Who could gaze around at a circle of friends in lawn chairs, decked out in their home-team gear and chowing down on game-day food still hot from the grill, and not feel happy? Football and tailgating are two great traditions, and they bring together our favorite things: friends, fun, and all our favorite comfort foods. 

Tailgating is the most fun you can have in a jersey and face paint, and it can also be serious business, too. Some tailgaters are up at the crack of dawn, setting up in their favorite spot of the stadium parking lot by the light of their headlights. Breakfast from the grill kicks off the day, then the menu switches to appetizers and sandwiches before the game.

Tailgating is some of life’s best people-watching, so it’s important to plan portable foods into your menu. You’ll want to walk the parking lot and check out the tailgating set-ups—and get-ups—of your fellow fans.

To wrap up a day of cooking and football-fueled fun, go all in and create a smorgasbord of the day’s offerings. Be sure to set out extra plates, napkins, and, of course, drinks. If you do it right, there won’t be leftovers to pack when it’s time to hit the road. 

There is lots to remember when it’s time to plan for tailgating. Whether you’re making your way to the parking lot of your home team or you’re homegating in your own backyard, it’s important to have all the goods on hand to stay comfortable, show your team spirit, and cook food worthy of the experience.

Our Absolute Ultimate Tailgating Checklist can help with the nitty-gritty. We’ve done the work of planning for you—making sure to capture those little things that are easy to forget, like grill fuel, sun block, and phone chargers—so you can spend more time getting pumped for the game.

Download the printable PDF version of The Absolute Ultimate Tailgating Checkist.

Our Favorite Tailgating Recipes

When it comes to the best tailgating recipes, you need three things: make-ahead recipes, appetizers, and main dishes that come together with just a few, easy-traveling ingredients and look great as they’re served from the back of a truck. If you start tailgating early, you’ll need to be sure to make plans for recipes to cover multiple meals—breakfast, lunch, and dinner, plus snacks, drinks, and cocktails.

From chili and wings to meatballs and sliders, these are our best tailgating recipes—practically effortless, tasty, and perfect for parking-lot fare.

Best Tailgating Recipes: Chili

There’s no question: When peppers, tomatoes, and meat come together and mingle over low-and-slow heat, it’s magic. The perfect chili recipe is the perfect antidote to the first cold, cloudy day of the year, and it tastes pretty great at the football game, too. We won’t get into the beans-or-no-beans debate, but we will say we like ours best with lots of toppings and plenty of friends and family over to share.

Our best chili recipes have something in common. They go big, because when it comes to chili, there’s no going home. Each starts with an ample dose of meat, simmered in spices and tomatoes and topped with everything from fried tortillas and sour cream to pickled jalapenos and shredded cheddar cheese.

RECIPE ROUND-UP: Our best chili recipes

Best Tailgating Recipes: Wings

A big platter stacked with crispy, saucy chicken wings is one of the easiest, most sure-fire ways to bring people together. If you’re hosting a game-day watch party, or if you’re camped out at the game, you’ll maximize your fun if you have plenty of chicken wings on hand.

The perfect plate of wings—whether you call ’em hot, buffalo, or chicken, they’ve gotta be crispy on the outside, juicy and tender on the inside, and have a kick of heat—doesn’t have to seem like a mythological creature. All any home cook needs is a bit of preparation, plus some tips and tricks from  our expert BBQers, and gone are the days of dry meat, soggy skin, and flavorless party food.

RECIPE ROUND-UP AND HOW-TO: How to make the best chicken wings

Best Tailgating Recipes: Meatballs

While we love an excuse to dip mouthfuls of meat into BBQ sauce, our best BBQ meatball recipes are more than just a sauce-to-mouth delivery system.

