How Coyote Outdoor Living Is Kicking Off Football Season
You can feel it in the air.
The cool evening breeze and the first hint of rust-colored autumn leaves. The smell of a grill firing up and seasonal excitement approaching.
It can only mean one thing: Football season is back!
Football kicks off this month and Coyote Outdoor Living is ready to help you make the most of the opportunity.
Let’s face it. The term ‘tailgate’ is synonymous with the football pregame ritual, and while you don’t need to be near the stadium or big screen television to throw a tailgate party – it certainly doesn’t hurt. After all, what can be more fun than to root on the ol’ home team on a full stomach of barbequed delicacies?
Coyote Outdoor is ready to get in on the action. In this post, we’ll explore some pro tips and tricks to help you navigate the arena of the football season tailgate like a pro and come out as a winner to your friends and fellow tailgaters.
Prepping For Your Tailgate
The role of the tailgate grill master comes with responsibility.
While it can be a lot of work to host friends, family and fellow fans, the payoff is well worth it. But it doesn’t have to be a hassle. With a little preparation, your pregame tailgate can be nothing but smooth sailing.
First, coordination is key. Many hands make light work, and by divvying up responsibility you can expand the menu without running yourself into the ground. When coordinating invitations, hand out responsibilities on what to bring — from napkins, utensils and plates to prepared dishes and drinks — to help spread out costs and labor. Adding a potluck feel to your tailgate is a great icebreaker for guests to get to know one another and helps everyone feel like part of the team.
Put some thought into tailgate drinks. While canned brews are a tried-and-true favorite, you can also try batched cocktails for a personal touch. Bloody Maries are a great option for early kickoffs, sangria is an excellent choice for warm days and mulling wine on the grill is a great way to help warm up guests before night games as the weather turns from brisk to outright cold.
Next, let’s emphasize the importance of food safety. Preventing your tailgate from getting sick is the solemn responsibility of the host. Make sure you keep hot foods hot, and cold foods cold. Do this by having not one, but three coolers — one for beverages, one for unprepared foods and one for chilled read-to-eat food. That way you can fine-tune temperatures and prevent cross contamination — nobody wants raw chicken-thigh flavored cocktail ice! Plus, keep a space for warm foods — a hot station can be an enclosed box, some steno burners or a top section of the grill.
Hydration. Hydration. Hydration.
Newbies might think they’re tougher to skip H20 for another brewski, but those of us who have a few more hot end-of-summer afternoon kickoff games under our belts know how that ends. A water in between brews will keep you in the game through the fourth quarter and ready for the post-game celebration.
Keep these things in mind and your tailgate is sure to be a success — regardless of what happens on the gridiron!
Portable Grill
The star of every tailgate is the portable grill. Regardless of whether your grill is top-of-the-line or a hand-me-down, make sure it’s looking its best come gameday.
Clean your portable grill before you pack. By cleaning it the night before loading up your vehicle to head out, you prevent grease and gunk getting into the interior and ensure you’re ready to get cooking as soon as you hit your parking spot.
Whether using gas, charcoal or a wood-fired smoker, make sure you have more than enough fuel to get the job done. Any grill master who has been tasked with providing food for a pack of rowdy revelers and unfortunate enough to run out of propane, coals or pellets can share the uncomfortable feeling of wearing the apron when the natives become restless…
Portable grills come in all shapes and sizes, from small semi-disposable charcoal canisters to professional-level rigs that would make any caterer swoon. If you’re looking for a top-notch portable gas grill that will make everyone in the parking section jealous, look no farther than the Coyote Bo Jackson Portable Gas Grill. It’s the perfect option for grilling on the go, and features a custom grill surface honoring one of the all-time greats of both the gridiron and the outfield — Bo Jackson!
This high-end piece of grilling equipment will bring the convenience of your own backyard to the stadium — or anywhere the open road takes you! It is made with 316 marine grade stainless steel with a 304 stainless steel laser cut Bo Jackson signature cooking grill surface. Use a 20-pound or smaller propane tank and take advantage of 20,000 BTUs of cooking power that can heat the grilling surface to 700 degrees Fahrenheit.
Your burgers never stood a chance!
Best Tailgate Recipes
Smoked Queso: If you are a fan of queso and a fan of barbeque, why not join these two genres into a tailgating masterpiece — grilled queso?!
In this Grilled Queso recipe, velveeta and cream cheese pair up with canned tomatoes and chorizo and tied together with an unlikely ally — cream of mushroom soup. The soup may sound strange at first, but it helps create the perfect texture for this creamy queso dip.
When you’re hosting a large tailgating crowd, this recipe offers an excellent timesaving component. You can easily throw all of these ingredients together the night before in an aluminum grilling pan and cover with foil. Then, you can forget about it until you’re ready to throw it on the grill to heat up the combo to melty perfection. After 45 minutes, you’re friends and fellow fans will be ready to devour your stash of tortilla chips!
This recipe also offers a great chance for variety. You can mix-and-match ingredients and toppings so that no two quesos taste the same.
Bo’s Land and Seo Burger: Created by Bo Jackson with Chef Chad Wyrosdick of Papa’s Raw Bar in Lighthouse Point, Florida, this recipe is sure to impress. With angus beef and lump crab meat, it’s the perfect surf-and-turf for the astroturf.
