Meal Prep: Beef

With every meal prepping video saying something along the lines of “try this chicken” or “this is the best way to meal prep chicken.” What if I’m sick of chicken!? Sometimes chicken won’t cut it anymore. I have come up with an easy and cost-effective way to meal prep beef to get you through those times when chicken just won’t cut it. Just like the previous chicken recipes, we’re going to make one large batch of braised beef, and flavor it three different ways allowing us to inject some variety into the monotony of meal prepping.

Meal Prep Beef Ingredients

  1. 7# Chuck Roast (2 each)
  2. 2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
  3. Salt & Pepper to Taste
  4. (5) Beef Bouillon Cubes (or Beef Stock)

Meal Prep Beef Method:

Salt both sides of the chuck steak and allow to sit for 30 minutes or longer; if you can wait, up to an hour. Pat the steaks dry with a paper towel or clean kitchen towel, season again lightly with salt and pepper. Add the olive oil to large Dutch oven and heat, on high until just below the smoke point. Sear the steak on both sides, working in batches if needed to not overcrowd the pan, 2 minutes per side.

Combine meat, bouillon cubes (or stock), and water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook on low heat until the meat is tender, about 2.5 to 3 hours. Allow to cool in the cooking liquid. Remove from liquid and shred by hand as fine as you desire, I like to leave larger chunks intermixed into the finer shreds, giving a nice variety of textures & flavors.

Beef Meal Prep Recipes

French Onion Beef:

  1. 1.5-2# Braised beef
  2. 10 oz. Braising liquid
  3. 2 Tbsp. Flour
  4. 2 Tbsp. Butter
  5. 1 tsp. Salt
  6. ¼ Tsp. Pepper
  7. 1 Tbsp. Chopped Dried Onion
  8. 1 tsp. Worcestershire Sauce
  9. (2) Dash Tabasco

French Onion Method:

Melt butter in small saucepan and stir in the flour. Add 10oz. of braising liquid in 3oz. intervals stirring vigorously after each addition to ensure no lumps form. Add all remaining ingredients except the beef and simmer on medium low heat for 5 minutes to cook out all the raw flour flavor. Remove from heat and fold into shredded beef. Portion into meal prep containers.

BBQ Beef Ingredients:

  1. 1-2# Braised Beef
  2. ¾ C. Low/No Sugar BBQ Sauce
  3. 1 tsp. Worcestershire Sauce
  4. ½ tsp. Liquid Smoke (Optional)
  5. 1 tsp. Salt
  6. ¼ tsp. Black Pepper

BBQ Beef Method:

Simply mix all ingredients together and portion into meal prep containers.

Ropa Vieja Ingredients:

  1. 1.5-2# Braised Beef
  2. 14oz. (1 Can) Crushed Tomatoes
  3. 2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
  4. ¼ C. Red Pepper Finely Diced
  5. ¼ C. Yellow Pepper Finely Diced
  6. ¼ C. White or Yellow Onion Finely Diced
  7. 1 tsp. Garlic
  8. 3.8oz. (1 Can) Sliced Olives
  9. 1 tsp. Salt
  10. ¼ tsp. Black Pepper
  11. ½ tsp. Cumin
  12. ½ tsp. Paprika
  13. ½ tsp. Chili Powder

Ropa Vieja Method:

Heat olive oil in medium saucepan over medium heat. Sauté onion, garlic, and red & yellow pepper until soft and translucent. Add tomatoes, spices, and olives and simmer over low heat for 5 minutes. Add sauce to braised beef and portion into meal prep containers.

Recipe Notes

When you braise meat, the fibers of the meat get very hard and tense. Giving the beef time to cool in the braising liquid allows those fibers to relax and soak up some of that flavorful liquid. The French onion recipe is great for pot roasts too. You can modify it a bit to cook the beef in all those ingredients and enhance those flavors quite a bit.

Traditionally ropa vieja has green olives, but my grocery store didn’t have sliced green olives. In an effort to reduce the amount of prep I substituted sliced black olives. If you want to keep it traditional, use sliced green olives. The red and yellow peppers in the ropa vieja, I just used a quarter of each color pepper which I was cutting up to use for my meal prepped veggies.

Summary

Feeling burnt out on the endless parade of chicken-based meal prep ideas? It’s time to switch things up with a fresh take on meal prepping centered around beef. This approach offers a welcome change of pace from the usual chicken fare, providing a convenient and cost-effective solution to combat mealtime monotony. Just like its chicken counterpart, this method involves batch cooking a hearty portion of braised beef, then infusing it with three distinct flavors—French Onion, BBQ, and Ropa Vieja—to inject a much-needed dose of variety into your weekly meal prep routine. With practical tips and recipe modifications included, this beef-focused meal prep guide promises to revitalize your palate and reignite your enthusiasm for healthy, flavorful eating.