Robert Sloan - The Tailgating Cookbook: Recipes for the Big Game

Text copyright 2005 by Bob Sloan.

Photographs copyright 2005 by

Liz Daly,

Jenna Cushner, pages

Jacob T. Gardner, pages

Illustrations copyright 2005 by Jacob T. Gardner

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher.

ISBN: 978-1-4521-3307-2

The Library of Congress has previously cataloged this title under ISBN 978-0-8118-4605-9

Designed by Jacob T. Gardner

Typesetting by Blue Friday

Cover photograph by Sheri Giblin

Chronicle Books LLC

85 Second Street

San Francisco, California 94105

www.chroniclebooks.com

Back in the Good Old Days, most fans walked or took public transportation to the stadium. If they met for a beer before the game, they didnt call it tailgating. They called it Hey, Ill meet you for a beer before the game. This took place at dingy bars in the shadow of the stadiumplaces with names like the Goal Post or the End Zone or Ralphs Stadium Tavern. The food, such as it was, might be a bag of chips, or a pickled pigs knuckle, or one of those eggs floating in a jar behind the bar that looked like a science experiment gone very, very bad. Later, during the game, there would be soggy hot dogs and stale peanuts at the park.

But one day all that changed.

Ah, to have been there at the moment of inspiration for the first tailgate party. It must have been a strange and mysterious vision, because the man pictured himself and his family and friends all dressed in the same color, arriving at the stadium hours before game time, lugging coolers full of food, pounds of bulky equipment, and bags of dripping ice to set up a party that could have been held so much more easily and comfortably in the backyard. What inspired him? Was it a voice, mysteriously calling to him from the parking lot? If you grill it, they will come. When he described to his wife what they were about to do, did she try to mask her concern behind a voice of reason? Lets just eat here at home, Honey. Cooking the foodserving itis so much easier. The bathroom is so much closer. And we have electricity! But the voice, so clear in his head, called to him again, and he would answer her, No, we wont eat at home. We will go to the parking lot and there we will set up a table and a barbecue grill and, dressed in our team colors, we will fill the air with the rich aroma of cooking meats. And soon others will be sure to join us. If we grill it, they will come!

And come they did. By the millions. Once an anomaly confined to die-hard fans of college football, tailgating has become a routine sight at sporting events on every level, from the Little League World Series to the Super Bowl. Arena parking lots around the country are home to gatherings of all sizes serving every kind of food and drink. And those nontailgaters passing by, who, sadly, have come to the stadium only to watch the game, are quickly filled with envy when they see the platters of food. Many of them become instant converts, and at the very next home game they are out in the parking lot tailgating themselves.

Tailgate parties come in every size and shape. They can be as small as two buddies chowing down on homemade hoagiesalong with a cooler of cold beer. They can be a van of happy fans scarfing homemade salsa and guac while cooking burgers or brats or chicken kabobs on a hibachialong with a cooler of cold beer. Or they can be several generations of friends and family who have set up a field kitchen that would be the envy of many three-star New York restaurants and a network of tables laden with platters of meats, side dishes, and dessertsalong with several coolers of cold beer.

Your tailgate party will no doubt fall somewhere along this continuum. And this book will provide you with what you need to know to devise a tailgating game plan and then execute it flawlessly.

YOU KNOW YOURE A REAL TAILGATER WHEN

You forget the tickets but remember the ice.

Your memories of a crushing defeat center around a platter of dropped brats rather than the would-be winning touchdown pass dropped in the end zone.

You stop by the stadium on an off day just to gaze at your favorite parking space, fantasizing about where the team will put up the plaque in your honor and what it is likely to say.

You paint dividing lines like parking spots on your driveway and insist that your family eat on the blacktop at least once a week during the off-season.

You cant sleep the night after you discover that your neighbor has a portable blender more powerful than yours.

You can close your eyes and imagine a clear map of the location of the portable toilets in at least three different stadium parking lots.

You own one or more recordings featuring your teams marching band and/or highlights from radio broadcasts of their greatest games.

You have at least six beer mugs and a grill cover emblazoned with your teams logo.

You have tailgated at least once on one of the following occasions: childs birthday, Thanksgiving, New Years Day, Valentines Day, an anniversary of some consequence, Mothers Day.

You have canceled (or at least rescheduled) a round of golf because you realized it conflicted with a tailgate party.

If you answered yes to all of the above, its clear that you already know what youre doing, and you can go directly to the recipes. If not, here are some guidelines on how to make yours a safe and successful tailgate party.

If you are about to embark on your first tailgate, you should think about going with a basic game plan. No end-arounds. No flea-flickers or halfback options. Your runs should be off-tackle, your passes short and to the sidelines. Choose a menu you feel comfortable with, a combination of do-ahead dishes and others that require only simple grilling. This will help reduce your anxiety once the tailgate starts. Another helpful tip is to pack all the equipment and utensils the night before, so in the morning all you need to think about is the food. And once you get to the parking lot, dont be intimidated by some of the more veteran tailgaters with their elaborate setups that resemble a small landing force. The first time they get to the majors, nervous minor league players remind themselves that the bases are still 90 feet away. In the same spirit, remind yourself that your grill will get just as hot as it does at home, the steaks will cook in the same amount of time, and they will taste every bit as good.