Tailgating Ideas – Don't Just Tailgate, Tailgate Better

Ingredients

• 4 cups finely shredded WHITE cabbage
• 1/2 cup cider vinegar
• 3/4 cup mayonnaise
• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon celery seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

Instructions

Combine all ingredients and marinate in refrigerator overnight. Drain off excess liquid before serving.

Original recipe by The BBQ Grail can be found HERE.

Larry Gaian is the founder of The BBQ Grail. Follow him on Twitter @BBQGrail.

It’s amazing the information that is floating out there on Twitter. (Pssst… Shameless plug. Feel free to follow us on Twitter: @TailgatingIdeas) Earlier this evening we got a mention from Jaymee Sire on Twitter (go ahead and follow her too: @JaymeeSireCSN) alerting us to check out her blog on food with a special emphasis on tailgating recipes. Did we mention that Jaymee is a sports reporter/anchor for Comcast Sports Network Bay Area and is rather easy on the eyes?

So let’s reiterate some things here. Attractive young lady who knows sports and gets paid to talk about them on TV who loves to cook and shares tailgating recipes. Seriously? Did someone just read the “wants” list of any single tailgater’s online dating profile and create this gal in their basement like in the movie Weird Science?

After taking a look at Jaymee’s recipes we could not help ourselves but to share one of them in particular with you all and encourage you check out her other tailgating recipes. The one that caught our eye was the I/O bacon cheeseburgers. Here is her recipe (with permission of course)

What you will need:

• Ground 80/20 chuck or sirloin (figure 1/4 to 1/3 pound per burger)
• Seasoning salt (click here for an easy, homemade recipe)
• Pepper
• Worcestershire sauce (about a tablespoon per four burgers)
• Cooked, crumbled bacon (about a slice per burger)
• Sliced or crumbled white cheddar cheese (about a 1/2 pound per four burgers)
• Hamburger buns
• Burger condiments/toppings

In a bowl, season ground beef with pepper and your favorite seasoning salt (or just regular salt if you don’t have any). Sprinkle with about a tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce per pound of meat. Mix together using your hands (don’t over mix).

Separate meat into twice as many patties as you plan to make. (i.e. if you are making four hamburgers, make eight patties). On half of them, pile with cheese and cooked, crumbled bacon.

Cover filled patty with a plain patty and press together at the edges to seal. If taking to a tailgate, put the patties in a large tupperware container or a large aluminum pan for easy transport.

Grill burgers over medium heat, about 5-6 minutes per side, or until cooked through and cheese is melted inside. Serve with whole wheat hamburger buns and your favorite burger toppings and enjoy the delicious surprise awaiting you in the middle!

Simple yet delicious and how can you beat a good old fashioned burger at a tailgate party? Thanks Jaymee for letting us share your recipe and we would encourage all of our readers to check out Jaymee’s tailgating recipes page called Authentic Eats.

When someone says the word “brick” what is the first thing that comes to your mind?  If you said a 4th quarter LeBron James jump shot you are close, but not quite right.  Instead when I say “brick” I now think of BBQ chicken.  That’s right, a dirty old brick equals some damn tasty chicken.

A few weekends back I was introduced to barbecuing with a brick.  After a quick learn and a practice cook at the house I took the grill and brick to my recent Phillies tailgate.  The result was a chicken cooked to perfection and a lot of curious eyes and comments from my fellow tailgaters.

Below is the recipe and instructions that I followed…

• One 3 pound chicken.  Make sure that the backbone of the chicken is removed.
• 1/2 a lemon juiced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 2-3 garlic cloves
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/4 cup of olive oil

The evening before your tailgate (or BBQ) you have to prep the chicken.  Combine / mix all of the ingredients (minus the chicken).  Place the chicken breast side up on a cookie sheet.  Flatten the chicken by folding the wing tips under and arranging the thighs next to the breasts of the chicken.  Lastly, slash the breast twice and leg and thighs once about 1/2-inch deep.  Rub your ingredients over the chicken.  Cover the chicken and refrigerate over night (about 6-8 hours).

Now time to grab your brick.  But because bricks are obviously dirty, you have to cover it in aluminum foil.

Place your chicken on the grill with the breast side facing up.  Place the covered brick on top of the chicken.  Keep the brick on the chicken for about 10-15 minutes or until the chicken is browned.  Remove the brick and flip the chicken over and cook for an additional 20-25 minutes.  Remove the chicken from the grill and let it stand for about 10 minutes before carving and serving.

Sure you could pretty much use anything that is heavy for this cooking method (i.e., like the more conventional cast-iron skillet) but it is so, so much cooler to BBQ with a brick.  Ain’t nobody going be messing with your tailgate if you cook with a brick!  But again, you have to cover the brick… don’t just go dumpster diving!

