Ground meat is one of the worst offenders for bacterial contamination because of the increased surface area and exposure to air. In all honesty, you’re better off buying whole cuts and grinding it yourself as/when you need it. Partially frozen meat can be ground up just fine in a processor.

Nah. Pre-cooked ground beef has already given up whatever renderable fat is has. Not only is that fat useful for keeping your dishes from being dry, it also has a tremendous amount of flavor. You’re tossing that down the drain for the sake of not having to think of defrosting, which a) is not hard to remember and b)…