Abstract: Precooked, packaged ground meat products and methods of making such products. The product comprises ground meat and at least one moisture-absorbing additive. The formulated meat mixture is formed into a raw ground meat portion. Perforations are formed in the raw ground meat portion. The perforated raw ground meat portion is sealed within a closed envelope and cooked. The moisture-absorbing additive and perforations control the purge (water and other juices) discharged by the meat during cooking. The moisture-absorbing additive absorbs some of this purge; the perforations trap much of the remaining purge. The resulting product is thus without large amounts of free purge within the package and may be broken apart easily into cooked ground meat upon removal from the package. The raw meat should be frozen and maintained frozen until cooking to maintain the grain structure and perforations during handling.