11 Football Season Chili and Tailgate Recipes

The Rules of Game Day Cooking

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Football food has two jobs: it has to feed a crowd and it has to survive a parking lot or a couch. That favors dishes that hold well, travel in one pot and taste better as they sit, which is why chili sits at the center of the season. Four rules help every recipe below. First, make the main dish ahead, since chili and braises improve after a night in the fridge. Second, keep food safe: hot dishes should stay above 140 degrees Fahrenheit and cold ones below 40, and food should not sit out for more than two hours, or one hour in 90-degree heat. A slow cooker, an insulated carrier or a camp stove makes that easy. Third, scale for the crowd; most chili recipes serve eight generously, and a pound of meat feeds about four. Fourth, offer toppings, because shredded cheese, sour cream, pickled jalapeños and chopped onion let everyone customize. The eleven recipes here run from classic bowls to dips, wings and handheld bites, with enough variety for a full afternoon of kickoff, halftime and overtime.

Texas Red Chili

A true Texas bowl of red has no beans and no tomatoes to speak of, just beef and chiles. Texas named chili its official state dish in 1977, and the debate over beans has been loud ever since. Start with three pounds of beef chuck cut into half-inch cubes, brown it in batches in a heavy pot and set it aside. Toast four to five dried ancho and guajillo chiles in a dry skillet, soak them in hot water for 20 minutes, then blend them into a smooth paste. Sauté a diced onion and several cloves of garlic in the beef fat, add cumin, oregano and the chile paste, and return the beef with four cups of beef stock. Simmer gently for two and a half to three hours, until the meat is fork-tender. Thicken with a couple of tablespoons of masa harina stirred into water. Taste for salt, add a splash of vinegar or lime at the end, and serve with cornbread. It tastes better the next day.

White Chicken Chili

White chicken chili is the lighter, creamier option on a chili table, and it is a good choice for anyone who wants something beyond beef and tomatoes. Season two pounds of boneless chicken thighs with salt, cumin and oregano. Sauté a diced onion and garlic in a large pot, add two cans of green chiles, two cans of drained great northern or cannellini beans and four cups of chicken stock, and nestle in the chicken. Simmer for 30 to 40 minutes, then remove the chicken, shred it and return it to the pot. Finish with a half cup of sour cream or four ounces of cream cheese, and a squeeze of lime juice, and warm it gently without boiling. A jalapeño or a pinch of cayenne adds heat. Top with Monterey Jack, cilantro, crushed tortilla chips and avocado. Because it relies on chicken and canned beans, the dish comes together in under an hour, which makes it a strong weeknight or last-minute tailgate option. It holds well in a slow cooker on low.

Cincinnati-Style Chili

Cincinnati chili is a regional original, a thin, spiced meat sauce served over spaghetti and buried in cheese. It came from Greek and Macedonian immigrants in the early 1920s, and it uses warming spices more associated with Mediterranean stews than with Texas: cinnamon, allspice, cloves and cocoa. Unusually, the ground beef is not browned. Instead, break two pounds of beef into a pot with a quart of water or stock, stirring until it is fine and crumbly, then add a diced onion, garlic, tomato paste, a tablespoon of chili powder, a teaspoon each of cumin, cinnamon and allspice, a tablespoon of cocoa, Worcestershire and a splash of cider vinegar. Simmer uncovered for about two hours, until it thickens into a sauce. The ordering system is part of the culture: a two-way is chili over spaghetti, a three-way adds a mound of shredded cheddar, a four-way adds onions or beans, and a five-way adds both. Oyster crackers and hot sauce go on the side.

Smoked Brisket Chili

Smoked brisket chili is what happens when you have leftover barbecue and a cold afternoon. If you smoke a brisket on the weekend, save the point end, with its fatty marbling, and chop two pounds into half-inch pieces. Sauté a diced onion, a poblano and a few cloves of garlic in a Dutch oven, add chili powder, smoked paprika, cumin and a spoonful of tomato paste, and cook until the paste darkens. Pour in a can of fire-roasted tomatoes, two cups of beef broth and a splash of dark beer or coffee, then stir in the brisket. Simmer for about an hour to marry the flavors, adding beans if you want them. Because the meat is already tender and smoky, the chili needs less time than raw beef versions and the smoke carries through every bite. Finish with lime, sharp cheddar and pickled red onion. If you do not have leftover brisket, a quality barbecue joint will sell chopped brisket by the pound for the same effect.

Venison Chili

Hunting season and football season overlap, and venison makes an excellent chili if you handle its leanness. Because deer meat has very little fat, it can turn dry and dense, so pair two pounds of ground venison with a pound of ground pork, bacon or beef suet to add moisture. Brown the meat in batches in a large pot with a few tablespoons of oil, then add a diced onion, two peppers, garlic and a generous mix of chili powder, cumin and smoked paprika. Add a can of crushed tomatoes, a cup of strong coffee or dark beer, two cups of stock and two cans of kidney or pinto beans. Simmer for at least two hours, longer if you can, and finish with a square of dark chocolate or a spoon of molasses to round out the gamy edge. Ground venison should be cooked to 160 degrees Fahrenheit. Serve with sour cream, scallions and cornbread. Chili freezes well, so make a double batch and stash some for the winter.

