'Burgh-style tailgate recipes
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- 2 pounds ham loaf mix
- 1 cup graham cracker crumbs
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup milk
- 3/4 cup brown sugar, divided
- 5 1/2-ounce can chunk or tidbit pineapple, with juice
- 1 cup orange juice
- 2 tablespoons prepared mustard
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon each of cinnamon and ground cloves
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
Mix together ham loaf mix, cracker crumbs, eggs, salt, milk and 1/4 cup brown sugar. Shape into meatball size. Place them in large foil pan and bake at 375 degrees for approximately 30 minutes or until browned.
In a saucepan, stir together pineapple, orange juice, mustard, remaining 1/2 cup brown sugar, cinnamon and cloves and cook over high heat. When close to a boil, mix cornstarch with about 3 teaspoons of water, and add to sauce. Reduce heat and simmer 1 minute. Pour sauce over the ham balls, reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees and cook uncovered for an additional 1/2 hour. Cover with foil. If you use an aluminum pan, the meatballs can be reheated on your tailgating grill! Enjoy!!
-- Dave and Robin Hall, Franklin
- 1 pound boneless chicken breasts (approximately 2 breasts)
- 3/4 pound bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled
- 2 green onions, diced
- 2 8-ounce packages of cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
Parboil chicken breast in water for approximately 1/2 hour. When cool, dice chicken into small pieces and mix in a bowl with bacon, onions, cream cheese and mayonnaise. Refrigerate for several hours to incorporate flavors. Serve with garlic bagel chips or party rye rounds.
-- Dave and Robin Hall, Franklin
These gourmet-style burgers are "as big as the Steel City itself," according to Justin Anderson, who moved from Pittsburgh to Charlotte, N.C., in 1993 but still tailgates before each Steelers game at a local bar. The burgers were inspired by those at Tessaro's in Bloomfield.
"Since we don't have one of these monuments to Burger Nirvana down south," he writes in an e-mail, "I decided to decipher their family recipe myself and add a little Primanti's to the mix." He serves them at every one of his tailgate parties.
"You'll either need a meat grinder or have your butcher grind your meat for you immediately prior to cooking. It's imperative that the meat is ground just prior to cooking; the fresher the better!" he writes. "Also, I recommend charcoal grilling for this, but a gas will work in a pinch."
- 3 pounds chuck roast (with good marbling throughout)
- 1/2 stick butter, melted and cooled
- Lawry's seasoned salt
- Hardwood charcoal (important)
- 6 slices of provolone cheese
- 6 bakery-style hamburger buns (skip the Wonder Bread)
- Cole slaw (optional)
- French fries (also optional)
Use a kitchen scale to weigh your burgers. Make sure they are as close as possible to 8 ounces each. To form the patties, take the meat and roll it into a ball, then flatten it against a cookie sheet or sheet pan covered in aluminum foil. You want them to be about 1 inch thick. Make sure to dress any cracks in the edges. The goal here is to have a burger that won't yield all of its juices during cooking.
Brush the melted butter on top of each burger and sprinkle with Lawry's seasoned salt to taste. Flip the burgers and repeat on the other side. Note: The butter really helps the burgers to form a nice crust.
Refrigerate your burgers for an hour prior to cooking.
Now, onto the fire: Build your hardwood charcoal into an even layer and burn until light gray ash forms on the outside of the pieces. Hardwood charcoal burns a lot hotter than briquets, making it perfect for direct cooking.
Once your fire is ready, lightly oil your grill using an olive oil-soaked paper towel and a pair of tongs. Put the burgers on the grill and cook for 6 minutes uncovered on the first side. Flip and cook for an additional 3 minutes for rare, 4 to 5 minutes for medium-rare, 5 to 7 minutes for medium, and up to 9 minutes for well-done. Apply the cheese to the top of the burgers during the final 2 minutes of cooking and cover to ensure even melting.
Remove the burgers from the grill and allow them to rest for about 2 minutes under a piece of tented aluminum foil. Resting the burgers after cooking allows the juices to redistribute so they won't all run out when the first bite is taken.
Brush the remaining melted butter on the cut sides of the hamburger buns and put them on the grill cut sides down. Toast for about a minute, but watch them CLOSELY so they do not burn. Once the burgers are finished resting, assemble the burgers as follows: Bun bottom, burger, coleslaw, French fries, bun top.
Makes 6 1/2-pound hamburgers.
-- Justin Anderson, Charlotte, N.C.
- 2 20.25-ounce packs of frozen oval hash brown patties
- 2 pounds of bacon of choice (preferably peppered or hickory smoked)
- 8-ounce bag of shredded cheddar cheese
- Sour cream
- Chopped chives
Place hash browns on flat baking sheet, place bacon on top of hash browns and bake for 15 minutes at 350 degrees. Top with cheese and bake for 3 to 5 minutes, or until cheese is melted. Top with sour cream and chopped chives.
-- David Hall, Cranberry
- 1 1/3 cup cooked sausage
- 3 1/2 8-ounce packages of cream cheese
- 3/4 cup Romano cheese
- 1 1/3 cups bread crumbs
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 3 tablespoons chopped garlic
- 1 tablespoon oregano
- 1 tablespoon basil
- 10 to 12 Anaheim peppers, seeded and halved
Mix cooked sausage, cream cheese, Romano cheese, bread crumbs, olive oil, garlic, oregano and basil. Stuff peppers with the mixture. Place on foil and cook on the grill for approximately 7 to 10 minutes, until filling is warmed through.
-- Sarah Johnson, Cranberry
- 1 box brownie mix (9-by-13-inch family size)
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup water
- 4 eggs
- 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 3 to 4 drops yellow food coloring
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 4 ounces milk chocolate chips
- 4 ounces toffee chips
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease bottom of 9-by-13-inch baking pan with shortening or cooking spray.
Put brownie mix in a large bowl. Add oil, water and 3 eggs and stir until blended (about 50 strokes). In a separate bowl, prepare filling by mixing cream cheese, sugar, food color, vanilla and the remaining egg.
Spread prepared brownie batter in greased pan. Drop spoonfuls of filling evenly over batter. Using butter knife, drag the filling through the batter making a marbled effect. Sprinkle evenly with chocolate chips, toffee chips and walnuts. Bake until a toothpick inserted 1 inch from the edge of pan comes out clean, approximately 27 to 30 minutes.
-- Dave and Robin Hall, Franklin
First Published September 10, 2009 12:00 am
