Tailgating: The Event before the Event

A large part of our American culture, tailgating has become a time-honored tradition that brings out a comradeship among fans like no other. Gone are the days of tailgating being a purely prior-to-the-football-game occurrence. This beloved social event has spread to other sports, concerts, holidays and even weddings. We’ve put together the ultimate manual to aid in throwing a memorable tailgate that could end up being as highly, if not more highly, anticipated than the actual event.

May 27, 2015

8:44 AM

FOOD, FABULOUS FOOD

One of the main musts of throwing a killer tailgate is the food and beverages. Delicious antipasti skewers, provided by Russo’s Italian Market & Catering, are easy to assemble, transport and snack on. Pretzels, popcorn and peanuts served in brown paper bags make for easy clean up. We recommend choosing a simple menu easy to make the day of the event or prep the evening prior. The recipes below have taken the classic American fare we’ve come to associate with tailgating up a notch. They’re sure to have you planning your next parking lot party!

Gourmet Sliders

makes 10

In place of your traditional hamburger, we substituted this choice dish of gourmet sliders. What really made the difference in these juicy, mouth-watering patties was the quality organic grass-fed ground beef from Dundore and Heister in Wyomissing.

Ingredients:

For the Sliders:

1 lb ground beef
Sea salt & ground pepper
Onion powder
Garlic powder

For the Toppings:

Crumbled goat cheese
Arugula
Stonewall Kitchen Roasted Garlic Onion Jam (purchased from Reading China & Glass, West Reading)

For the Buns:

10 dinner rolls
Olive oil for brushing
Poppy seeds
Sesame seeds

Directions: Prepare your grill with a nice coating of olive oil. Form the ground beef into approximately 10 sliders and season well with sea salt, ground pepper, onion powder and garlic powder. This can be done the night before to save time. Grill your sliders to desired perfection. If you can’t find slider buns locally, use dinner rolls; they work perfectly. Brush tops of rolls with olive oil, season with poppy and sesame seeds and warm on the grill. Add a generous amount of garlic onion jam, arugula and a sprinkling of goat cheese.

Buffalo Dogs

makes 8

What’s a sporting event without buffalo sauce or hot dogs? We found the ideal recipe merging these two adored tailgating ingredients, delivering a ton of spicy flavor with every bite.

Ingredients:

8 large hot dogs
8 hot dog buns

For the Buffalo Mayo:

1 cup mayonnaise
1/8 cup Frank's Red Hot Buffalo Wing Sauce, more for drizzling
Juice of half a lemon
1/4 tsp coarse ground black pepper

For the Toppings:

4 sticks celery, diced
1/2 cup crumbled bleu cheese

Directions: For the buffalo mayo, combine all ingredients and keep refrigerated until serving time. (Be sure not to let mayo spoil in the heat of the sun.) Grill hot dogs. Place hot dog inside of bun and drizzle with buffalo mayo. Sprinkle on celery and bleu cheese, pouring extra Frank's over the top.

Apple Pie in a Jar

makes 5

The portability of this classic dessert is what really makes these apple pies in a jar the perfect addition to your tailgating menu.

Supplies:

1/2 pint canning jars (purchased from Reading China & Glass)
1 sheet of prepared pie crust

Ingredients:

Pie filling:

4 large tart apples (such as
Granny Smith), peeled and chopped (about 5 1/2 cups chopped)
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
3 Tbsp flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg

Topping:

3/4 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/3 cup butter, at room temperature

Directions:

Thaw the pie crust (if using frozen), or prepare pie crust.
Preheat oven to 375˚F.
Use the ring from the lid of the jars to cut 5 circles of dough. Place one circle of dough into the bottom of each jar and use your fingers to press the dough into the bottom of the jar and up the sides a bit.
Peel and chop apples and place in a large bowl.
Add lemon juice and toss until coated well.
Add both sugars, flour and spices and stir to fully coat apples.
Scoop apples into the prepared jars, pressing them in as tightly as possible. Divide the apples between the 5 jars.
Prepare the crumb topping by combining all ingredients and mixing together with a pastry blender or fork until the butter is in small pieces and the mixture is crumbly, yet well combined.
Top each jar of apples with a generous portion of crumb topping, pressing down a bit as needed. The apples will cook down quite a bit while baking, so you want to start with full jars.
Bake the jars on a large baking sheet (because the pies will likely bubble over a bit while baking) for 35 minutes at 375˚F.
Cool at least 20 minutes before serving.
Serve as is, or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top.