One recipe, from our friend Jimmy at The Smoking Ho, transforms the idea of meatloaf from a sit-down meal to the perfect food for mingling at a party or strolling through a tailgate. Another recipe fills two kinds of smoked meat with melted cheese before a dunk in a BBQ sauce glaze. And then there’s the recipe that’s a classic combo of grape jelly, BBQ sauce, and meat—an aroma that fills the entire house with memories of home, and tastes exactly like you remember.

And that’s just the beginning. Grab some toothpicks, some hungry friends, and plenty of napkins. When it comes to these meatball recipes, there is no such thing as too much sauce.

RECIPE ROUND-UP: Our favorite meatball recipes

Best Tailgating Recipes: Appetizers, Dips, and Snacks

BBQ Bacon Crack Fries

Why we love ’em: We don’t throw around recipe names lightly, and this one is well-earned. These homemade fries are double-dipped in bubbling-hot oil, the second time coated in a beer batter that sparkles when its fresh out of the fryer. For fries this tempting, a single sauce just wouldn’t do. A spicy cheese sauce and our Hickory Smoke sauce team up to get the job done.
Head Country BBQ sauce or seasoning used: Head Country Bar-B-Q Sauce in Hickory Smoke
FULL RECIPE: BBQ Bacon Crack Fries

Smoked Queso Blanco Dip

Why we love it: This queso mingles with fire and smoke on the grill. What results is a creamy, spicy dip packed with flavor. This recipe makes enough to top burgers and nachos, or omelets if it’s breakfast time—and we aren’t afraid to admit that it’s an indulgent supper, paired with a stack of fresh, salty tortilla chips.
Head Country BBQ sauce or seasoning used: Head Country Bar-B-Q Sauce in Hickory Smoke
FULL RECIPE: Smoked Queso Blanco Dip

Jalapeno Popper BBQ Chicken Dip

Why we love it: The heat of jalapenos, creamy melted cheese, the smoky flavor of bacon—this dip has all the best flavors of jalapeno poppers, and no one has to light up a grill. We love this served with an assortment of dippables, from tortilla chips and crostini to pita bread and veggies. Bake in individual-sized ramekins to create single-serving snack plates.
Head Country BBQ sauce or seasoning used: Head Country Championship Seasoning in High Plains Heat
FULL RECIPE: Jalapeno Popper BBQ Chicken Dip

Pimento Cheese Dip

Why we love it: You don’t have to be from the South to love this pimento cheese dip recipe. We added our Championship Seasoning to this regional classic to complement the cheesy creaminess of the dip and the subtle zing of the pimentos (you can use diced roasted red peppers, too). Opt for our High Plains Heat for an extra kick.
Head Country BBQ sauce or seasoning used: Head Country Championship Seasoning in High Plains Heat
FULL RECIPE: Pimento Cheese Dip

Skillet Southwestern BBQ Chicken Dip

Why we love it: This stick-to-your-ribs chicken dip is a sugar-free, cheesy combination packed with beans, corn, and spices. Whether it’s served family-style at the dinner table or guests help themselves at the tailgate party, this dip is a showstopper in a rustic cast-iron skillet. Serve it up with freshly sliced veggies and/or toasted bread slices.
Head Country BBQ sauce or seasoning used: Head Country Bar-B-Q Sauce in Sugar Free
FULL RECIPE: Skillet Southwestern BBQ Chicken Dip

Tailgating BBQ Chicken Pull-Apart Bread

Why we love it: Everyone loves a meal where you can get messy. This Tailgating Pull Apart BBQ Chicken Bread is crazy fun, and not just because there’s no way to dig in and not get a little BBQ sauce and cheese on your fingers. The pull-apart chicken bread is perfect for a pre-game tailgate or to serve coffee-table style for your next game-day party.
Head Country BBQ sauce or seasoning used: Head Country Bar-B-Q Sauce in Chipotle, Head Country Championship Seasoning in Original
FULL RECIPE: Tailgating BBQ Chicken Pull-Apart Bread

