Tailgate: (noun) known in the English language as being a board or gate at the rear of a vehicle that can be removed or let down.
It wasn?t until 1958 that Webster recognized tailgate party: a social gathering in which food and drinks are served at or near the back end of a parked vehicle that usually occurs in a parking lot before or after a public event such as a football game or concert.
Football season is now kicking off and tailgating will turn ordinary picnics into picnics on steroids! Fans travel miles in support of their favorite teams. It all starts with a vehicle such as an ambulance, van, car, hearse or other vehicle painted in creative ways to showcase team spirit and colors. Party games, featured chefs, cocktail and food contests, even tailgater vs. tailgater battles have become part of the party. Tailgating associations, nations and even a commissioner of tailgating have emerged.
Tailgating in the U.S. has taken on a dimension of its own. Venues now have rules, regulations, certain areas and fees associated with tailgating. Tickets are often sold with tailgate packages. Large TV?s and alcohol have elevated tailgating to even more popularity than the games themselves and tailgaters are often left needing another day just to recover before heading back to work on Mondays.
The history of tailgating is an interesting tale. One legend is that the first known event where cheering and sharing food was at the first battle of Bull Run in 1861. Lore has it, that people traveled for miles with their picnics to cheer on their ?sides? as they viewed safely from behind battle lines. Not sure that would be a risk that this tailgater wants to take. I?ll stick to sporting events.
Chuckwagons were probably the first examples of grilling and eating by your mode of transportation. Sporting events came into play with the first football game in 1869 between Rutgers and Princeton. The story goes that grilling of sausages took place behind the tail end of the horses. Whether you choose to believe it, I am sure tailgating as we know it, was soon to follow. The last tale is one that Green Bay Packers fans will love. In 1919 fans coming to the game actually backed up their trucks, sitting on their tailgates to watch the game. Of course, food and beverages were enjoyed and the phrase tailgating was created. Over the years, tailgating popularity has risen, to even beyond the game. The Social Aspects of Tailgating which appeared in The New York Sociologist in 2008 states that as many as 35% of tailgaters never enter the stadium for the game. That was almost 10 years ago. I wonder what the stat is today. Amazing!
Tailgaters thrive on showcasing their weekly themes for music, d?cor and menus. Creative menus have taken on their own slants including grilling on a 1980s Pinto hood before a Bills game and shots served in bowling balls to robots at a Virginia Tech tailgate (not sure what that?s about). A recent survey of my friends coming from Clemson, Virginia Tech, Texas A & M, Wisconsin and Kentucky revealed quite the variety of menus but they all center around their favorite beverage. Top tailgating beverages range from beer, wine, Bourbon in Kentucky to Bloody Mary?s for Wisconsin fans. Main tailgating meats revolved around Chick-fil-A nuggets, BBQ (which differs state to state), pigs in a blanket, pepperoni rolls, fried chicken, brats to original Steak flapmeat sliders. Sides included mac-n-cheese, buffalo chicken dip and fruit salad. Sweets topped off their menus with selections such as Oreo Balls, anything with Orange frosting (of course that was Clemson), buckeyes and Preacher Cookies (we call them no bakes).
This fall as you cheer your team to victory, be sure to add some new flavors along with those old favorites to spice up your tailgating menus. Go Bucks!
Eat well and healthy,
Shelly
Regula Steak Sliders
4-5-pound choice flapmeat
Tastefully Simple Seasoning Salt
Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce
20 oz. Soy Yay Island Teriyaki
Kings Hawaiian Buns or Slider buns
Marinate 2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce on meat. Rub in. Sprinkle with pepper, salt and seasoning salt. Pour 2/3 of bottle of Teriyaki sauce over the meat. Cover with wrap or film and refrigerate for 12-24 hours before grilling.
Remove meat from fridge 45-60 minutes before grilling. Flip the meat over in the marinade and allow to warm to room temperature. Set grill to temp you would grill steaks about 275?.
Put meat on the naked grill (no foil or wrap). Save the marinade for later. Cook until meat reaches 110-115?, which will take about 15-25 minutes. Flip the meat over and cook another 15-20 minutes. Once you hit the 110-115? make a foil boat big enough to lay the meat in. Pour the saved marinade over the meat. This will hold the marinade as the meat cooks and collects the meat?s juices. Grill to temperature of 130-140?.
Take another piece of foil and poke holes on it. Remove meat from the grill and cover with foil. Let it set for 20-25 minutes before slicing.
Slicing is the key to this piece of meat. Cut a 4-5-inch slab and slice against the grain. The thinner you can slice it the better. Serve on slider buns. Enjoy?Jay Regula
Pepperoni Rolls Kim Solomon, WVU fan
S. I remember making these from scratch as a dietetic intern but I think for a football game Kim?s recipe is the ticket!
Frozen dinner rolls
Pepperoni Slices
optional
Pizza Sauce
Dried oregano & Dried basil
Shredded cheese of choice
Grease muffin tin and fill with frozen dinner rolls. Spray with cooking spray and cover with plastic. Thaw. Press out to about 5 inches in diameter. Layer with sliced pepperoni. Optional spread with 1 Tbsp. pizza sauce, sprinkle with dried herbs and 1 Tbsp. shredded cheese. Roll back up. Put back in muffin pan or on baking sheet spray with cooking spray and let rise till double. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes.
Preacher Cookies Ray Nebel, Melanie Zeigler, VTech fans allrecipes.com
? c margarine
4 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
2 c white sugar
? c milk
1/8 tsp. salt
3 c quick cooking oats
? c crunchy peanut butter
1 tsp. vanilla
Mix butter or margarine, cocoa, sugar, milk, and salt together in saucepan. Boil for 1 minute. Stir in oatmeal, peanut butter and vanilla. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto waxed paper. Allow to cool and harden. Makes 18 cookies.
Bourbon Balls Pam Seckel, Wildcat Fan myrecipes.com w/ twist
Pam says anything with bourbon is on the menu at a K tailgate or the ultimate tailgate a derby party.
16-ounce package powdered sugar
1/3 cup bourbon
1/4 cup butter, softened
50 pecan halves (1 1/4 cups) + ? c bourbon
2 cups (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate morsels
1 Tbsp. Coconut oil
Soak pecans in bourbon overnight. Mix powdered sugar, bourbon and butter and chill for 8+ hours.
Shape into 1 Tbsp. balls. Press a pecan half into each side. Chill another 8 hours.
Melt chocolate and coconut oil in a double burner or in a saucepan over medium heat. Remove from heat and dip bourbon balls in chocolate and place on wax paper. Chill for 1 hour.
