“Why does hamburger have less energy than steak?”/“Because it’s in the ground state.”

A popular science joke involving hamburger (ground beef) is:
 
Q: Why does hamburger have less energy than steak?
A: Because it’s in the ground state.
 
The joke was told in the newsgroup net.jokes in 1986.
 
   
Google Groups: net.jokes
Holy Cow
Matt Crawford
3/9/86
How do we know that steak has more energy than hamburger?
Hamburger is in the ground state.
   
Google Groups: rec.humor
Life 5.H
Henry Cate III
8/9/93
Date: 27 Nov 89
(...)
Why does hamburger have less energy than steak?
Because hamburger is in a ground state.
 
Chemical & Engineering News
Volume 83 Issue 1 | p. 56 | Newscripts
Issue Date: January 3, 2005
Iconic chemical dictionary, Chemistry puns, Jokes for chemists
(...)
Jokes for chemists
Following up on the above wordplay, we have a few jokes to liven up a party or to break a lull in a lab conversation while waiting for a reaction to finish.
 
Q. Why does hamburger have less energy than steak?
A. It’s in the ground state.
   
Twitter
[Name removed by request.—ed.]
Q: Why does hamburger have lower energy than steak? A: because it is in the ground state.
10:48 AM - 17 May 2009
 
Google Books
A Neutron Walks Into a Bar…
Random Facts about Our Universe and Everything in It
By Science140
Hachette Books Ireland
2012
Pg. ?:
Why does a burger have lower energy than a steak?
Because it’s in the ground state.
 
Reddit—Physicsjokes
Why does hamburger have lower energy than steak? (self.physicsjokes)
submitted May 20, 2013 by ohstahp
Because it’s in the ground state.
 
Nerdy Jokes
May 7, 2014
Hamburger Humor
By LC
Q. Why does hamburger have less energy than steak?
A. It’s in the ground state.
 
Twitter
Tech-FAQ
‏@tech_faq
Q: Why does hamburger have less energy than steak?
A: Because it’s in ground state.
4:06 PM - 26 Feb 2015