It’s pigskin season, and that means it’s also tailgate season. To QB your pregame party, we’ve drafted James Beard Award–winning chef Bradford Thompson, who’s created NFL city-themed menus for his tailgates for the past 20 seasons. His feasts have featured local dishes like smoked alligator (New Orleans Saints), mahi-mahi tacos (Miami Dolphins), Mission-style burritos (San Francisco 49ers), and Texas-size barbecue ribs (Dallas Cowboys). On these pages, Thompson hands off a six-team menu (which we’ve taken the liberty of “muscle-fying”) and provides tips for having a fun, safe tailgate that won’t set the parking lot ablaze.
Mix whipped cream and bourbon until well blended. Refrigerate at least 1 hour.
Place spoonful of pudding in each plastic cup; top with a layer of whipped cream.
When ready to assemble, make sure the fire is still burning on the grill. Toast slices of pound cake to create grill marks, being careful when turning them.
Remove cake and tear a couple of pieces into each cup. Top with one more spoonful of pudding and layer of whipped cream.
Toast all the marshmallows on skewers and top each cup with 2 charred marshmallows.
The Macros:
Calories: 335
Protein: 2g
Carbs: 50g
Fat: 10g
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James Wojcik / M+F Magazine
Avocado and Corn Salad
Serves: 6
Team: Arizona Cardinals
Ingredients:
6 ears of corn, husked
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 Anaheim chilies, charred, peeled, and cut into 1-inch strips
½ cup thinly sliced red onion, rinsed in cold water
2 tbsp olive oil
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
1 tsp chopped fresh thyme
1 tbsp honey
3 tbsp fresh lime juice
1 large avocado, diced
½ cup torn basil leaves
Directions:
Grill corn over medium heat, turning frequently until corn is charred and heated through, 10 to 12 minutes; remove from grill.
When cool enough to handle, cut kernels from cobs and transfer to a bowl. Season with salt and pepper.
In a separate bowl, mix together chilies, onion, oil, tomatoes, and thyme.
Add tomato mixture to bowl with grilled corn and stir to combine. Add honey, lime juice, avocados, and basil and stir gently to combine. Finish with a sprinkle of salt.
The Macros:
Calories: 198
Protein: 4g
Carbs: 23g
Fat: 12g
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James Wojcik / M+F Magazine
Bacon and Bean Pot
Serves: 8
Team: New England Patriots
Ingredients:
1 lb smoked turkey bacon, cut into ½-inch strips
1 large onion, diced
1 (12 oz) can Diet Dr Pepper
2 (16 oz) cans pinto or navy beans, drained, liquid reserved
1 (16 oz) can chopped tomatoes
1 (6 oz) can roasted green chilies, diced
1 (12 oz) can dark beer
Directions:
Heat a large saucepot over a charcoal grill.
Add bacon. Once it renders its fat, add onions and cook until soft and lightly colored.
Pour Diet Dr Pepper into the pot and let it reduce by half, stirring as needed to prevent burning. Add beans, tomatoes, and chilies and stir well.
Pour in half the beer and drink the other half while the beans cook. Continue to cook over a low flame until thick and aromatic, about 45 minutes.
The Macros:
Calories: 205
Protein: 11g
Carbs: 12g
Fat: 12g
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James Wojcik / M+F Magazine
Shrimp and Sausage
Serves: 8
Team: New Orleans Saints
Ingredients:
1 white onion, thinly sliced
½ lb butter
1 bottle of beer
½ can Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning
½ bag Zatarain’s seafood boil mix
¼ cup hot sauce
Juice from 2 lemons
2 lbs red potatoes, halved
2 big onions, quartered
1 lb andouille sausage, sliced
6 ears of corn, halved, shucked
3 lbs medium or large shrimp
Directions:
In a large (2-gallon) stockpot, cook white onion with butter until translucent. Add 1½ gallons water, beer, seasoning, boil mix, hot sauce, and lemon juice.
Let mixture simmer for 1 hour to develop flavor. Add potatoes, onions, sausage, and corn. Cook until potatoes are tender.
Five minutes before serving, add shrimp. Turn off heat and let shrimp cook.
Scoop out the “stuff” with a colander and dump on a table. Note: To make healthier, use turkey sausage and less butter.
The Macros:
Calories: 671
Protein: 48g
Carbs: 54g
Fat: 37g
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James Wojcik / M+F Magazine
Cedar Plank Salmon
Serves: 8
Team: Seattle Seahawks
Ingredients
¼ cup brown sugar
½ cup salt
2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
3 tbsp togarashi (Japanese pepper)
Glaze
¼ cup soy sauce
2 tbsp honey
1 tsp fish sauce
2 tsp grated ginger
¼ cup rice vinegar
2 tsp sesame oil
Salmon
1 whole side salmon, skin on Cedar plank, soaked 3–4 hours in liquid of choice
Directions:
Night before: Combine cure ingredients. Rub salmon flesh with cure. Rinse and pat dry when ready to use.
Combine glaze ingredients in a small saucepan; simmer for 10 minutes. Turn heat off; let pan cool. Strain and reserve.
Preheat grill until coals turn to embers; internal temp should be 375 to 400°F with lid on.
Place salmon skin-side down on plank and brush with glaze. Place cedar plank on grill close to the hot spot but not directly over it.
Cover grill and cook 8 to 10 minutes, brushing every 2 minutes with glaze.
Remove plank from grill and place directly on table.
