Best Tailgate Food For Cold Weather

A discussion on “the best tailgate food”, however innocuous, will almost surely elicit many different opinions.

Food, after all, is a highly subjective and even personal matter for many.

But people are more objective when it comes to eating with a purpose. And that purpose, for most NFL fans, is to keep warm.

Especially on days like this.

After all…

• Most people eat differently – and more – when it’s cold
• 22 out of the 30 NFL cities are cold weather cities (average temp. of 50º F Sept. – Dec.)
• The average temperature drops to 40º F for the second half of the regular season (Nov-Dec)
• Though 8 teams play in domed stadiums, that doesn’t help the fans that tailgate outside

So if you want to stay warm when the weather outside is frightful – as well as save money and prevent hangovers, here are some tips:

The best tailgate food should do more than just keep you warm – if it were only about that, well, a heated blanket would do the trick.

Since the average NFL fan…

• Is not a gourmet chef
• Can only spend so much time outdoors before losing feeling in her extremities
• Does her fair share of drinking
• Has a limited disposable budget

It should…

• Keep you feeling full & satisfied
• Keep you warm
• Help slow your body’s rate of alcohol absorption
• Be relatively easy to prepare
• Not cost a day’s pay

So forget the veggie nachos and the meatless chili; you can eat healthy when you’re home.

Best tailgate food rated

We took 8 popular tailgate foods and rated them on 5 categories:

Ease/difficulty of preparation (Prep)

A lot of people still like to cook on site rather than at home, so ideally you should be able to prepare your tailgating food with just basic cookout equipment.

On a scale of 1 to 5, 1 = smoked ribs and 5 = bratwurst, sausages, & hot dogs.

Ability to reduce your body’s rate of alcohol absorption (AA)

Contrary to popular belief, alcohol neither raises nor lowers your body core temperature. It does however, make you drunk, and it’s in everyone’s best interest if you slow down that process.

While the mere presence of food in your stomach will help, but “The rate at which alcohol is absorbed depends on how quickly the stomach empties its contents into the intestine. The higher the dietary fat content, the more time this emptying will require and the longer the process of absorption will take.” *
*Source: intox.com

Simply put slower is better, and foods containing fat, protein, and carbohydrates reportedly are excellent at slowing the absorption process.

However, that doesn’t mean you should guzzle cooking oil or serve up a deep-fried slab of bacon at the next game.

1 = raw veggies. 5 = Philly cheesesteak, burnt ends.

Ability to help keep your body warm (Warm)

Foods that are abundant in niacin (animal liver, eggs, cheese) and spicy foods boost blood circulation thereby keeping your body warm. 5 = “Death” wings, 5-alarm chili.

Familiarity/popularity (F/P)

So you’ve discovered that yak meat is dirt cheap and bursting with protein, or that hippo intestines are really easy to cook and will keep you warm as toast, but what’s the point if nobody wants to eat it?

People tend to stick with dishes that are either familiar to them or are well known.

Since this rating is extremely subjective, it is weighted less than the other categories. 1 = venison or other wild game. 3 = pizza, burgers.

Cost (Cost)

If money was not an object then we’d all be dining on Kobe steak and lobster tails at tailgate parties. I’m talking about a realistic budget though. 1 = t-bone steak, lobster. 5 = hot dogs, beer-butt chicken.

Conclusion

• When it comes to tailgating, the cost of food is largely irrelevant. That is, it needn’t be expensive.
• 2 of the top tailgate foods for cold weather are chili and Buffalo wings.
• When planning your menu, you should also think about the fare’s difficulty of preparation and ability to absorb alcohol.
• All things considered; Italian sausage is one of the best tailgate foods.

Back to: How Much Can You Save On Tailgating?