Tailgating

Ahhh.... the sound of the crowd. The smell of the barbecue. There's a feeling in the air like no other time of the year. It's football season, ushering in the most American of sports pastimes - tailgating. "The parking lot is the great American neighborhood," Joe Kahn, self-elected Commissioner of Tailgating, said. "It's the new American social, the new block party." Kahn, based in New Orleans, LA, travels all over the country hosting tailgate parties. Over the last 14 years, he reckons he has attended more than 500 games and covered a half million miles, mostly in an RV. Early on in his journey, he was known the King of Tailgating. Kahn was at a press conference at NFL Headquarters when he abandoned royalty, naming himself the Commissioner of Tailgating. "Kings are perilous; they can be overthrown," he said. "Commissioners are for life - they never go out of office." Don Annas is not a tailgating king or even a commissioner, but he is president of "Don's Tailgate Club" and knows how to throw one heck of a parking lot party at NC State University football games. "All you need to have a successful tailgate party is people and food," Annas said. In the 15 years since Don's Tailgate Club started with just a few family and friends, the affair has grown to over 40 regular members. "It is so much fun. We have a blast" Annas said. "It's mainly just food and friends, and we make new friends every year." Annas's party has grown so much, he picks his annual parking spots far away from the Carter Finley stadium gates so he'll have enough space. While tailgate parties are scarce among local high schools, Kahn says the trend is growing in high school sports, and the Triangle can look for growth in this pre-game ritual. "I have noticed, around the country, a large growth in high school tailgating," he said. "The tailgate party is the ideal place for parents to meet each other, their children's friends, and teachers on neutral ground. In parking lots, there are no barriers," he said. Aside from entertaining old friends and making new ones, the best tailgates are about the food. From Kahn's perspective, tailgate food is local cuisine, reflecting the lifestyles of all of the different regions throughout the country. Annas comes up with themes for his tailgate parties, the most famous being his annual chili cook-off. "We usually have 12-14 types of chili," he said. "Those who don't bring chili are eligible to judge, and we can have up to 20 judges. Winners are determined on a points system." Annas's wife won last year. He always looks forward to seafood night, when he steams oysters on a grill and his wife boils shrimp in a turkey cooker. Anything goes at a tailgate party. Don's Tailgate Club always has more food than anyone can eat, mainly because everyone brings enough to feed the whole crowd. There are lots of leftovers, even though they arrive at the parking lot and start eating a full three hours before the game, even though they come out at halftime and eat more, and even though they extend the party an hour after the end of the game. Kahn tailgates everywhere, but has a favorite party. "One of the greatest tailgate parties is The Grove at Ol' Miss," he said. "It is spread out over 10 acres, and no cars park there. It's all tents, thousands in one location, and nothing but southern hospitality." Kahn loves the military football games because the teams demonstrate great sportsmanship. He loves to tailgate at the Steeplechase in Camden, SC because of the formality. He tailgates at NASCAR races, and at Jimmy Buffett concerts. "At the Buffett concerts, everyone's happy. They're all on the same team," he said. "But ultimately the greatest place to tailgate is where you are right now." Fall, Football and Food. What a fantastic combination. Linda's Blue Ribbon Chili This chili won Don Annas's chili cookout last season 2 pounds ground beef 1 pound hot Neese's sausage 1 onion, chopped 1 ½ Tbsp minced garlic ¼ cup chili powder 1 ½ Tbsp ground cumin 3 (10-oz.) cans Ro-Tel diced tomatoes with green chilies (undrained) 1 (16-oz) can (dark red) kidney beans (drained and rinsed) 1 (6-oz) can tomato paste 2/3 cup beer (Needless to say, I use Budweiser) ¼ cup chopped parsley (I use dried like a spice) ¼ cup Burgundy or other dry red wine ¼ cup Dijon mustard ¼ cup sugar 1 Tbsp dried basil 1 tsp salt 1 tsp pepper 2 Tbsp lemon juice I use a frying pan and a big pot (like a soup pot). Using the frying pan, brown and crumble the ground beef and the sausage. I do this one pound at a time, drain, and then move it to the big pot. Then in the frying pan, I cook the onion and the garlic about 3 minutes or until the onion starts to turn clear, and add to the big pot. Add all the rest of the ingredients to the big pot and slowly bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer for 1 to 2 hours. This will yield about 11 cups. When tailgating or fixing for a group, I double this recipe. Ballgame Beans Brown together: 1 lb hamburger, 1 onion, diced Add to the above mixture: 1 31 ½ oz can of pork n beans 1 cup brown sugar 1 ½ cup of barbecue sauce Bake for two hours at 350 degrees Touchdown Slaw This snappy slaw has a sweet and tangy dressing, lace with mustard and celery seeds Ingredients: ½ cup white sugar ½ cup cider vinegar ¼ cup cold water 1 tsp. salt ½ tsp. mustard seed ½ tsp. celery seed 8 cups shredded cabbage ½ cup chopped celery ½ cup chopped green pepper (you can add some shredded carrots for a little color) Directions: In a jar with a lid, combine the sugar, vinegar, water, salt, mustard seed and celery seed. Cover tightly and shake vigorously until sugar is dissolved. Chill dressing for several hours or overnight. In a large bowl, toss together the cabbage, celery, green peppers and carrots (if you included carrots) and dressing until evenly coated. Cover and chill until serving. Punt Cake A medley of pineapple, sweet cherries and crunchy pecans...it's as simple as dropping back to punt. Just dump the ingredients into a pan and bake Ingredients: 1 (20 oz) can crushed pineapple with juice 1 (21 oz) can cherry pie filling 1 pkg. yellow cake mix 2 sticks margarine, melted (can use less to cut down on calories) 1 can flaked coconut 1 cup coarsely chopped pecans Directions: Pour pie filling into the bottom of a greased 9x13" baking pan. Add pineapple. Sprinkle cake mix over pineapple, pour margarine over cake mix and add coconut. Sprinkle pecans over entire cake. Bake at 325 degrees for one hour.