Tailgate Parties

If you noticed the lapse in posts last week then first of all let me thank you for reading. I've been trying to adjust to a new schedule and last week was the annual pilgrimage to the Automotive version of the Holy Grail...the SEMA Show, where 1700+ companies and over 100K people gather to see what's new (and old) in the world of hot cars and hot booth babes.

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This was Freedom Grill's 7th trip to the big show and despite the last minute cancellation (and subsequent dethroning) of the freshly selected Miss Freedom Grill 2010 they did not dissapoint. The search for a new Miss Freedom Grill for next year continues but that is a whole different article. Fortunately Miss Playboy Club February Meghan Beck was available to fill in for the job.

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One of the hottest products in the Truck and SUV section of the show was the Freedom Grill FG-950. People were blown away by the shine from the 304 stainless, the 6 burner grill, and most of all the 2 insulated coolers, which were naturally fully stocked with beer, water, and Red Bull. Of course the gorgeous Meghan Beck drew in the crowds as well. Even Rhino from CMT's Trick My Truck stopped by. He said he wanted to meet the makers of the Freedom Grill FG-100 they used in the Ultimate Tailgating Episode when they turned an International CXT into a rolling hot tub and grill. Clearly he's the one in the red shirt.

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Of course in addition to the awesome trailer and Meghan Beck Freedom Grill was also showing the Margaritaville Tailgating Grill and the full line of Margaritaville Frozen Concoction Makers including the Explorer Portable Frozen Concoction Maker that runs off of an 18 volt battery. If only the show would allow serving drinks in the booth...that would have been a Tailgate Party. 

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As if this wasn't enough to stop traffic on the show floor, the booth also featured Tailgate Packs from Skinit.  Skinit offers three sizes of tailgate packs with licensed logos from over 100 colleges and all 32 NFL teams.  The Broncos Skins on the FG-950 got a lot of attention.  Sadly, the Freedom Grill trucks Carnivore and Canyon stayed home this time around but there were a handful of vehicles geared up for tailgating.  Those trucks and more will be featured in the SEMA Show follow up post tomorrow afternoon.

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Stay hungry my friends!

Sunday Sept 27th before the Chargers beat the Dolphins the Freedom Grill crew joined xx1090 Sports Radio and Skinit for a big tailgate party to show off the new Skinit Tailgate Packs. Ever since the Carnivore appeared in their commercial people have been asking to see it out at their tailgates so we brought it out. Of course Skinit didn't dissapoint either with a squad of Skinit Girls handing out samples and having a good time. Even Dave Lamm of Tailgating Ideas and Joe Cahn himself, the Commissioner of Tailgating stopped by. As luck would have it, tailgating next to us with a brand new Margaritaville Tailgating Grill was the California Police Youth Charities with Celebrity Apprentice and former Playboy Playmate of the Year, Brande Roderick. Everyone had a great time as you can see.

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This is how every Sunday should be. The only thing missing was a rack of ribs and some slow, smoked, pulled pork.

Award winning competition barbecuers Smoke In Da Eye were kind enough to post my top 10 list for awesome tailgate parties on their web site at "A BBQ Nation". Yesterday was our first big NFL tailgate of the year and it was awesome. I figured the day after the big party is a good time to review a few of my top ten tips.

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As it turns out, for yesterday's tailgate my top 3 tips were the most important tips of the day.

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1. This should go without saying but know where you’re going. Get a map of the parking lot, find out the tailgating rules and make sure you get there before the gates open so you can get a great spot to set up.

2. Don’t assume that just because you’ve had the same spot for years you automatically get that spot without having to show up early to get it. Tailgate parking is pretty much “first come first serve”. It’s a new game every week.

3. Have a good grill. Charcoal is great for flavor if you’ve got the time to get it going properly. Gas lights quickly and wood chips or plank cooking offer smoke flavor. Make sure you bring a grill that allows you to stand while cooking and that’s big enough to cook more than a couple frozen burgers.

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We got to Qualcomm at 8:00am but the gates don't open until 9 so we had to wait in an adjacent lot until the gates did open and the cars slowly make their way into the lot. I do have to say this is really unfair to the fans as by the time those waiting cars make it into the parking lot you've already lost 30 minutes of the already short 4 hours of tailgating. Fortunately a friend took the trolley in and walked to the lot just after 8 to claim our spot. Moments after she got set up she was approached by a group of fans who said that had been their spot for the past 10 years...Not this week. (see tip # 2)

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We rolled in with the new Freedom Grill FG-950. This is a tailgating beast. The FG-950 is a stainless steel tailgating trailer with mag wheels, 3 huge insulated storage compartments, complete with drains, and even a sink and waste water retention. The grill is over 4 feet wide and with 6 burners cranking out 99,000 BTU you could easily cook a small pig. We had a pretty large party so we stuck with brats and bacon cheeseburgers.