Apple Habanero Pork Nuggets

Why we love ’em: Everyone loves a meal where you can get messy. This Tailgating Pull Apart BBQ Chicken Bread is crazy fun, and not just because there’s no way to dig in and not get a little BBQ sauce and cheese on your fingers. The pull-apart chicken bread is perfect for a pre-game tailgate or to serve coffee-table style for your next game-day party.
Head Country BBQ sauce or seasoning used: Head Country Bar-B-Q Sauce in Chipotle, Head Country Championship Seasoning in Original
FULL RECIPE: Apple Habanero Pork Nuggets

Spicy Guacamole

Why we love it: We love a good excuse to keep it simple. This guacamole is best when fresh, high-quality ingredients are allowed to do their job. Go with fresh onion, tomato, and cilantro, go in search of the avocados with just the right amount of give when pressed, and spritz the whole thing with juice straight from the lime. Our High Plains Heat adds just the right kick.
Head Country BBQ sauce or seasoning used: Head Country Championship Seasoning in High Plains Heat
FULL RECIPE: Spicy Summer Guacamole

Smoked Bacon-Wrapped BBQ Fatty

Why we love it: We love a good excuse to keep it simple. This guacamole is best when fresh, high-quality ingredients are allowed to do their job. Go with fresh onion, tomato, and cilantro, go in search of the avocados with just the right amount of give when pressed, and spritz the whole thing with juice straight from the lime. Our High Plains Heat adds just the right kick.
Head Country BBQ sauce or seasoning used: Head Country Championship Seasoning in High Plains Heat
FULL RECIPE: Spicy Summer Guacamole

BBQ Bacon-Wrapped Sweet Pepper Poppers

Why we love ’em: Sweet, colorful, with just a kiss of heat, and a blast to fill, wrap, dip, and bake, these bacon-wrapped poppers are a guaranteed hit. Try ‘em as an appetizer, or set them out alongside gourmet burger toppings like fried onion rings and homemade pickles.
Head Country BBQ sauce or seasoning used: Head Country Championship Seasoning in High Plains Heat
FULL RECIPE: BBQ Bacon-Wrapped Sweet Pepper Poppers

BBQ Bacon Cheeseburger Nachos

Why we love ’em: We love when our favorite foods team up. These nachos are layered deep with all the fixings of a classic cheeseburger—ground beef, bacon, plenty of cheese, and an added drizzle of your favorite flavor of our sauce—and topped with fresh green onion and spicy jalapenos. This recipe calls for an oven, but if you’re tailgating, pop these on the grill or smoker and enjoy the melty goodness. 
Head Country BBQ sauce or seasoning used: Head Country Bar-B-Q Sauce, your favorite flavor
FULL RECIPE: BBQ Bacon Cheeseburger Nachos

Best Tailgating Recipes: Sandwiches, Hot Dogs, and Pockets

Instant Pot Philly Cheesesteaks

Why we love ’em: Thinly sliced steak, gooey melty provolone cheese, and our Championship Seasoning fill every bite of these oh-so-easy sandwiches the entire family will love. Make these for game day or homegating and you’ll have your new favorite reason to party in a parking lot.
Head Country BBQ sauce or seasoning used: your favorite Head Country Championship Seasoning
FULL RECIPE: Instant Pot Philly Cheesesteaks

Build Your Own Cowboy Hot Dog Bar

Why we love ’em: Thinly sliced steak, gooey melty provolone cheese, and our Championship Seasoning fill every bite of these oh-so-easy sandwiches the entire family will love. Make these for game day or homegating and you’ll have your new favorite reason to party in a parking lot.
Head Country BBQ sauce or seasoning used: your favorite Head Country Championship Seasoning
FULL RECIPE: Build Your Own Cowboy Hot Dog Bar

Don’t forget to load up on Head Country BBQ sauce, seasoning, and marinade before you hit the road. It might not hurt to pick up a Head Country hat or an apron, too—if you’re going to cook like a BBQ champion, why not look the part? Find us in a store near you with our store locator, or order online.