salt:

Table salt, kosher salt, and sea salt--does it make a difference which one you use?  You can find plenty of info online, but my basic opinion is this:  Try them and you'll see.  Table salt is refined and processed with some additives or chemicals (although still 97% NaCl at least).  It is fine when you are dissolving it in something like soup or just need a little something on your food.  However, when you are roasting potatoes or rubbing it on meat, the larger crystals of kosher salt are slower-dissolving and have a purer flavor.  I don't believe iodine is added to it, however, and we all do need a little iodine for our health.  Sea salt seems to have a different flavor than kosher or table salt.  I tend to only use it on foods directly served, like sprinkling it on an avocado, because it has a strong, lingering flavor for me.  When it comes to a "pinch of salt" in recipes, the larger crystals are easier to pinch.  Also, Morton is saltier than Diamond table salt, so it's always helpful to try out a recipe and see if you need to adjust the salt amount.  That's as far as my salt repertoire goes; I've never had gray sea salt or other colored salt varieties. 

browning ground beef:

Heat a little bit of oil in a pan on Medium-High and throw in the ground beef (or turkey or pork).  I try to break everything up as quickly as possible so I end up with little pieces and not strings or clumps.  A better way would be to break up the meat in its container before you throw it in, but I often don't do it.  

Fry it without a cover (or the meat will toughen) until all the water evaporates and everything is browned.  Ground beef tends to lower-quality meat and therefore is subject to parasites and other nasty beings, so it should be completely browned. 

Drain the beef through a colander or mesh strainer, catching the oil and throwing it away so it doesn't clog up the drain.  If I buy very lean meat, which is a little less moist, sometimes there is so little fat it can just go down the drain.  If I'm making taco meat or something similar, I will drain the meat and then throw it back in the pan and heat it up with the tomato sauce, salt, and spices.  I don't put the tomato sauce in early because I need to be able to see the meat is cooked through.  You don't have to brown the beef first in a slow cooker (like if you're cooking chili or a meat sauce), since it will be cooking for so long, and the beef will most likely be cooked through.