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FREE Tailgating Video & Tips! Plus, Get a FREE Raichlen’s Tailgating! E-Book

UP IN SMOKE
Gold Plate Tailgating Video & Tips!
Plus, Get a FREE Raichlen’s Tailgating! E-Book
September 17th, 2013
 

BARBECUE UNIVERSITY™ LIVE VIDEO & FREE TAILGATING E-BOOK!

Join Steven Raichlen on Sunday, September 22, 2013 at 4 p.m. EST / 1 p.m. PST for an exclusive and live online video event, powered by Shindig, where he will demonstrate how to make four ultimate tailgating recipes. Those who RSVP and attend the online event will receive a FREE copy of Raichlen’s Tailgating!

Dear Up in Smoke Subscriber,

Football fanatics across the country are in their “happy place” now that college ball is underway and the NFL season has officially started. And you know what that means: Stadium parking lots shrouded in low-hanging clouds, probably visible by satellite, of intoxicatingly fragrant smoke generated by the fiercest competitors on the planet—tailgaters. More than 20 million of them, according to the American Tailgaters Association. Time to gird thy loins for battle! Because the real contest is on the asphalt, not the Astroturf…

Tailgating, a distinctly American tradition, has come a long way since November 6, 1869, when fans lowered the buckboards of their horse-drawn wagons to serve picnic lunches from hampers at the first intercollegiate football game, Princeton vs. Rutgers, in New Brunswick, New Jersey. For those keeping score, Rutgers won, 6 – 4.

But you don’t have to be a legacy title-holder to Parking Space A-10 to enjoy the competitive bonhomie that tailgating fosters. The scarcity of parking spots has created a new subculture of tailgaters—people who unapologetically entertain like-minded sports enthusiasts at home, where the best seats, high-def screens, and access to instant replays are.

Regardless of where you host your tailgating party, the food must impress. Gone are the days when burgers and dogs made the cut.  To bring your “A” game to this contest, practice what I like to call GPT, “Gold Plate Tailgating.” No, this doesn’t necessarily mean bringing your best table linens or a margarita machine powered by a car battery to the stadium. You can if you want to: Hey, candelabras look cool at night games.

Here’s a glimpse of my playbook:

    • Build your GPT menu around a large hunk of meat that serves lots of people, such as prime rib or The Ultimate Cheesesteak, a whole butterflied beef tenderloin stuffed with poblanos, onions, and provolone cheese, then grilled and served with chipotle sauce.

 

    • Bring two grills if possible, one for direct grilling appetizers like pepper Jack or Cheddar cheese quesadillas, and another for foods needing lower, slower cooking times, like barbecued onions or pork shoulder. While I personally prefer charcoal or wood-burning grills, there are a number of good portable gas grills.

 

Click here for 5 more tailgating tips to help you warm up for the game on a full stomach!

Yours in righteous grilling,
Steven Raichlen