I have never won a river permit via lottery, but not for lack of trying. I do get invited to join a fair number of trips on other peoples’ permits, though, and I think it’s usually for one of two reasons: 1) I am a pretty good river cook, and 2) I have a really nice groover. I’ll talk more about the groover another day, so let’s focus on what’s going in to your raft party’s belly, not what’s coming out.
When it comes to planning river meals, I try to think about a few things: 1) flexibility for dietary restrictions, 2) how long into the trip the meal will be, which relates to fresh/frozen/highly perishable ingredients 3) the campsite/river info if it’s available – mostly so I can figure out how much time/energy I’ll have to cook and 4) the weather as best I can predict, since nobody wants chili when it’s 105 in the shade.
And I also try to do as much prep work at home as I can. Some entire meals, some par-cooking, some sous chef preparation – in a way that provides for storage efficiency, food safety, convenience, and maintains or enhances flavor. This can be especially important if you’re cooking for a large group – prepping a meal for 4 hungry folks is very different than prepping one for 20. It also makes the dish crew happy, because there are generally fewer things requiring scrubbing.
Here are some examples of how that plays out – all these scale-up to 20+ or down to 3-4, but the prep methods might change a bit:
Maybe I’ll win a lottery this year, but if not, I’m going to keep setting a high bar around meals so I get those invites. An example recipe is below, let me know if you want me to share some others!
Irish tacos with spicy slaw and pepper roasted potatoes
Ingredients Per Person:
8oz corned beef brisket (pre cooked weight)
6 ‘street taco’ sized flour tortillas
2oz (1cup) packaged shredded cabbage slaw mix
1oz pickled jalapeños
2oz mayonnaise
1oz lemon juice
2oz cotija cheese
1oz cilantro paste
2oz sour cream
1oz lime juice
6oz red potatoes
2oz red bell pepper
1oz fresh jalapeño pepper
Olive oil, salt, pepper, cumin to taste
Pre Trip Prep:
Meat: Sous vide corned beef with seasoning packet at 180f for 10 hours. Roast for 10-15 minutes at 425 until surface is browned. Let cool for 10 minutes, then vacuum seal and freeze for at least 48 hours (begin thawing in cooler 2 days prior to cooking).
Potatoes: Wash and cube (skin on) potatoes into 1” cubes. Drizzle with oil, then salt, pepper, cumin. Dice bell pepper and fresh jalepeno pepper, toss with potatoes until evenly mixed. Roast at 415 for 10-12 minutes (not fully cooked inside, but crispy and browning outside). Let cool for 10 minutes, then vacuum seal and freeze for at least 24 hours.
At Camp:
Meat: In large/blaster pot – heat sanitized (non-potable is ok) water to near boiling, place meat in vacuum bag into the hot water for 20 minutes. Remove from water, dry bag and remove meat from bag, cut into thick slices against the grain, and grill slices on a skillet over medium heat.
Potatoes: Empty potatoes into large pot or saucepan, saute over medium heat (add oil as needed), stirring and turning often.
Slaw: Dice pickled jalepenos, reserve brine. Mix cabbage mix, jalepenos, ½ of cilantro paste, until well combined. Mix mayonnaise, lemon juice, and jalepeno brine (to taste) until the consistency of heavy cream (add potable water as needed to thin); pour over cabbage mixture and stir until well coated.
Sauce: Mix sour cream, lime juice, and remaining cilantro paste
Cheese: Crumble cotija for topping tacos.
Serve meat and slaw in warmed tortillas, top with sauce and cheese, serve potatoes on side with sauce and/or cheese
This serving size assumes folks going back for seconds – if they do, here’s the nutrient breakdown.
Calories: 1,900
Protein: 90g
Fat: 120g
Carbohydrates: 125g
Clean Lines Paddlesports 
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