Lettuce Wraps FAQs

The questions that come up most: whether Gordon Ramsay really makes lettuce wraps, which lettuce to use, how to keep them from going soggy, what temperature the beef needs, what sauce goes on them, whether they are healthy, how to make a Korean version, and how far ahead you can make them.