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brown-speckled long-grain dirty rice with very fine ground beef crumbles and liver minced almost to a paste cooked into tiny brown specks smaller than a rice grain, tiny green bell pepper, onion and celery pieces and sliced scallions folded throughout in an ordinary shallow bowl, with no separate liver chunks, dark meat cubes or large meat pieces
Melissa Hart

Ground Beef Dirty Rice

Chicken liver belongs in the ingredient list here because its finely chopped richness is what distinguishes this dirty rice from a simple beef-and-pepper skillet. If you're hesitant about the texture, chop it almost to a paste and cook it into the vegetables rather than leaving separate liver pieces in the finished rice. The rice cooks in its own saucepan, then gets folded through the browned meat and reduced pan juices, which makes the final moisture much easier to judge. Let the last spoonful of broth absorb before serving; a wet puddle underneath would soften the grains and wash away the browned flavor you built in the skillet.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Servings: 4
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 1 1/2 cups long-grain white rice rinsed and drained
  • 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
  • 1 tbsp neutral oil
  • 1 lb 85% lean ground beef
  • 4 oz chicken livers trimmed and very finely chopped
  • 1 medium yellow onion finely diced
  • 2 celery ribs finely diced
  • 1 green bell pepper finely diced
  • 3 garlic cloves minced
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
  • 1/2 tsp rubbed sage
  • 1/2 tsp ground white pepper
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne
  • 1/2 tsp fine salt
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 3 scallions thinly sliced

Method
 

  1. Bring rice and 2 1/2 cups broth to a boil in a covered saucepan. Reduce heat to low, cook for 18 minutes and rest off heat, covered, for 10 minutes.
  2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown beef for 7 to 8 minutes, breaking it into small crumbles and cooking to 160°F; leave about 1 tablespoon fat in the pan.
  3. Add liver, onion, celery and bell pepper. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring and breaking up the liver until the vegetables soften and the liver reaches 165°F.
  4. Stir in garlic, thyme, sage, white pepper, cayenne and salt for 1 minute. Add the remaining 1/2 cup broth and water and scrape up browned bits.
  5. Simmer for 4 to 5 minutes until only a little moist liquid remains between the meat and vegetables. Fluff the cooked rice and fold it gently into the skillet.
  6. Cook over medium-low heat for 3 minutes, folding once or twice, until the grains absorb the pan juices. Stir in scallions and serve hot.