Here Are The 40 Tailgating Recipes You Should Be Cooking This Football Season

We've been ready to kick off football season for months! Beyond the never-ending entertainment and chance to lose all our money in fantasy pools, the season stars some of our favorite food of the year. Polish up your Frydaddy game, smash up some avocados and pick up some slider buns, cause it's officially that time. Check out 40 recipes we can't wait to churn out, then not leave the couch for a while.

The Black and Blue is the most delicious and versatile drink recipe. It fits in at a Super Bowl party as it is at a wedding reception. Blackberries and black pepper are a knockout combination. I'm sure you will find great uses for the simple syrup recipe alone.

Edigio Donagrandi writes, "This is a recipe that I have known since I was a kid. I got it from my mother, who to this day makes the meatballs the same way. As a kid I also loved the leftover meatballs on a toasted roll, it was probably my first attempt to put flavors together. They do make a great sandwich (if you have any leftover)."

This popcorn chicken really pops with heat. (Photo: Gabi Porter.)

In light of recent events that made everyone's favorite fried chicken sandwich a little bit tougher to swallow, we decided to fry up a version of our own. The buttered bun and pickles are crucial to this sandwich, but without a doubt, the thing that makes this little guy so delicious is the chicken. 

The sloppy joe is all grown up.

These sliders are good for any time of the day.

Don't use a creamy expensive blue cheese here; American versions like Wisconsin's buttermilk blue are really great in applications where you want a ton of flavor. The secret to delicious skirt steak skewers is all in your slicing technique.

It's like a little potato-y taco in a single bite. (Photo: Mark Shaw.)

The classic bar snack gets stuffed with an iconic sandwich.

Everyone has that one friend who scoffs at the heat level of a perfectly decent batch of wings. Ready to silence him and enjoy the game your way? Clarified butter helps cut the heat (a little) while amplifying the chili's flavor — fruity and slightly herbal, if you can make it through the million or so Scoville units.

Two of our favorite Mexican dishes in one? Yes, please.

Spicy chicken nachos. You want them, we want them, everyone wants them!

Here's how proud the Baltimore area is of its crabmeat. Go ahead, look at the photo. Actually, mine don't do them justice — the real Baltimore crab pretzels are legit twisted stadium pretzels roughly the size of a dinner plate and positively coated with thick crab salad and shredded cheese. I use pre-made pizza dough to achieve very nearly the same results in an hour or less.

John Stage is owner/pitmaster of Dinosaur Bar-B-Que in Harlem, New York, where you can regularly find us chowing down on massive platters of expertly smoked meat with all the fixins. He was kind enough to loan his recipe for barbecue chicken wings just in time for the home stretch toward the Super Bowl. 

Is there anything better than a deep-fried, cheese-stuffed pepper?

Stuff these peppers with something worthy, like prosciutto and cheese.

If you're going to eat light, make sure it packs tons of flavor so you don't get to the end of your meal wearing a sad face. TV personality Ingrid Hoffman's Latin D'Lite is full of recipes with bold vibrant flavors that won't weigh you down. Lighten up your guac with bold mango and bright tomatillo for a dip you'll want to serve with more than just chips.

There's no better place for a nachos cookbook than the shelves of the Food Republic library, and no better way to snack than combining two awesome things. That's something we learned after making these fried calamari nachos, and we're better people for it.

If you're proud of your dip (and you will be if it's homemade), do something about it: bring a batch to every party until you're the "dip person." This spicy, healthy edamame spread is a good place to start. 

Does your nacho recipe need some Spanish flair? We're here to solve that problem.

You'll never buy store-bought pita chips again. (Photo: Jen Altman.)

The best pairing of ice cream and cookie.

This chipotle salsa recipe from Chef Patricio Sandoval of Mercadito has a great lineup of ingredients: ripe plum tomatoes, tomatillos for a tangy kick, the usual suspects of onions and garlic and dried chipotle peppers for earthy flavor and heat.

Savory and decadent empanadas pair perfectly with craft beer.

Add some tang and spice to your hot dog.

Give your tubesteak a little flair...or a ton, with food writer Russell van Kraayenburg's ultimate hot dog book, Haute Dogs. Wherever you hail from, there's a hot dog that speaks to you. Not literally, that would be terrible. But believe us, these franks have some serious soul. First up, the iconic dog that didn't put Chicago on the map — it's just really delicious.

Traditional Brazilian cheesy puffs.

Morgan's Barbecue is bringing the famous frito pie north to NYC. Their version is served old-school style in a slit-open Fritos bag, smothered with Texas red chili and topped with white onion, cheddar cheese, sour cream, scallions and Morgan's signature slow-smoked brisket.

Give your bacon the sweet treatment.

You may have other culinary goals if you're in Manchester, England, but put Sweet Mandarin on your "to-visit" list to deviate from regional fare. Twin sisters and owners Helen and Lisa Tse recently released their first cookbook. First up, hawker-style chicken skewers you don't have to leave your kitchen to enjoy. 

Turn your favorite chowder into a dip.

Crispy fried squid at your fingertips.

This green center will surprise all your guests.

You'd be hard "pressed" to find a better sandwich than a good Cuban. Great crusty bread, slow-cooked pork, melted Swiss, bright pickles and neon yellow mustard all come together to form a melted magical experience. Veering slightly off the Havana turnpike and spinning this classic ever so slightly, we modernize the dearly beloved sandwich with pickled mango, a fiery yet refreshing grapefruit mojo mustard and roast pork for days. 

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