Tailgating in Style

by Elliott Brown

Pulling up to the local stadium, it’s easy to get tailgate envy: Satellite TVs blare from custom RVs; smoke drifts from enormous grills; merry fans with tents and team pendants revel in lavish pre-game parties. All the while, you sit on your car’s bumper eating a homemade sandwich, wondering how these people find the time or money to throw together such amazing portable parties.

Plan Ahead

While the RVs and TVs may be a little over the top, you can create an experience that’s just as enjoyable if you plan ahead. Begin by picking the game you want to attend, inviting friends, and purchasing tickets well in advance. Doing so will help guarantee there are no surprises down the road, and that you’ll have enough people on hand to throw a decent party.

Plan to get to the stadium at least two hours before game time to get a primo parking spot and allow yourself enough time to set up, have fun and pack everything up before the game starts. If your group is taking more than one car to the game, make a point of driving together so that everyone will end up in the same place. By leaving space between two of the cars, you can also carve out a good tailgating area.

Also be sure to buy any gear you need well in advance. Full-size grills are hard to transport, so it may be worth your while to spend $30 to $50 on a portable grill. Make sure you have propane or charcoal and shop ahead for folding chairs, tables and coolers.

Spread the Wealth

Planning an ambitious tailgate is a lot easier when you don’t have to do all the shopping and cooking. A potluck format is a great way to share the responsibilities while allowing everyone to contribute their favorite dish. Tailgates are best when there’s a wide array of food, so make sure all the bases are covered by assigning appetizers, salads, sides, main dishes, desserts, snacks and drinks. It may help to choose a theme to encourage compatibility between all the dishes.

The Main Is the Thing

Since you’re the one planning this whole shebang, you should probably take the reins when it comes to the main course. It’s also the piece of the tailgate that everything else will pivot around, so take some time to really think it out.

Got Grill?

Grilling is, of course, the most traditional way to cook at tailgates. If you choose to go with hot dogs or burgers, try to make them special by bringing more than just ketchup and mustard as toppers. Cheese is a great add, but you can also fry bacon or sautee onions ahead of time to take your grillables to the next level. Also consider even more decadent options like steak sandwiches (ask your butcher for thinly sliced sirloin), sausages, barbecue chicken, or even fish — all of which are quick and easy to prepare on the grill.

For an extra fun tailgate idea, make a taco bar by bringing tortillas, lettuce, tomatoes, salsa, grated cheese, sour cream, and avacados or guacamole to the game. Grill chicken or steak in the parking lot and you’ll have an instant Mexican feast.

Not Your Ordinary Sandwich

If bringing a grill is too much of a pain, consider a sandwich bar or a giant hoagie. A sandwich bar can come together in just a few minutes, all you have to do is buy bread, sliced meats and cheeses, then slice any additional toppings you want beforehand. And giant hoagies are a huge crowd pleaser. Just halve and hollow out one (or more) baguettes and fill them with for favorite ingredients. Bring a bread knife and a cutting board with you to the game, and everyone can cut off their own sandwich.

Once again, look for ways to make these sandwiches even better by adding delicious ingredients. Grilled onions or bacon will also work well here, as will slices of prosciutto, deli mustards, exotic cheeses, or even salad dressings like vinaigrette. Another way to make special sandwiches is by swapping out bread for tortillas to make wraps.

Cook Ahead

You can also cook main courses ahead of time, but be careful to choose ones that will keep well, travel well, and be enjoyable when they’re served cold. Room-temperature fried chicken, ribs and wings are great parking lot treats, while homemade seven layer or artichoke dips are hearty snacks everyone will love.

If you bring a crockpot and an AC adapter for your car’s cigarette lighter, chili is another easy dish. You and your friends can even have a chili cook-off.

All Star Ambiance

Once the food is taken care of, ambiance is the final part of putting together an enviable tailgate. You’ll be in the lot for hours and you’ll have a lot of food, so seating and a table are essential. Something as simple as a table cloth can help transform your patch of concrete to an inviting party, but consider adding streamers in your team’s color or a few helium balloons; they’ll make your party more festive, and they’ll help wayward friends find you in the middle of an endless parking lot.

Forget-Me-Nots

While you’re planning, keep a running list of the things you think you’ll need because it’s easy to leave important gear behind on game day. To help you keep things straight, here are a few essentials:

• Tickets
• Sunscreen
• Cooler
• Ice
• Folding chair and tables
• Grill
• Charcoal or propane
• Grilling tools
• Disposable plates, cups, utensils and napkins
• Bottle opener or corkscrew
• Food
• Drinks
• Trash Bags
• Lighter or matches
• Knife
• Cutting Board
• Plastic wrap
• AC adapter
• Tablecloth

While this list may be helpful, there will always be a few things to add, depending on what you have planned. Also be sure to check the weather report to make sure Mother Nature is smiling on your tailgate.

Although there will always be someone with a more lavish spread, taking the time to plan a winning tailgate will make the whole experience much more fun. In addition to getting good friends together and helping you get pumped for the game, it can also be a lot cheaper than expensive stadium food. So, go big for your next game — it’s a lot more fun than staying home.