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That takes care of tip # 3 and if two of the members of our party (who shall remain nameless) had looked at the map I sent them of the stadium (tip #1), they wouldn't have come in the wrong entrances and it would have been much easier for them to find us and start tailgating. All in all though it was an awesome start to the season - except of course for the end of the game itself but there's always next week. For the rest of my Top 10 Tips for Tailgating check out the full list on Smoke In Da Eye's Blog Here.

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Next week...brisket smoked overnight.  We'll have photos from yesterday soon as well.

The kids are back in school and college football starts this weekend.  Make sure your Saturday gets off to a good start by taking care of these 5 things ASAP.  If NFL Football is your game do these things this weekend even though you've got another week.

1. Make sure you have gas in your car/truck/RV/converted school bus.  Having to stop for gas on your way to the stadium is no fun at all.
2. Make sure you have fuel for the grill.  Propane/Charcoal/Wood whatever you're burning; be sure you have enough and that you have matches and something to start the fire with.
3. Double check that you have your BBQ tools and some napkins or paper towels as well as trash bags. If you're going to forget something it'll be something so top of mind you can't believe you left it on the counter.
4. Check the tailgating rules at your stadium in case they've changed the hours, traffic patterns, parking fees, etc. When you get there all you want to do is set up and celebrate.
5. This last one is more for the NFL than college but you might want to double-check to make sure you have a current jersey.  You really don't want to be walking around the Meadowlands in a Brett Favre or Plaxico Burress jersey this year. 

Of course there are a lot more things to remember come game day but if you get these out of the way tonight you'll be way ahead of most folks...except of course the guys that are already there tailgating.  It is Thursday after all.

Jimmy Buffett fans are famous for their tailgate parties. People show up hours and sometimes days ahead of time to start whipping up margaritas and other frozen concoctions in the parking lot before his shows. With the Margaritaville Frozen Concoction Maker, which I've reviewed before, parrotheads could bring the party home.

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Now Margaritaville is taking the party even further. They've introduced a cordless, 18 volt battery powered version of the Frozen Concoction Maker called the Margaritaville Explorer.  This party machine features heavy duty construction, one button automated settings for shave & blend operation and stainless steel blades to ensure you'll always get perfect frozen drinks every time. I had the opportunity to test this product out over the weekend and it works every bit as well as the original.  Slushy, frozen margaritas were pouring in no time and the battery life was terrific. I haven't had a chance yet to push it but Margaritaville says it will make up to 60 drinks on one charge. I'm going to need more tequila.

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The Margaritaville Explorer Cordless Frozen Concoction Maker is great for anytime you want to whip up some frozen drinks outside.  Of course it makes drinks other than margaritas too...daiquiris, pina coladas, mud slides, even non-alcoholic slushies. You can even use the shave only feature to crank out some snow cones. It's the perfect summer appliance. 

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Of course what really gets me excited is the Margaritaville Tailgating Grill.  This is going to look extremely familiar to any of our longtime readers. Margaritaville teamed up with Freedom Grill in an exclusive licensing deal to offer the FG-50 with Margaritaville packaging and branding.  The new product has upgraded hardware, redesigned packaging, and a new look.

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What could be better than two tailgating powerhouses coming together? Miami Stadium has been renamed Landshark stadium this year for Landshark Lager so without a doubt you'll be seeing Dolphins fans snapping up the new Margaritaville Tailgating Grill and with 20K BTU for tailgating feasts this is still the best grill on the road. Both of these products are available through Freedom Grill on their website.

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With a line of tequila, beer, chips, salsas, chicken, shrimp, clothing, and now the Margaritaville Explorer Frozen Concoction Maker and Margaritaville Tailgating Grills I can't wait to see what they cook up next. If you need me I'll be looking for my lost shaker of salt...

BUBBA KEG® seeks World’s Greatest Tailgaters

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The Bubba U. Competitive Tailgating Series will pit 30 teams of tailgating pros against one another for the title “Masters of the Parking Lot”

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The folks behind the Bubba Keg® brand of insulated mugs, coolers, and the new Bubba Keg Convection Grill, have launched a search for the World’s best tailgaters. The Bubba Keg staff will be selecting 30 “professional” tailgate teams to compete in their Bubba U Competitive Tailgating Series (BCTS). One winning team will receive an all expenses paid trip to the National Championship Game in Pasadena, CA.