BEVERAGES

Surely a tailgate is not a tailgate without beer. Craft beers have become increasingly popular and are a great option to provide for fun taste-testing. The Barley Mow Craft Beer House in West Reading not only can deliver the beer to your event, they’ll also can whatever they have on tap in 32-ounce crowlers, eliminating the issue of broken glass.

Beer Floats

We’ve combined an amazing craft beer from The Barley Mow with vanilla ice cream to simultaneously bring two favorite things into one glorious mug.

Ingredients/Supplies:

A stout beer, such as a chocolate stout or a milk stout
Vanilla or chocolate ice cream
Plastic beer mugs/cups

Directions: Pour beer into your mug first, making a nice foamy head for the ice cream to swim in. It’s that easy!

EQUIPMENT/THINGS TO BRING

You’ll want to have some equipment on hand for your eating, drinking and other entertainment needs when tailgating. Here are some items to consider.

2 coolers: one for raw meats and one for beverages, condiments and cooked foods
Portable grill: Ours folds down and has wheels for easy portability
Games/Activities: Our classic Cornhole game folds up and into a bag and is perfect to play while holding a cool drink in hand. Also a cigar bar for the guys will be a crowd favorite.
Décor: A tailgate is a party after all, and what’s a party without décor? Dress up your tailgate to show off your fan spirit and incorporate decorative ways to display food, tableware and condiments.
Fold-up tables & chairs
Table cover: We used a roll of shipping paper to cover our table. Bonus? You can write on it! Once the party’s over, roll it up and throw it away for an easy cleanup.
Bricks: A handy trick to try: warm bricks in your oven and wrap in towels. Put them in the bottom of your cooler if you have foods you’ve precooked and would like to keep warm!

Wardrobe/Accessories

Dressing comfortably is the key to relaxing and having a great time. It’s a must to show off your team and fan spirit when tailgating at a sporting event or concert.

VF Outlet’s Majestic line includes a vast assortment of game day apparel and accessories. At the very least, be sure to sport your team’s colors or you’ll be quite the outcast in a sea of team spirit!

Country music concerts are a great place to throw on your cowboy boots and hat, minus the judgment from your friends and family.

Events

Of course tailgating is associated with football and is quite an integral portion of the whole game day experience; however, now tailgating is being enjoyed in more than just frigid weather! Soak up some sunshine at baseball, soccer, racing and golf events; if there’s a parking lot, there’s a way to pre-game with a tailgate. Cater your menu to the temperature and you’ll enjoy your experience even more.

Concerts have also become an event where you can hang out with your fellow fans prior to heading into the venue. Plus, everyone there is a fan of who’s performing, eliminating the team rivalries that can occur at sporting-event tailgates. Don’t forget to bring some speakers and tunes so you don’t need to rely on your car radio and possibly end up with a dead battery!

Sources

Russo Gourmet Foods Market

1150 Bern Rd., Wyomissing

610.898.1918

russofoodmarket.com

Dundore and Heister

1331-1333 Penn Avenue, Wyomissing

610.374.6328

dundoreandheister.com

Reading China & Glass

739 Reading Avenue, West Reading

610.378.0413

kitchenandcompany.com

The Barley Mow Craft Beer House

719 Penn Avenue, West Reading

484.926.2094

barleymowbeer.com

VF Outlet

801 Hill Avenue, Reading

610.378.0408

vfoutlet.com

Cigars International

1635 Mountain Rd., Hamburg

610.562.0500

cigarsinternational.com