Football Tailgating Recipe

Three things I absolutely love are autumn, football and tailgating. It does not get much better than cool crisp weather, a big football rivalry, and the aroma of several distinct foods drifting through the air outside of a nearby stadium. Tailgating is a special time of year to get fired-up for a game and you certainly take advantage of filling up your tummy. I have found that it is best to have a group of friends and acquaintances join your tailgate. Each person is responsible for providing a special piece of equipment and some delectable cuisine for the outdoor occasion. My Georgia Bulldog buddies and I have developed tailgating into an art. We only have two major rules required for the tailgate- everything must be safe and sanitary, and everything must taste good! The following is a very simple recipe for a quick delicious meal on tailgate day.

Smoked Honey-Mustard Chicken Salad

You will need 18 to 20 chicken legs, 4 bags of pre-mixed salad greens, half-pint of honey, half-pint of mustard, salt, pepper, gallon sized plastic bags, one small bottle of extra-virgin olive oil, and 1 bag of hickory, cherry, or apple wood chips . This amount will feed about eight hungry college alumni.

The night before the game wash and season the chicken legs with salt and pepper. Other seasoning are fine to experiment with if you prefer. Fire up your grill and slowly smoke your chicken legs using your choice of wood chips. These can be placed over charcoal or used with a gas grill. The key is to slowly cook the chicken for about two or three hours at a temperature of 310 degrees. Use this cooking time to pack your things and get organized for the game. Take the chicken legs off the grill and place in gallon size plastic bags and put in the fridge. On the morning of the game, grab your bags of chicken, the salad mix, and the rest of the ingredients and head for your favorite tailgate spot. Keep the chicken and salad on ice until you arrive. Take your prepared chicken out and place on a grill or cooking apparatus at your tailgate location. You'll need to re-heat the chicken legs for only about 20 minutes or less over a charcoal flame or gas heat. Trickle a little extra-virgin olive oil on the legs so they will not dry out. While the chicken is warming up, take a 16 ounce cup and pour in equal mixtures of honey and mustard. Mix with a small spoon or any suitable utensil you can find at the tailgate. Take your salad bags and place mixed greens into the large gallon sized plastic bag, pour in the mixed honey-mustard dressing. Take the warmed chicken legs and trim off the tenderly smoked meat and drop into the gallon sized plastic bag. Shake the entire mixture up to the tune of your favorite tailgate song. Repeat until all the chicken and salad greens are mixed. Serve immediately to your tailgate friends and family. Enjoy.