Your Ultimate Tailgating Checklist and Product Guide
Hey Grill Masters Club Nation, it's Rosalie, your lead Pitmaster! Football season is here and Grill Master’s Club is here for you!
As fun as this season can be, we also recognize that tailgating and hosting games can be a lot of work. Aside from picking versatile and flexible products for the ultimate grilling season and making easy to follow recipes, we are also bringing you some amazing tips and products to make your football season one to remember.
Check Out My top 5 Tips For Hosting And Tailgating
1. Pick proteins that require similar care
For instance, pork butts and briskets cook low and slow. You can cut a lot of day of work out by cooking proteins the night before that require 8+ hour smoke times. Then the next day all you have to do is wrap and prepare for serving. Then you can always add a hot and fast item like wings, poppers, or burgers when the main proteins are in the resting phase and no longer need the grill.
2. Pick sides that can also be mostly made or prepared ahead of time
Cold sides like coleslaw (hold the dressing), pasta salad, and potato salad can be made the day before. Or assemble your Mac and Cheese the day before and then cook it the day of day.
3. There’s no shame in store bought sides, just “doctor them up”
Level up baked beans by draining excess liquid, adding bbq sauce and either protein trimming or already cooked protein bits. Baked Beans can cook on low on the smoker overnight or in the morning, for an easy, inexpensive and delicious side. Store bought potato salad just needs fresh bacon crumbles and chives.
4. Don’t do everything yourself!
When hosting, there’s always people that ask if they can bring something. Let people help. Save items like buns, condiments, ice, beverages and sauces for people that want to help but don’t necessarily cook. If someone offers to make a side, let them!
5. Don’t over complicate your tailgate!
Do as much prep as you can so you're not slicing and dicing at the tailgate. If you’re making poppers or dips, make those ahead of time and use the grill to reheat them. I suggest just using the grill to reheat or do hot and fast grilling before the game. Remember, set up takes the longest so always allocate time for that!
Check Out My Top 5 “Must Have Products” From Our Pitmaster Shop For Football Season
1. XL BBQ PREP TUB BY DRIP EZ
This prep tub is great for prepping bbq whether at home or at the tailgate. The convenience of this tub is unmatchable. The tub can be lowered for a flat prep surface with a cutting board for trimming proteins, and can also be raised two levels high for splash protection and easy carrying. You can use the tub to prep a brisket, two pork butts, 4 racks of ribs and more. It also had a travel lid and is collapsible for easy storage.
Available in both Classic Orange and Pitmaster Black!
2. GRILL MASTERS BBQ SUPER BUNDLE
This bundle features 3 daily BBQ products that make grilling a breeze! This bundle features our small cutting board which is perfect for your tailgating needs, and fits perfectly on a grill shelf. The bundle also features our top of the line pulling claws, which will make pulling proteins faster, more tender and less messy. This third product in our bundle is our GMC Spatula which has multiple textures for convenience and even has a bottle opener!
3. GRILL MASTERS CLUB SPRAY BOTTLE
I always keep this spray bottle handy! It’s got a great spritz to it, and its the perfect size. I love to make my own spritzing recipes, so this bottle is the perfect size for refilling a fresh formula to keep my proteins hydrated. I love bringing this with me to tailgates as well!
4. HEAT RESISTANT GRILLING GLOVES
I love having these on hand at all times! They are thin enough to wear under disposable gloves, but thick enough to protect your skin from the heat! They are machine washable as well. I love having these for cutting and pulling hot proteins or just moving things around on the grill swiftly.
5. THE MEAT SWADL, MEAT RESTING DEVICE
This is great for BBQ, tailgates and more! I use this product for resting briskets, ribs and pork butt the most. It will keep a protein warm, however not sweat it out and over cook it. I love to also add it to my cooler while transferring warm foods to avoid sweating and sliding. This is a great tool to have if your cooking a protein and brining it to a tailgate or party to serve later. Nothing worse than slaving over a brisket just to sweat it out in the resting stage!
