Tailgating tips and recipes from a barbecue master

Football season is in full swing, and that means it's all about the tailgate.

News 12 Staff

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Sep 22, 2019, 8:59 AM

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Updated 1,917 days ago

Football season is in full swing, and that means it's all about the tailgates.

News 12 met up with the owner and barbecue master of Dinosaur Bar-B-Que, John Stage, to learn some recipes that are great to whip up for a tailgate.

First off, Stage recommends using a grill if possible. "The weather is fantastic right now, so it lends itself to grilling," he says. "It's a very social thing to do before the game, and then it spills into the game. Everyone can show off their cooking chops on the grill."

Stage showed us three recipes that are perfect for game day: Buffalo chicken sliders, chili, and potato salad.

Buffalo chicken sliders

Ingredients for sliders:

1.25lbs of boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 cup red hot sauce
1/2 cup BBQ sauce
2 tablespoons melted butter
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 large clove of garlic (minced)
Oil for grilling
Blue cheese dressing
8 slider rolls

Instructions for sliders:

Combine all ingredients except melted butter and chicken.
Divide sauce in half, use half to marinade chicken, reserve other half for sauce.
Lightly pound chicken to make for even grilling, cover and toss with sauce. Refrigerate chicken in sauce for minimum of 4 - 24 hours.
When ready to grill, melt 2 tablespoons of butter, and fold into remaining sauce.
Grill the chicken until 165 degrees, then dunk in remaining sauce.
Spread blue cheese dressing on bottom of the roll, place sauced chicken on top and garnish with celery-apple relish.

Ingredients for celery-apple relish:

3 celery stalks (small dice)
1 granny smith apple (small dice)
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon or brown mustard
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons chives (minced)
2 tablespoons parsley (minced)

Instructions for celery-apple relish:

Add celery and apples into a bowl.
In a separate bowl, add all other ingredients. Mix together to make a vinaigrette.
Pour vinaigrette over apple-celery mixture and toss well.

Chili

Ingredients:

1/2 cup vegetable oil
1.25 lbs. ground beef (chuck)
1.25 lbs. Italian sausage
2 medium-large onions (diced)
2 jalapeno peppers (minced)
2 tablespoons garlic (minced)
3 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons cumin
1 - 12 oz. beer (cheap lager)
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 28 oz. cans crushed tomatoes
2 15 oz. cans kidney beans
2 cups water
2-3 tablespoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons black pepper
2 tablespoons Tabasco or favorite hot sauce
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons dried basil

Instructions:

Heat oil in pan and brown the meats, remove from pan with a slotted spoon and set aside.
In the same pan, add onions, peppers and garlic. Cook until they are soft and semi-brown.
Add chili powder and cumin to the pan to bloom. Deglaze with beer.
Add remaining ingredients and bring to easy boil. Simmer for 30 minutes.

Potato Salad

Ingredients:

5 lbs of Yukon gold potatoes (peeled)
Chives (minced for garnish)

Dressing:

2 cups of mayo
2 tablespoons of yellow mustard
2 tablespoons spicy brown mustard
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon of light brown sugar
1 tablespoon of kosher salt
2 teaspoons black pepper
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
5 hardboiled eggs (diced)
1/2 cup of sweet pickled relish
2 tablespoons of red onion (finely minced)
3 stalks celery (finely minced)

Instructions:

Cut peeled potatoes into 1/4’s.
Boil potatoes until fork tender, drain and let potatoes cool till warm, break apart to 1/2" to 3/4" pieces.
Combine dressing ingredients and mix with potatoes.
Garnish with chives.