If your job is to win the big football game, certain talents might help you: accurate passing, quick decision-making, outmaneuvering defenders. But if you (like us) are more concerned with winning your next tailgate party, you're looking at building up a whole different set of skills: the planning, the stocking-up, and the cooking that'll guarantee a superior party, whether your team winds up with a championship ring or next year's first-round draft pick.
Below, we've got three recipes for tailgate mains that are bound to please a crowd, plus recommended beer and wine pairings from the experts at Total Wine & More. While you could grab any old overpriced bottles and cans from your corner store, you'll find much better value—our picks are all under $30—and an unmatched selection at Total Wine & More.
Browse the entire selection online to purchase everything from wine, beer and spirits to bar tools, glassware, and other accessories. In just one hour, it'll be packaged and ready for delivery or pick up. With all the time you save, you might even get to see kickoff this year.
A Real Texas Bowl of Red
This hearty, satisfying dish just might be the best Texas-style chili you've ever tried. Rather than relying on dusty dried-chili powder, it's flavored with a bold and rich homemade paste made from simmered dried chilies. The beer we recommend drinking with it isn't shy, either: Dos Equis Ambar, a copper-colored lager with medium body and a smooth, toasty flavor, rounded off with crisp herbal hops. For a pop of juicier Mosaic and Calypso hops, opt for cans of Ballast Point Grunion Pale Ale, which delivers a thirst-quenching blast of pineapple, grapefruit, cantaloupe, and spruce.
Don't leave out the wine drinkers, though! Treat them to a plush, full red wine, like Mascota Vineyards La Mascota Cabernet Sauvignon, produced in limited quantities by acclaimed Argentinean winemaker Rod "Opi" Sadler, or Finca Nueva Rioja Reserva, a Tempranillo with notes of wonderfully smoky tobacco, dark spices, and bright cherries.
The Muffuletta Goes Mega
Prep-ahead party-sized sandwiches are perfect for tailgating, and this massive shooter's-style spin on the classic New Orleans muffuletta gets even better as it sits. Basically, you'll take the top off a loaf of good bread and create a boat out of the bottom, layering it with tangy olive salad, mortadella, and soppressata, then adding spicy capicola and cooling provolone. Top it off with a little more olive salad, close the sandwich, and compress it for a few hours (or up to overnight, while you search for your signed jerseys and lucky rabbit's feet) under a heavy weight. It's killer with Lagunitas' A Little Sumpin' Sumpin', a hopped-up, dark-gold wheat ale. Or, go light and bright with a refreshing, tropical Kona Big Wave Golden Ale.
Since it's stuffed full of Italian salumi, a muffuletta, as you might imagine, also pairs well with Italian wines. For red wine lovers, pour Renieri Invetro, a velvety, floral Tuscan blend of Sangiovese, Cabernet, and Merlot. Or, cut the sandwich's richness with a crisp glass of Tesoro della Regina Pinot Grigio, which balances peachy flavors with tart apple notes.
Masterful Meatball Subs
Juicy, tender meatballs will pretty much always result in excellent sub sandwiches, but these meatball subs improve on the concept with a few pro moves. First, you'll trim off the ends of the rolls to get rid of the tougher part that's harder to eat. You'll also slice your meatballs to help them nestle nicely and avoid empty pockets. Last step: Match these delicious sandwiches with a few of Total Wine & More's favorite bold beverages.
Can't think about meatballs without picturing a glass of wine? Try Sobon Old Vines Zinfandel, a great-value pick that offers intense blackberry and spice, with just enough firm acidity; or Phebus Malbec Reserva, an elegant Argentinean wine made from 80-year-old vines on the estate. These hot subs go great with cool beer, too—like deep, dark, and chocolaty Founders Porter, an autumn virtuoso that slices through rich, meaty sandwiches with roasty coffee flavors, without approaching over-sweetness. If your taste runs to something more piney and aromatic, stock up on Sierra Nevada Torpedo Extra IPA.
Get $10 Off!
Total Wine & More is offering an exclusive deal for Serious Eats readers: $10 off any purchase of $50 or more. For online orders, use the promo code SERIOUSEATS at checkout. For in-store purchases, click here to download the appropriate coupon, and head over to your local Total Wine & More store: