Top Five Texas Tailgate Foods
There are two things that Texans take very seriously. Football and food. Put them together, and you have some of the best tailgate foods on the planet.
What makes tailgate food? While there’s no true definition, tailgate food is generally something that can be made away from a true kitchen. Grills and slow cookers are instrumental parts of tailgating. Texans love their tailgate food to be spicy and meaty, so most of these include some sort of meat. There were too many great foods to include in this list, but here you will find the Top Five Texas Tailgate Foods you can make for the upcoming football season.
#5 Spicy Pulled Pork Sliders
If you’re talking Texas food, you can’t have a conversation without including pulled pork barbeque. Texas tailgating tends to be multiple-hour affairs, and that’s a good thing. Pulled pork sliders can be made in a slow cooker with minimal effort; just add the ingredients and turn on the slow cooker when you arrive and you’re good to go by game time.
Prep for this recipe only takes about 20 minutes and can be done the day before your tailgating event. One thing you’ll need to decide on is a barbeque sauce for your pork sliders. There are so many great Texas sauces available, but my favorite is Stubbs Original from Stubbs BBQ in Austin. Stubbs is legendary for great barbeque in Austin.
Check out the link below for the full pulled pork sliders recipe.
https://www.austinfoodlovers.com/2010/09/13/tailgating-made-easy-spicy-pulled-pork-sliders/
#4 One Skillet Beefy 7-Layer Dip
Great tailgate food is something that can be eaten easily. A nice dip certainly falls into that category. One Skillet Beefy 7-Layer Dip checks all the boxes; beef, cheese, beans, quick, and easy.
Bring some flour tortilla chips with the dip and you have a tailgate staple that people will love.
Check out this link for the full recipe.
#3 Shiner Beer Cheese Dip
Shiner is one of Texas’ most famous beers. What better food to include in your tailgate than a cheese dip made from Shiner? Cheese dip is a great tailgate food because it’s easy to make and can be eaten by itself with chips or put over the top of other foods. This recipe can be made with just a few minutes of prep time. Check out the link below for the full recipe.
https://www.ksat.com/sponsored/2021/12/24/recipe-david-elders-shiner-beer-cheese/
The best thing about this Shiner Beer Cheese recipe is that it only uses a little beer, so there’s plenty left over for drinking.
#2 Texas Beanless Chili
Now we’re really getting to the good Texas foods. And a little controversy. Ask any true Texan how they take their chili, and they’ll tell you “beanless”. This can cause some confusion for out-of-staters who think that beans belong in chili.
This chili is another crockpot classic. It takes very little prep work and can simmer for hours while you take in the gameday atmosphere. Just before you’re ready to head into the game, you can dish up a big, warm bowl of Texas Beanless Chili.
Here is a great recipe for Texas Beanless Chili.
https://dinnerthendessert.com/texas-chili/#wprm-recipe-container-51059
#1 Smoked Brisket
Now we come to the number one Texas Tailgate food on our list. What else could it be than Texas brisket? Brisket is what Texas is known for.
This one will take a little more prep time than the other items on our list. There are several ways to smoke brisket, and the recipe below explains them. Most tailgaters will choose to smoke their meat at home the day prior, but a dedicated few will bring their smokers with them to tailgate.
If you bring smoked brisket to your tailgate this season, remember to bring extra. Just the smell of it will bring all sorts of visitors to your tailgate spot. Show them a little Texas hospitality and be ready to share your brisket with them. Except for Eagles fans.