Take Your Tailgate To The Next Level

With the arrival of fall, one thing comes to mind... football! From potlucks to BBQs (or however your family and friends like to tailgate), here are a few tips to ensure you're ready for game day.

First, let's talk about grilling. The secret play to a delicious tailgate meal is having your meats and veggies stay as fresh as possible until you're ready to toss them on the grill. With the FoodSaver® Fresh Preservation System, you can prepare for the season's biggest game months in advanced. (Pro tip: Next summer, set aside few slab of ribs or steak for football season. Simply vacuum seal the meat with the marinade and place in the freezer for football season. That steak can stay in the freezer for up to five years!)

This football season, kick things up a notch and try this spicy garlic serrano marinade! It's sure to be a win at your next tailgate.

Ingredients

1 ½ tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce

4 cloves of garlic, minced

2 teaspoons of red pepper flakes

½ teaspoon of paprika

¼ cup of red wine vinegar

¾ cup of Tabasco sauce

1 teaspoon of crushed pepper

1/3 cup brown of sugar

1 ½ tablespoons of horseradish

1 Serrano pepper, seeded and chopped

1 dash of salt

Directions

Whisk all of the ingredients together and pour over two pounds of flank steak. If you didn't vacuum seal and freeze the steak ahead of time, bring out that FoodSaver® Quick Marinator to marinade the meat in just 20 minutes. Afterward, the steak can be tossed on the grill, and the remaining marinade can be used for basting.

These mini fajitas are bound to be the star player at your tailgate party.

Ingredients

4 to 6 tablespoons lime juice
4 to 6 tablespoons orange juice
1 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of cumin, ground
3 chilies
4 tablespoons of olive oil and more for cooking
3 tablespoons of fresh cilantro, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 pounds pf flank steak
1 white onion, sliced
2 bell peppers, sliced
10 flour tortillas

To make the marinade, combine the ingredients in your FoodSaver® Quick Marinator, and cut the flank steak into thin strips, placing them into the marinator. Remove the air from the marinator, and refrigerate for 15 to 20 minutes. About 10 minutes before kick-off, remove the steak from the fridge and grill the strips for four minutes on each side. As the meat is finishing up, toss the vegetables in a pan with a small amount of olive oil and cook for about six minutes or until limp.

With the excitement of gameday, the last thing you want to worry about is preparing food. But if you take a few days – or months – before to prepare, you'll save yourself a headache, and you'll be able to catch every second of the big game!