Maybe your team is absolutely crushing it this year.
Or maybe it’s more like a painful subject you really wish we hadn’t brought up.
Either way this season shakes out, when it comes to your tailgating game, you’re dominating the competition.
Because you’re not here to serve the same typical, expected munchies and well-known brews you have at every one of your friends’ tailgates. You’re out to take the field, winning the greatest honor in tailgate-dom for your crazy wings, nachos, homebrew, and hot dogs.
And it’s all because you followed our simple, yet effective, guide to bringing your pre-game snacks and drinks from benchwarmer to MVP.
But don’t worry. We’re not even going to ask for an assist.
Hut, hut!
Fixing What Ales Ya: First things first, we’re pleased to let you know that you make your own beer now. Hoppy IPAs, dry fruit ciders, and lagers as crisp and cold as a leap into Lake Minnetonka. Plus, you’re doing it in record time with Pinter, a home beermaker that only takes 4-7 days to ferment and condition 12 pints of super fresh beer right inside of your fridge. All self-contained in a handy keg made from recycled materials that has its own draft system.
So once you load it up using the company’s pre-mixed ingredient packs, all you have to do is wait a few days then bring it with you to the game or party. Soon your crew will have their fists full of newly brewed ale that’s better than anything they’ll find at the store.
Wings of a Different Feather: Now that the beer is firmly in place, you’ll move on to the next biggest priority in tailgating life: The wings. No, not just wings. Bacon-wrapped wings; based on the proven scientific principle that EVERYthing tastes better with a generous addition of bacon.
You don’t have to let anyone know how ridiculously easy it was either, carefully wrapping bacon slices around the midsections of your spice-rubbed wings and pinning them there with a couple of toothpicks stuck into the skin, right before they go into the oven until that luscious pork belly begins to get crispy. Trust us, their mouths will be too full to ask questions anyway.
Nacho Typical Nachos: Nachos are as common at a tailgate party as Gatorade is on the gridiron. That’s why you’re bringing a new form of heat in a killer combination of Vietnamese flavors with your soon-to-be-famous banh mi nachos. For this, you’ll start by cooking, then crumbling, a couple of pork or chicken sausages, ideally a brand that comes pre-packed with Asian-leaning spices.
Next you’ll line a sheet pan with tortilla chips, generously sprinkle your choice of cheese all over, and warm that up in the oven for a minute or so, before piling on the sausage and a strong defensive line of fresh jalapeno slivers, cilantro, kimchi, pickled red onions, scallions, sesame seeds, and grated carrots. Add some hearty squiggles of Sriracha mayo (whisked sriracha, mayo, and lime) and squeeze on a little additional lime juice. Now stand back and prepare to be praised.
Hot Dogburgers: Burgers or dogs? Burgers or dogs? You would hate for anyone to have to choose. So just make Big Mac dogs, which merge all the sensory notes of a classic fast food burger with your traditional backyard wieners.
You’ll place two pieces of American cheese into every one of your toasted, buttered sesame seed buns, before melting the cheese under your broiler and adding shredded lettuce once they come out. Next you’ll slip your grilled all-beef hot dogs inside those rolls, lining the sides with whole or chopped dill pickles and topping the dogs with diced white onion.
To really nail that uncanny Big Mac flavor, you’ll already have made your very own “special sauce,” which means you’ve whisked together mayo, ketchup, and yellow mustard with apple cider or white vinegar, a little dill pickle relish, and a spice mixture of paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, and salt then kept it resting for anywhere from 1-3 days. Just be careful: Success with this recipe will cause your buddies to ask you to make these again and again. Now you know how Tom Brady felt.
The Pre-and-Post Meal Cigars: Cohiba Riviera, our favorite cigar to idle with. No twist needed here, since you can’t improve on perfection.
