Football team

It’s that time of the year again when football and race cars reign supreme. Where there are skid marks around the race track, or Hail Mary passes thrown just before the halftime buzzer, tailgate parties are a special piece of Americana.

Thousands of sports fans gather each year to celebrate sporting events, and also to have a good time preparing food and partying with fellow tailgating enthusiasts. Whether it’s a modest set of cookware at the back of a pickup truck, or a full-sized outdoor rotisserie and grill, tailgate parties are a must for any sporting event.

For many people, tailgating is more than just a way to grab a bite to eat. Many consider tailgating as a lifestyle choice and a must for any outdoor event. Many take their tailgating parties seriously, and pride themselves with their recipes. Some fans are so passionate about tailgating that they ignore the game outright, and just concentrate on the party taking place at the parking lot. Here are some terrific ideas to make your tailgating party a success.

Preparing for Tailgate Parties

Its a fun party

While tailgating may look simple, it takes weeks of careful planning to make a tailgating party a success. Before you hold your tailgating party, make sure that you already have all ingredients and supplies ready. Fresh ingredients should always be bought last, or refrigerated and preserved until the tailgating party takes place. Make sure that you have the propane or gas needed to fuel your cooking equipment; you don’t want to run out of fuel in the middle of a barbecue.

Tailgating is relatively affordable, although it’s not cheap. Not only will you feed your family and friends, but you’ll also have to feed the friends you’ve made in the parking lot. When you prepare tailgating fare, make sure you prepare more than enough food for you to share to others. Set a budget ceiling that you can work with, so that you won’t blow out your bank accounts just for a tailgate party.

Tailgating Equipment

Im cooking for our food

Cookware used for tailgating range from the simple to the complex. The simplest tailgating parties may involve a few cooking tools packed inside the trunk of a car, like an electric grill or a portable camping stove. Some may take tailgating so seriously that they bring trucks, caravans, and motor homes equipped with sophisticated cooking equipment. There are three important things about tailgating equipment you should always keep in mind:

• Portability. Tailgating equipment should be lightweight and easy to set up. If you’re going to take all day to set up your cooking equipment, you’ll miss out on all the fun of tailgating. Use efficient and lightweight cooking tools like stoves and grills. Make sure that they comply with the safety precautions and requirements of the stadium.
• Necessity. Unless you’re really passionate about tailgating, you should only bring the cooking equipment you absolutely need. Instead of lugging around personal refrigerators and giant portable grills, you should be able to bring along a few cooler boxes and a small grill.
• Price. Cooking equipment are expensive as they already are. Don’t blow your budget on really sophisticated equipment that take forever to learn how to use. Remember that tools don’t make the cook; even with ordinary-looking tools, you can make sumptuous dishes that everyone in the tailgating area will ask for second helpings.

As with all cooking utensils, make sure that your tools are in proper working order and do not pose a significant risk for a fire. Stadium officials may check your equipment from time to time to prevent damage and loss to property.

Tailgating Food

Ready for foods

Tailgating is all about the food. Anyone who goes to a parking lot at halftime will be treated to mouth-watering smells of all sorts of delicious meals prepared and cooked outdoors. Here are some dishes you can try for your next tailgate party:

Barbecue

Grilling and roasting are mainstays of the tailgating tradition. Almost every tailgating aficionado has his or her own favorite barbecue recipe. Here are some of the famous barbecue dishes that have been found in tailgating parties over the years:

• Beef is a mainstay in many tailgating parties. Roast beef cuts are very convenient and are readily available from supermarkets and meat dealers. Sometimes, entire sides of beef are roasted in giant grills at tailgating hot spots.
• Pork is also a very common meat barbecued in tailgating parties. A popular tailgating dish is pulled pork, which is a giant slab of pork or even an entire pig slow-roasted until the meat falls off the bone. The meat is then picked off by hand by hungry diners waiting for the outcome of the game. (see Barbeque Pork Recipe)
• Chicken is an affordable substitute for pork and beef barbecues. Entire chickens roasting on rotisseries are served during football games. Popular dishes include Cajun chicken and even turkey roasted to perfection, especially when the game falls on the Thanksgiving holidays.
• Cheesesteaks are definitely popular in Philadelphia, and many versions of the sandwich are served all over the United States. Many people actually prefer cheesesteaks made by tailgating experts than ones served at the concession stand.