(Photo by Michelle Oddis of That’s So Michelle)

One of the most popular posts we have done that continues to bring in tons of visitors is “How To Spike a Watermelon“. Another popular recipe we did was how to make Orange Wedge Jell-O Shots. Since you tailgaters out there seem to like new and different ways to bring some booze to the lots, we found another creative way to booze it up. This time it is strawberry margarita jell-o shots and instead of a Dixie Cup they are served in fresh strawberries. Here is what you will need:

• 24 Strawberries (the bigger the better)
• 1 box of Strawberry Jell-o
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup chilled tequila
• 1/4 cup sugar or salt
• 2 or 3 Limes

Before you make the jell-o you’ll need to prep the strawberries so they are ready to be filled. Start by snipping off the bottom ends of the strawberries so they will have a flat base to stand up. Make sure to not cut off too much of the bottom end or you will have a hole and your jell-o will run out the bottom. Try slicing off very thin pieces and to make sure the strawberry can stand on it own without tipping over while still not cutting through and making a hole. Once the strawberries can stand on their own, use a pairing knife or a melon baller and carve out the middle flesh of the strawberry to make a nice cavity. This is where you will be pouring your Jell-o so make it a nice sized hole.

Now that your strawberries are prepped, you can start making the Jell-o mixture. Boil the cup of water and then whisk in the Jell-o mix. Once the Jell-o is all dissolved, pour in your tequila. Continue to stir it all together until you are satisfied it is properly mixed. The chilled tequila should cool down the mixture to the point you can pour the Jell-o into your strawberries. You can garnish with a thin lime wedge and let set overnight in the refrigerator. When ready to serve, just roll the top edges of the strawberries in sugar or salt depending on your preference and serve.

This tailgating recipe is pretty simple but just puts a new twist on the receptacle in which you serve them. The prep work involved is a lot more extensive that just putting your jell-o shots in paper cups but will definitely provoke a response from your tailgating party guests.

If you found this information useful, why not share it with your friends on Facebook, Twitter or just email it to someone? Click the buttons below for easy sharing options and share the love of getting tipsy on fruit.

As a tailgating nation we are always looking for that special something to make our tailgate party a little bit different, a little bit special. Whether it be a new recipe or a cool piece of tailgating gear, we want whatever it is to make our experience in the parking lot the best.

About a month ago when I was working out the details of offering the BoozLuge in our online tailgating store, Nate, the creator of the BoozLuge told me a friend of his had created some marinades he thought tailgaters would love. He told me his friend was a big time outdoors guy and loved to go hunting. He developed these marinades not only for grilling but to make homemade jerky whenever he came home from a hunt. Nate said he would send me some samples just to try something different. All I can say is, man, were they different in a really, really good way.

Right off the bat, these marinades are called Juice’s Originals and you can find them at JuicesOriginals.com. There are three varieties, Original, BBQ and Hot. I will warn you that if you like spicy marinades you are in for a treat. Lots of pepper and a lot of smoke flavor surround all three blends. I tried the hot blend on some pork chops and they turned out awesome. My friend who I took with me tailgating is a big fan of taking photos of the foods he prepares or orders in restaurants. He likes to post the photos to his Facebook wall and shares with friends. He loved the Juice’s Originals Hot blend on the pork chops so much that after the first bite he was reaching for his iPhone.

I had tasted the marinade by dipping my finger in some so I knew it was hot and spicy before adding it to the pork chops. I warned my friend that it was quite hot and to be expecting a bit of a kick. He loved it just as much as I did and asked if I was sent an extra bottle.

I tried the Juice’s Originals BBQ sauce on some chicken breasts later in the week and was just as pleased as I was with the hot blend on the pork chops. Although not as hot and spicy as the hot blend, the BBQ marinade tasted a bit like traditional BBQ sauce, but a tad different. The BBQ blend was a lot more bold and spicy and did not have that sweet taste that some BBQ sauces tend to overpower your taste buds with. It was great on chicken and because it did not have that honey/sugar/sweet taste to it, I was able to marinate the chicken in it and not worry that the sugar would cause flare ups on the grill.

Although we do have a dehydrator at home and my wife keeps telling me it makes great beef jerky, I have not tried the Juice’s Originals to make jerky. I can tell by using it as a marinade that it would make a great jerky blend.

As mentioned earlier, if you are looking for something that will be original and likely no one else in the parking lot will be offering, try Juice’s Originals marinades. If you like bold and spicy marinated meats, you have to give these a try at your next tailgate party.

No matter what flavor you choose, each individual bottle costs $6.99. An entire bottle will marinate five pounds of meat. Discounts for ordering by the case apply including a case of 12 bottles for $75.49 and three cases include a 20% discount and costs $201.99. When ordering cases of Juice’s Originals, free shipping applies.

To pick up some for yourself, visit JuicesOriginals.com, Legacy Outdoors or Amazon.com.