How to thaw ground beef?

Quickest way, make sure it is an sealed bag with all air pushed out of bag, put in COLD running water until defrosted. Safest way to ensure no bacteria growth would be to think ahead, if you can remember to do so and pull from freezer and leave in fridge for a couple days depending on size of product. Remember (COLD running water) This will prohibit bacterial growth so your meat product never goes into the food danger zone.