Ingredients (Makes one burger):
- 8 ounces Bo’s Burger – Seasoned Angus Burger
- 1 pinch rock sale
- 1 pinch ground black pepper
- 2 slices tomato
- 1 leaf lettuce
- 3-ounce wedge of drunken goat cheese
- 2 thin slices prosciutto
- ½ pound ProCrab All-Natural Mexican Jump Lump Crab Meat
- 1 bread bun
Instructions:
While the grill preheats, butter the inside of both sides of the bun, and lightly sprinkle each side of a Bo’s Burger patty with rock salt and pepper. Remember, the patties come seasoned, so less is best.
Place the patty on the hot grill and cook for about 3 minutes on each side for medium rare.
During the last minute, place the bun on the grates, butter-side down, to toast. Watch carefully. When golden, remove and set aside.
Top the patty with the goat cheese and let the cheese melt.
Remove the cheeseburger from the grilling grates and place on the bottom bun. Add prosciutto, top with the crab meat, tomato slices, lettuce leaf and sauce of your choice. (We prefer Chef’s house-crafted Hollandaise sauce.)
Tailgater Magazine: There’s plenty more where that came from!
If you’re looking to improve your pre-game, there’s no better resource than Tailgater Magazine — the digital magazine created for those who take tailgating seriously.
Coyote outdoor is excited to be included in the most recent college football issue of Tailgater Magazine that highlights legendary athlete Bo Jackson and his signature Portable Gas Grill by Coyote Outdoor.
Bo Jackson is a legendary Auburn Tigers player, winning the 1985 Heisman Trophy during his time at Auburn.
The Bo Jackson Portable Gas Grill is made to make everyday feel like gameday with its 316 marine grade stainless steel, temperatures up to 700 degrees and its 304 stainless steel laser cut signature cooking grid.
Don’t miss out on this exciting issue. Subscribe for free to gain access to not only get an exclusive look at Bo Jackson and his Portable Gas Grill by Coyote Outdoor, but get an endless fount of tailgating tips and tricks, including game score and league title predictions, recipes and cocktail suggestions that will help you build gameday traditions for seasons to come.
Hosting Gameday at Home
Of course, the true football fan knows you can’t make it to the stadium for every game. But that’s okay — sometimes your own sofa is the best seat for gameday.
Check out some of our tips to turn your backyard or living room into your own private luxury box.
Prepping Your (Outdoor) Kitchen
Whether you are cooking inside or outside, hosting gameday at home can be just as much work as taking the show on the road!
Cleaning and decorating your outdoor space is a must. Make sure you have the home team’s color scheme sprinkled throughout your decor — plates, napkins, tablecloths, etc. But regardless of how much prep time you plan to put into spiffing up your space, having access to an outdoor kitchen from Coyote Outdoor Living Outdoor Kitchen Options will make for the most ballerific event imaginable.
For example, nothing says you’ve made the big leagues like our 6-foot customizable island — let’s imagine an automatic pellet-fed smoker with a built-in refrigerator. Pretty nice, right?
And if you want to go for the full ‘Pro-Bowl’ package, let’s consider the refreshment bar island for a full wet-bar treatment. Plus, all of these options can be mix-and-matched for a truly unique backyard oasis — check out our Outdoor Kitchen Design Tool that helps you visualize your space online.
The world is your oyster when you let the Coyote Outdoor team handle your outdoor kitchen space. Check out what RTA Outdoor Living has to say about our Outdoor Kitchen Appliances.
Mediterranean-Style Summer Wings
Wings are arguably the most tailgate-friendly food on the planet. They are delicious. The ultimate finger food. There are limitless variations on the theme. And their spicy character makes them the perfect pairing for the sweet, effervescent flavor profile of most beers!
This Mediterranean-Style Summer Wings recipe utilizes a Pittsburgh-produced olive oil infused with oregano as part of an eight-ingredient marinade that adds just the right touch of spice for a Mediterranean take on this American classic. Cooked low and slow on the pellet-fired smoker for two hours, these wings are sure to be a big hit, but the recipe can be replicated using any of the Coyote Outdoor range of grills and smokers.
Ryan Shazier
After a knock-out college career at Ohio State, Ryan Shazier was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first round of the 2014 NFL draft. Besides being a former Pro-Bowl linebacker for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Ryan Shazier is also a family man who adores his wife and two children — who have supported him through the many highs and lows of his football career.
Ryan is a true NFL comeback story. After a tragic injury cut his career short in 2017, doctors feared he might be paralyzed. But after spinal surgery, he learned to walk again and astounded friends and family by dancing with his wife Michelle during their wedding.
Today, Ryan is retired from his football career but continues to be a part of the game and an inspiration to players of all ages. And being a step removed from the gridiron means he is able to work on his grilling game, which is where his partnership with Coyote Outdoor comes in.
Recently, Ryan partnered with Coyote to give away a Bo Jackson Portable Gas Grill to a fan. One lucky fan received the perfect gameday grill, crafted with a customized stainless steel grate that honors Hall of Famer Bo Jackson, given away by football legend Ryan Shazier. To top things off, Ryan also made a guest zoom appearance during the giveaway winner fantasy draft party to talk to them and give fantasy pick advice.
We look forward to sharing even more exciting partnership news with Ryan to come!