Yummy roast beef!

Chicken barbeque

Delicious cheesesteaks!

Seafood

A healthier alternative to meat is chicken. Whenever fresh fish is available on the market, many tailgating aficionados cook seafood alongside barbecued dishes. Here are some seafood dishes that you can prepare in a tailgating party:

• Grilled fish is a healthy alternative to barbecued pork and beef, although it takes a lot of care to prepare. Fish must be grilled immediately after it’s bought, because it doesn’t stand up to weather very well.
• Crab, lobster and clams are very popular seafoods for tailgating parties. Steamed crabs, boiled lobsters, and clam bakes are common fare in tailgating parties where seafoods are plentiful.
• Smoked salmon is a favorite dish in tailgating parties because it keeps well. Smoked salmon can be eaten alone, as a sandwich filling, or preserved as gravlax and drank with sparkling wine. (Learn how to cook salmon)

Grilled fish looks good

Steamed alimango crabs

Smoked salmon

Sandwiches

The old reliable sandwich is a very practical and delicious way to eat at tailgating parties. Here are some sandwich items that are popular for tailgate parties:

• Flame-grilled burgers and hot dogs are enjoyed by the young and old alike. They are easy to cook, quick to assemble, and are lots of fun to eat.
• Bratwurst and sauerkraut can be prepared months in advance, and then brought to the tailgating party.
• Submarine sandwiches can be made from anything from vegemeat substitutes to cold cuts and even meats from barbecues. The neat thing about a submarine sandwich is that you can make them in whatever way you want.
• Flame-cooked pretzels are perfect for kids. You can simply twist dough and then cook them on a grill or an open flame.

Griiled hamburgers

Sauerkraut spaghetti

Taste good sandwiches

Salads and Side Dishes

Meat can be quite heavy, and you’ll need some other dishes to cleanse the palate and cut the grease. Salads and side dishes are a must for tailgate parties:

• Vegetable salads can be anything from coleslaw to vegetable sticks. Vegetables have a very fresh taste that can cut the excess fat you eat from barbecued meat.
• Jambalaya is a very popular dish in tailgating parties. Jambalaya is a simple one-pot dish made with sausage, chicken, vegetables, rice, and broth or soup stock.
• Home-made potato salad can be made a day in advance. Many tailgaters pride themselves on the taste of potato salad, and is often shared and sometimes sold among people in the stadium parking lot.

Tailgating Gimmicks

Support our team!

There are many other things you can do at a tailgate party besides eating. For many fans, the real fun of a game is not in the stands or in the field, but outside the stadium where tailgaters hold a lot of enjoyable activities for everyone.

Team Spirit

Just because the action takes place inside doesn’t mean that tailgate parties do not support the team. Many fans put up streamers, banners, and even make up cheers for the home team even while they’re outside the stadium. People can also name their dishes to commemorate the team. Some may even dress up as mascots or wear symbols associated with their team.

Satellite TV

Sometimes the stands can be so crowded that people are no longer comfortable watching the game. Some tailgaters set up satellite TV equipment to broadcast the live game for fans in the parking lot to watch.

Tailgating Games

One way that people pass the time in a tailgating party is to play some party games for fun. Here are some of the popular games played in tailgating parties:

• Beer pong is a game that involves a ping-pong ball and a set of beer cups. The aim of the game is to shoot ping-pong balls into empty cups. Techniques like fastball, arc shots, and bounce shots have often been used to win the game.

How to play beer pong?Check this out.

• Hillbilly horseshoes is a lot like horseshoes, although the horseshoe is replaced with two balls connected together with rope. The “horseshoe” is then thrown into a small stepladder, with the top rung worth three points and the bottom rung worth one point.
• Corn toss is a great way to use all those bags of corn or coal used in tailgating parties. You simply need a burlap bag filled with corn husks and a piece of plywood board with a big round hole to play a game very similar to basketball.

Watch this movie to view sample on how to play corn toss.

No matter what you do for your tailgate party, it’s very important for you to be gracious, generous, and considerate. Remember that everyone in the parking lot is a potential friend, and you should be considerate about their needs. Once you get all those ironed out and settled, your tailgating party will not only be a success for you, but a success for your home team as well.