Crispy Baked Buffalo Wings

The secret to wings that crisp in the oven is dry skin and a pinch of baking powder. Pat two pounds of wings completely dry, then toss them with a tablespoon of aluminum-free baking powder and a teaspoon of salt. The baking powder raises the skin's pH, which helps it brown and blister like deep-fried skin. Arrange the wings on a wire rack set over a sheet pan, and bake them at 250 degrees for 30 minutes to render the fat, then raise the oven to 425 and bake another 40 to 50 minutes, turning once, until they are deep golden and crackling. Poultry is safe at 165 degrees, but wings taste better at around 175, when the connective tissue breaks down. For the sauce, whisk half a cup of Frank's RedHot with four tablespoons of melted butter, and toss the wings just before serving. Serve with celery, carrot sticks and blue cheese or ranch for dipping. A smoker at 250 degrees works equally well.

Beer Cheese Dip

Beer cheese is a Kentucky tradition that works beautifully with soft pretzels and a game on the screen. Grate eight ounces of sharp cheddar and let it come to room temperature. In a food processor or mixing bowl, combine the cheddar with four ounces of cream cheese, a clove of minced garlic, a teaspoon of Dijon mustard, a teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce, a pinch of cayenne and a half cup of cold lager. Blend until smooth and spreadable, adding a little more beer to loosen it if needed. Chill for a few hours to let the flavors meld, then serve cold as a spread, or warm in a small slow cooker for a dip. A hoppy IPA adds bitterness, while a malty amber is mellow. Serve with soft pretzel bites, crackers, celery and sliced apples. Keep it chilled during a tailgate, and discard it after two hours at room temperature. Making it a day ahead improves the flavor, and it keeps for about a week in the refrigerator.

Buffalo Chicken Dip

Buffalo chicken dip is a tailgate classic because it takes ten minutes to assemble and disappears in ten more. Combine eight ounces of softened cream cheese, a half cup of hot sauce, a half cup of ranch or blue cheese dressing, two cups of shredded cooked chicken and one cup of shredded cheddar in a bowl, and mix until well blended. A rotisserie chicken is the shortcut. Spread the mixture in an oven-safe dish, top with another half cup of cheddar and bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes, until it is bubbling and lightly browned at the edges. Garnish with sliced scallions and a drizzle of extra hot sauce. Serve with celery sticks, sturdy tortilla chips and toasted baguette slices. The dip travels well in a covered slow cooker, set to warm, and it can be assembled a day ahead and baked when needed. For more heat, add diced jalapeño or a spoonful of cayenne pepper.

Baked Cheeseburger Sliders

Sliders are the easiest way to feed a crowd a hamburger without standing over a grill. Buy a pack of 12 Hawaiian-style rolls and slice the whole sheet in half horizontally without separating them. Brown two pounds of 80/20 ground beef with a diced onion, salt, pepper and a splash of Worcestershire, drain the fat and spread the meat over the bottom half of the rolls. Layer on a dozen slices of American or cheddar cheese and a few dill pickle chips, then replace the top. Melt four tablespoons of butter with a teaspoon of Dijon mustard, a tablespoon of Worcestershire and a sprinkle of poppy or sesame seeds, and brush it over the tops. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes, uncover and bake another 8 to 10 minutes until golden. Cut along the seams and serve. They can be assembled the night before, refrigerated and baked on game day, and they keep warm in a foil pan.

Frito Pie

Frito pie is the ultimate low-effort tailgate meal because the bowl is a snack bag. The dish is associated with Texas and New Mexico, where cooks have served chili over corn chips for generations, and food historians trace it to the mid-twentieth century. To build one, crush a small bag of Fritos slightly, slit it open along the side, spoon in a generous ladle of hot chili, and top with shredded cheddar, diced onions, sour cream and pickled jalapeños. Eat it with a fork straight from the bag. The corn chips soften but retain a crunch, and every bite carries salt, fat and spice. It works with almost any chili on this list, though a beanless red or a smoky brisket version is a good pairing. For a crowd, set out chili in a slow cooker with toppings and a stack of chip bags, and let guests build their own. It requires no plates, no bowls and almost no cleanup, which is the whole point of the dish.

Bacon-Wrapped Jalapeno Poppers

Jalapeno poppers are a staple of the tailgate for good reason: cheese, heat and bacon in a single bite. Halve a dozen large jalapeños lengthwise and scrape out the seeds and ribs with a spoon, wearing gloves to protect your hands. Mix four ounces of softened cream cheese with a half cup of shredded cheddar, a little garlic powder and, if you like, a spoonful of cooked sausage or chopped chives. Fill each half, then wrap with a half slice of thin bacon, securing it with a toothpick if needed. Bake on a wire rack at 400 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes, until the bacon is crisp and the filling bubbles, or smoke them at 275 for about an hour. Thin bacon crisps better than thick, and the rack lets the fat drain away. A drizzle of honey or barbecue sauce at the end adds sweetness. Let them cool for five minutes before serving, because the filling is molten. Make a mild batch and a hot batch.

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