Ask A Pittsburgh Expert: Best Easy Tailgate Food

Pittsburgh is known for its enthusiastic sports fans. Pittsburgh fans like to see the game live and they also love to tailgate. Whether at pro sports games, concerts or even little league games, setting up shop with a grill and cooler before the big event is a favorite pastime for many. If you are planning to enjoy some tailgating in the near future, here are some great recipes from Chef Bill Fuller that you can make to share with everyone who is lucky enough to be within smelling distance.

Chef Bill Fuller
Big Burrito Restaurant Group
www.bigburrito.com

Bill Fuller is the executive chef for the Big Burrito Restaurant Group, which includes upscale restaurants Eleven, Casbah, Soba and Umi as well as casual eateries Mad Mex and Kaya. Bill's has won numerous awards for is talents including Chef of the Year and Restaurateur of the Year from Pittsburgh Magazine. Bill's restaurant menus offer a variety of locally farmed and sourced foods from Tex-Mex to Asian to Contemporary cuisine. When he is not creating culinary delights, Bill is an active benefactor to the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank in its mission to help feed Pittsburgh and also spends time as an advisor for the culinary program at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh.

Kaya Grilled Corn On The Cobb

• 4 ears of corn, unshucked
• Approx. 2 tbsp butter
• Salt and pepper
• 1/2 cup grated Idiazabal cheese
• Chipotle aioli
• 8 lime wedges

Directions:

1. Get grill good and hot.
2. Roast corn with the skin on over coals for 10 to 15 minutes.
3. Remove from fire.
4. Discard any burnt leaves.
5. Allow ears to cool until you can touch them.
6. Peel back husks and tie at the bottom.
7. Pull off all silk.
8. Very lightly butter the ears of corn.
9. Season with salt and pepper.
10. Return them to the grill to get a little char on the kernels.
11. Place on plates.
12. Sprinkle immediately with cheese.
13. Drizzle with chipotle aioli.
14. Allow guests to squeeze their own limes.
15. Serve with a lot of napkins.

Chipotle Aioli (for grilled corn on the cobb)

• 2 chipotle peppers (with a little of the liquid)
• 1-2 garlic cloves
• Zest and juice of 1 lemon
• 1 egg yolks
• 1-2 tbsp cold water
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 cup neutral oil (Canola or Soybean)

Directions:

1. Place chipotle peppers, garlic, lemon zest and juice, egg yolk, water and salt in blender barrel.
2. Puree.
3. While pureeing, slowly drizzle in blended oil.
4. When done, store in a squeeze bottle.

Wings Three Ways

• 9 lbs chicken wings, the largest you can buy
• 3 larg Ziploc bags
• Classic marinade (recipe below)
• Thai marinade (recipe below)
• Basque marinade (recipe below)
• Your favorite blue cheese and ranch dressings
• Celery sticks

Directions:

1. At least three hours before cooking (and preferably the day before), prepare the marinades and marinate the wings.
2. Marinate wings by placing 3 pounds each in three large Ziploc baggies.
3. Add marinade and squish around with vigor and joy.
4. Allow to marinate quietly.
5. Fire up the grill.
6. If charcoal, allow to burn down past super hot. If gas, heat to medium.
7. Pull wings out of bags and place on grill. Be prepared for flare-ups and sticking.
8. Close cover so the wings roast.
9. Cook wings on one side. Turn.
10. Pour remaining marinade over wings.
11. Close grill again.
12. When wings are done, dip and eat.

If desired, a second recipe of the marinades can be made and reserved for pouring over the finished wings.

• 1 cup Frank's Red Hot
• 1/2 honey
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 3 tbsp salt
• 2 tbsp black pepper

Combine all ingredients.

Thai Marinade

• 1/4 cup Thai red curry paste
• 1/4 cup peanut or soy oil
• 3 each whole limes, sliced into thin rings
• 3 tbsp Thai fish sauce (Squid brand)
• 3 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tsp ground coriander seed

Combine all ingredients.

Basque Marinade

• 2 tbsp smoked paprika (pimento)
• 2 tbsp espalette pepper (can substitute 1 tbsp cayenne)
• 3 Meyer lemons, sliced into rings
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp whole fennel seed
• 2 tbsp honey
• 3 tbsp salt
• 2 tbsp pepper

Combine all ingredients.

Related: Best Places To Eat Before The Game In Pittsburgh

Pulled Pork

• 1 whole pork butt (about 7#, bone in)
• Dried thyme
• Smoked paprika
• Salt
• Black pepper
• 1 cup cider vinegar
• 2 cups apple cider slaw (see below)
• 2 dozen soft rolls (this is NOT the place for crusty artisanal bread)

Directions:

1. Start this in the morning, as it needs to cook all day. Heavily season pork butt on all sides with thyme, paprika, salt and pepper. Don't worry, you won't overdo it.
2. Place in a roasting pan with the fat side up.
3. Place into pre-heated 325° F oven.
4. Prepare slaw. Reserve.
5. Allow the pork to cook for about four hours.
6. Add cider and vinegar to pan.
7. Check at this point. The pork must cook until the bones pull gently out of the meat, completely clean. Remember, the pulled pork holds when done much better than if you try to push it at the end of the cooking.
8. Return pork to the oven.
9. When done, remove bones. If you are very fat sensitive, you can pour off the rendered fat floating on the juices in the pan and save it for making fried eggs.
10. Using two forks, pull the pork into classic pulled pork format.
11. Mix well with the pan juices. Put on a bun, top with slaw, chow down.

Slaw

• 1 head cabbage
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 small yellow onion
• 1 tsp finely grated fresh ginger
• 1 tsp finely grated fresh horseradish
• 1 medium carrot
• 1/4 cup 2white sugar
• 1/4 cup kosher salt
• 1/4 cup white vinegar
• 1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
• Ground black pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Julienne cabbage, peppers and onions.
2. Grate the carrots on a box grater.
3. Combine ingredients and dress with sugar, salt, pepper, red wine and white vinegar, and citrus juice.
4. Allow to stand for at least 1 hour before serving.

Related: Best Frozen Drinks In Pittsburgh

Jennifer Stockdale is a native of the greater Pittsburgh, PA area. She is a restaurant marketer and wine enthusiast and one of the hosts of the East Coast Wine Geeks Podcast. Her work can be found at Examiner.com.