Fall fan fare for tailgating
Fall fan fare for tailgating

By Sharon Dowell

Published: October 3, 2007

Tailgating season is off to a terrific start in Oklahoma, with temperatures warm and summerlike for the first few football games already in the record books.

For dedicated tailgaters who pull out all the stops each game day with elaborate spreads, menus early in the season tend to center on hearty portions of meats — either grilled or barbecued — or sandwiches, totable salads such as potato salad, quick munchies, and plenty of beer and soft drinks.

As the football season progresses, tailgate menus will likely evolve to reflect the chilly fall weather, with heartier portions of meats, more casseroles and homemade chili, soups and stews.

But tailgating isn't just about the food. As Stephen Linn writes in "The FOX Sports Tailgating Handbook: the Gear, the Food, the Stadiums” (Globe Pequot, $16.95), "Tailgating is a part of our social fabric. For many of us, our tailgate neighborhoods are as important to us as the neighborhoods we live in. And we often like our tailgate neighbors better. It is an activity that brings communities together behind a common goal — beat your opponent. In NFL parking lots you find high-dollar CEOs sharing ribs with construction workers. College tailgates find students and alumni filling each other's glasses. You're not going to find them doing that anywhere else. There is a communal passion among tailgaters. It's hard to explain to people who haven't experienced it, but once you've tailgated you tend to want to go back again. And again.”

As the tailgating season continues, some new menu additions just might be in order for the lineup of eats. The Hearth, Patio and Barbecue Association recently conducted a national poll among outdoor cooks and discovered many were game to try traditional indoor recipes for outdoor get-togethers such as tailgating. Specifically, of those polled, 58 percent said they would be likely to prepare brisket, duck or lamb, while 58 percent said they would prepare fruits and vegetables such as squash, cranberries, pumpkin seeds or sweet potatoes. Forty-eight percent said they'd be willing to try making desserts such as cobblers, crisps, s'mores and kettle corn outdoors, while 37 percent said casseroles might be on their grilling agenda.

"Cooks are more adventuresome about what they'll try,” said outdoor cooking expert and cookbook author Cheryl Jamison, a former Oklahoma resident. "Fish, shellfish and even fruits are popping up on the grill — all over the world,” she said. Jamison and her husband, Bill, who've written an impressive number of books on outdoor cooking, have created recipes for outdoor fall cooking for the Hearth, Patio and Barbecue Association, including one for Grilled Vegetable Orzo.

Or go a completely different direction by trying the Oklahoma Grilled Steak Pizza, created by barbecue pitmaster Chris Lilly and winning quarterback and restaurateur Joe Theismann, on behalf of Kingsford charcoal. The champs even offered a helpful tip for grilling on game day: Rely on two grills instead of one. The larger grill can be used to create hot and cool zones so the meat can be rotated from searing to indirect heat, while the small grill can be used for appetizers and/or desserts.

New tailgate menu options might include Smoky Steak Sandwiches served on hero-size rolls, accompanied by a Five-Alarm Pepper Slaw, a favorite recipe for wings or drumsticks and for dessert, football-shaped Kickin' Chocolate-Cherry Cookies. Or give macaroni and cheese added flavor with the addition of beer in the recipe for Mushroom 'n' Beer Mac 'n' Cheese. The dish can be prepared at home in a skillet or Dutch oven and wrapped with a blanket or large towel to tote to the game.

Burgers are always a popular tailgate item but Jug Sliders, miniature burgers grilled then topped with a mushroom and wine sauce and served on tiny rolls or buns, offer a new way to serve the traditional grilled burger. Sausage sandwiches get a makeover when the meat is grilled and served on French rolls with slices of fresh avocado and a Spicy Chipotle Honey Mustard Sauce made in a flash with just canned chipotle peppers and honey mustard.

Debbie Moose, author of "Fan Fare: A Playbook of Great Recipes for Tailgating or Watching the Game at Home” (Harvard Common Press, $14.95), offers the essentials for planning a tailgate party in her book, including tips for planning ahead, what to bring, food safety tips and a list of the correct internal temperatures for meat, fish and poultry. She wrote, "As all fervent sports fans know, the day truly is won or lost in the tailgate.

"Stats mean nothing — the sauce is everything.

"The grilling game rules.

"And extra points mean dessert.”

She just might have been referring to her Secret Ingredient Brownies, laced with cinnamon and chili pepper. They're perfect on a crisp autumn weekend when colorful leaves are falling gently and tailgaters are geared up for another day of fun and food.

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