The grub master is the Scout who takes charge of their patrol’s food for a campout: leading the menu planning, doing the shopping, and running the cooking and the clean-up.
It is a troop term rather than a Scouting America one — you will not find “grub master” in any official requirement. But the job it describes is exactly what several requirements ask for, so doing it properly moves a Scout along.
The job
- Lead the menu planning with your patrol. The Scouts decide, not the adults.
- Count who is eating and work the quantities from that.
- Build the shopping list and work out the cost per person.
- Shop, and get the food to the meeting point on Friday.
- Run the cooking — you are the cook, and you direct your assistants.
- Supervise the clean-up, including safe food storage and proper disposal of waste water and rubbish.
Use the Menu Planner for steps 1 to 3.
Where cooking counts toward advancement
Cooking on a campout counts at every early rank, and for the Cooking merit badge. These are quoted from the current Scouts BSA requirements.
Tenderfoot — requirement 2a, 2b, 2c
2a. On the campout, assist in preparing one of the meals. Tell why it is important for each patrol member to share in meal preparation and cleanup.
2b. While on a campout, demonstrate the appropriate method of safely cleaning items used to prepare, serve, and eat a meal.
2c. Explain the importance of eating together as a patrol.
Second Class — requirement 2e
On one campout, plan and cook one hot breakfast or lunch, selecting foods from MyPlate or the current USDA nutritional model. Explain the importance of good nutrition. Demonstrate how to transport, store, and prepare the foods you selected.
First Class — requirement 2a, 2b, 2e (this is the grub master job almost word for word)
2a. Help plan a menu for one of the above campouts that includes at least one breakfast, one lunch, and one dinner, and that requires cooking at least two of the meals…
2b. Using the menu planned in First Class requirement 2a, make a list showing a budget and the food amounts needed to feed three or more youth. Secure the ingredients.
2e. On one campout, serve as cook. Supervise your assistant(s) in using a stove or building a cooking fire. Prepare the breakfast, lunch, and dinner planned in First Class requirement 2a. Supervise the cleanup.
Cooking merit badge — requirement 5, Camp Cooking (Eagle-required)
Plan a menu that includes four meals, one snack, and one dessert for your patrol on a camping trip. The four meals must include two breakfasts, one lunch, and one dinner. Find or create the recipes, create a shopping list and budget to determine the per-person cost, and discuss the plan with your counselor. Cook two of the meals on a camp or backpack stove, one in a skillet or Dutch oven over coals, and one in a foil pack or on a skewer. Prepare the snack and the dessert. Lead the clean-up after each meal.
Summarised from requirement 5. Work from the full text with your counselor — Cooking merit badge.
Before you start
Two things worth knowing:
- Tell your counselor or Scoutmaster first if you are cooking for a requirement. Some of them need planning discussed in advance, and it is easier to sign off something that was set up properly.
- Ask about allergies and dietary needs when you take the names. It is much harder to fix at the campsite.
