How To Defrost Ground Beef Naturally. Simply move the meat from the freezer to the fridge. If you are planning ahead of time to use your ground beef in a recipe, then the best thing you can do is to allow it to defrost slowly and naturally over time.

Microwave thawing is a convenient way of defrosting ground beef. Slacking is the slowest method, often taking a whole day to defrost frozen ground beef. Plus, the fridge will keep your ground beef under 40°f, above which is the “danger zone” for bacteria growth.