Welcome to your ultimate guide to stress-free meal prep! If you’re looking to save time during the busy workweek or simply want to enjoy more balanced meals without the daily hassle, you’re in the right place.
Get ready to cook once and eat all week, as we share our top tips and tricks for making batch cooking your new go-to method.
In this post, we’re diving into the art of batch cooking, a simple strategy that can transform how you approach meal times.
This is how my husband turns our BBQ into an efficient oven, cooking up a batch of proteins—from succulent chicken breasts to steaks, to flavorful pork chops.
He even cooks our Thanksgiving turkey this way!
As you can see from the photos above, we use a regular BBQ grille (with a vent on the lid to regulate temperature.)
Use a foil brownie pan to place the protein in. If we’re cooking a turkey, we use one of the oblong foil pans.
We prefer split chicken breasts because they don’t dry out like boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Once cooked, it’s easy to slice the meat off the bone.
- Before cooking – peel the skin off.
- Get your pan ready. We use an 8″ foil brownie pan.
- Rub 2 tbsp bacon grease on the bottom of the pan. Then rub the bottom of the pan with – 1 tbsp “Better Than Bullion” – chicken flavor. (For steak – use the beef-flavored “Better Than Bullion.”)
- Add salt, pepper, fresh minced garlic, diced onions, rosemary, and thyme.
- For chicken – we sprinkle the chicken with McCormick roasted garlic and herb.
- We use Riekers Dakota Steak and Chop Rub for pork chops or steak.
- Loosely cover the pan with aluminum foil.
- Place the pan on the top rack.
The potatoes get wrapped in foil. They usually take 1/2 as long to cook as the chicken or pork chops.
On the left-hand side of the grille – we place a piece of foil with the sides turned up on the grille and add wood chips – to give the meat a slightly smoky flavor without it being overpowering.
Fire on the left side of the BBQ.
Pan with protein on the right-hand side – top shelf.
The foil with wood chips goes on the left-hand side (directly over the flame) – on the bottom shelf.
For this – we want a low, steady fire.
Open the vent on top of the BBQ lid slightly – just enough to keep a steady temperature on the inside.
Cook for approximately 1 hour – then test with a meat thermometer. Bone in chicken breasts usually take 2 hours.
Quick Tip: We always cook a double batch of proteins – that way we have leftovers to use for quesadillas, nachos, chicken pot pie, chicken and noodles, etc.
Quick Tip: If we have more leftover protein than we’re planning to use during the week – we freeze it halfway, then vacuum seal it. Proteins will last up to 6 months if they’re vacuum sealed.
To read more about food prep…Food Prep and Storage for Full-Time RVers
To read more recipes…Layers of Flavor – Our Favorite Recipes