For many Americans Fall (Autumn!) doesn't just mean pumpkin pie spice flavoured everything, it means football. American Football. The season kicks off from every small town High School Varsity team, to Colleges, and into the huge stadiums of the NFL.
While the action on the field is the main event, the real highlight and traditions for millions of fans happens hours before kickoff in the CAR PARK. Confused? So were we when we first moved to the USA. Welcome to the tailgate, part of American food and sport culture that you will not able to ignore. If you have just moved to the USA it is almost inevitable that you will be invited to a tailgate.
Here's our guide to the tailgate for Brits, and how you can upgrade your tailgate with a British twist, switching out some of those hot dogs and "brats" to some proper British versions.
What is a Tailgate?
What: a tailgate is essentially a high-energy, pre-game party held right out of the back (the tailgate) of a pickup truck or car trunk in the stadium parking lot.
Participants cook food on a portable grill, serve beers and drinks from coolers, and often decorate their vehicle in team colours and flamboyant decor to stand out.
Imagine the community buzz of a UK beer garden, mix it with an open-air summer BBQ, and take it outside a football stadium. That’s a tailgate party.
Where and when: Stadium parking lots across America, running for 3 to 5 hours before kickoff. NFL football is on Sundays; college football is on Saturdays, High School games are typically on Friday nights (yes, you can even find tailgates at High School games). Although some football games are on Thursdays and Mondays, the most popular days for tailgates are the weekend, meaning everyone can enjoy an entire day of football.
Who: Everyone! From multi-generational family groups to college students making autumn weekends unforgettable. At College games, TV crews will station themselves outside at the tailgate.
Why: It’s a healthy mix of hospitality, school spirit, tradition and social ritual. You eat, drink, talk tactics with rivals and fuel up on great tailgate food before heading into the game.
I've been invited to a tailgate. What should I bring?
Check with your host, but you'll rarely go wrong turning up with something you can cook on a grill (and something to drink with it) and if you are invited to bring something to add to the tailgate grill, surprise and delight your fellow tailgaters with a taste of home!
If you want to be remembered at the tailgate, skip the hot dogs and bring something impressive and British like a Cumberland Coil or some back bacon for Bacon Butties. Nobody has ever said no to free bacon and sausage!
Transatlantic Tailgate Food Ideas and Inspiration
Tailgate food menus have some consistent staples: chunky "brat" sausages, beef hot dogs, burgers and ribs. Regional tradition reigns supreme: expect to see a smoker in Texas, crawfish broils at LSU, or cheese curds in Wisconsin.
Here are our top tailgate food ideas with a British twist:
Early college games mean parking lots fill up as early as 7am, so proper British breakfast food is a must. Sizzle up some thick slices of authentic back bacon for an easy, handheld snack that hits the spot every time.
What is a barm? A barm (or barm cake) is the name given to a soft, white, floury rolls from the north-west of England. The same as our Flour-Dusted Soft White Baps. Fill it with back bacon and you've got a bacon barm; call it a bacon butty or a bacon sarnie and you'll start a friendly argument with anyone from Manchester. Americans, think of it as a breakfast sandwich with better manners.
If you’re looking for a conversation starter, chuck some black pudding onto the hot plate and watch people's heads turn. Rich, savoury and flavourful, add a slice of black pudding to your sausage or bacon butty to take your tailgate food up a notch.
What is black pudding? Black pudding is a protein-rich traditional British and Irish sausage made with pork, oats, spices and blood. Yes, blood. Stay with us. It's rich, savoury and the best conversation starter in the car park. Cut it into half-inch slices and fry in on the portable Blackstone for a few minutes on each side until crisp outside and soft in the middle. Sometimes referred to as Blood Pudding in the USA but made to a very excusive traditional recipe here at Jolly Posh foods.
A must-have at any tailgate is a sausage. Eat on its own, wrapped in buttered bread or simply dipped in ketchup or HP brown sauce. Easy to cook, easy to eat. What’s not to love?
We recommend bringing our showstopping Cumberland Coil, made famous by the Weber Grill Team who use our Cumberland sausages for their "Ultimate Sausage Sarnie" for their tailgate party.
For early kickoffs, fire up a griddle and cook a proper [Full English Breakfast] or [Full Irish Breakfast] in the parking lot: sausages, bacon, and an egg and better still, put it inside a Petite French Baguette or a Flour Dusted Soft White Bap (buttered of course!) for easy eating.
Remember if you're heading to a Notre Dame or a Stellers game you'll want some authentic Irish flavour at your tailgate so make sure to swap in some Irish breakfast bangers, rashers of Irish back bacon and white pudding for an Irish tailgate breakfast worth waking up for. White pudding is a milder, oaty cousin of black pudding (with no blood) and is very easy to slice and cook at a tailgate.
Whether you wrap your meats in some proper bread or enjoy everything from a paper plate with all the trimmings, a full fry up breakfast is the best way we know to start a 12-hour day of football.
British Condiments
No gathering is complete without an array of condiments. Take your pick from traditional Ketchup, proper British HP sauce or go bold with English mustard.
Are British Sausages different from brats and hot dogs?
Yes! Hot dogs are pre-cooked and smooth-textured, and brats are coarse, German or Italian style sausages often simmered in beer.
British sausages are typically raw pork sausages with a much finer texture, seasoned with traditional spices and made with a little rusk, which keeps them wonderfully juicy and succulent. Different beast entirely.
How do I cook British sausages on a grill without them splitting?
Low and slow is the secret.
Keep them over medium or indirect heat and turn them regularly, and whatever you do, don't prick them, or all that lovely juice ends up on the coals instead of in your sandwich. They're done when the inside hits 160°F on your meat thermometer.
Tailgate Party Prep & Transport Tips
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Keep it chilled: Keep all meats in a cooler with ice packs the night before. Keep them cold until you're ready to hit the grill to ensure freshness.
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Prep ahead: Slice your baguettes and prep toppings like onions or sauces at home. You don't want to be fumbling with knives and chopping boards in a parking lot.
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The essential kit: Don't forget the essentials: a good pair of tongs, a meat thermometer (to ensure sausages are cooked through), and a cast-iron skillet, which is perfect for cooking black pudding or bacon without the mess.
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Condiment station: Use a tin to set up an easy, stable condiment station. It keeps all your sauces and toppings organised and prevents them from tipping over while you're serving up plates.
When should I order to get my British meats in time for game day?
Jolly Posh Foods ship British and Irish meats across the USA using two day shipping dispatched on Mondays. This means you should place your order for a Saturday or Sunday game before the Monday prior to it. Your order is packed frozen with insulation and ice packs, so it arrives cold and ready for the cooler. Planning a whole season of tailgates? Make the most of our bundle offers to stock up your freezer.
The Jolly Posh Tailgate
Whether you're gearing up for a Saturday college matchup or an NFL Sunday kickoff, order your game-day meat boxes today and bring a proper British feast to the car park this season.