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To start the season, each team will be outfitted with a complete Bubba Keg professional tailgaters’ package valued at over $1500, including:

• A Bubba Keg Convection Grill
• A Bubba Keg Professional Tailgater Pop-Up Tent (10’ x10’)
• A full selection of Bubba Keg mugs & coolers
• A Flip Digital Video Camera to document their exploits
• Official Bubba U Professional Tailgater shirts

Selection & Qualifications
The BCTS Selection Committee will be accepting applications from now through August 21st. Candidates should e-mail their qualifications to bcts@bubbakeg.com or apply online at bubbakeg.com/bcts. The Committee will select 30 teams based on the following criteria:

• 100 words or less description of why you (or someone you know) is the ultimate tailgater for your school. 
• Photos and videos of your tailgate or similar activities, while not required, are strongly encouraged.
• Open to tailgaters at any NCAA Division 1 school.
• Must tailgate at least once per month during the season.

This looks like an awesome contest.  Each of the 30 teams will submit reports with photos, video, and any press coverage or other documentation of their tailgating (mugs shots, ticket stubs, souvenirs, etc., you know the drill) each month and the Bubba Keg community will vote for the grand prize winner who gets an all expenses paid trip to the National Championship Game in Pasadena, CA.

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If you ask me all 30 teams selected are winners in this contest. The Bubba Keg professional tailgaters' package is pretty sweet. We've reviewed the Bubba Keg Convection Grill before when we made rosemary chicken and pork tenderloins with cornbread.  Everything came out perfectly. Email your entries today and good luck. 

Ok, it's not egg-zactly a tribute, it's more of a roast but I'm working on the HPBA wrap up and Sweet G's Shot of the Week, some new recipes, and a whole bunch of other things so here's a nice little Easter video for you to enjoy while I catch up.

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This was originally set to Bon Jovi's "Have a Nice Day" but his label had it yanked from YouTube so I had to change the music.  It might actually be a bit more fitting now.

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In case you're wondering, we did make some Peep Kabobs over low heat and they were insanely tasty. Soak the skewers in water so they don't burn then alternate Peeps with mini candy bars or if you are really crazy, Cadbury Eggs, and roast them just until the sugar starts to brown and the chocolate softens.

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Peep Kabob - Marshmallow, Chocolate, Toasty & Melty

In major cities nightclubbing is big business. Every weekend hordes of people spend hours standing in lines outside of the hottest clubs just hoping they make it in before last call. On top of standing in line there's always a cover charge of $20-40 just for the privelege of paying another $10 or so for each drink. If you want to avoid all of this mess and just head straight for a table, the VIP Bottle Service is the one for you. For a mere $300 a bottle you and 3 friends can bypass the lines and the cover charge and hang out at a table away from the crowds with a cocktail waitress and your own private bottle of booze. This is great for a birthday party or when someone else is paying but personally, I'd rather be tailgating.

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Here are my top 10 reasons Tailgating is Better than VIP Bottle Service...

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10. Cover price / Parking charge covers everyone in the vehicle instead of just one person.

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9. You can still get in if you’re not a hot chick and you get to pay the same price as everyone else.

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8. Cheaper drinks - This is a given. $300 for a bottle of Sky Vodka? Please. Granted you'll have to mix your own drinks but if you've been reading Tailgating Times you have plenty of shots in your aresenal by now. Try the Scorpion Bowl...yummy.

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7. No douches in stupid little hats. Seriously, haven't we seen enough of guys that look like this? 

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6. Comfortable seating - Bottle service at least gives you a place to sit in a standing room only bar but the seats generally aren't much more than some fake leather over minimal cushion on a bench.  Tailgaters bring everything from lawn chairs to the living room sofa for lounging comfort.

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5. You can hear each other talk (unless you’re next to acoustic guitar guy)

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4. You don’t have to eat before you go. - Club food if they have it is $20 for a single shrimp or two with some cocktail sauce and “micro-greens”.  A lot of times they try to pass this off as "tapas".

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3. Sunshine and fresh air (at least at the beginning of the season or longer depending on which stadium)

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2. Cheerleaders - sure some clubs have GoGo Dancers but usually not more than a couple of them.  Most teams have a whole squad of sexy cheerleaders.

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1. When the party’s over there is a game to watch and more partying after.  When the bar closes it's time to go home.

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A couple other things to note…whether you’re tailgating or clubbing a lot of times you’ll come home smelling like smoke but at least with tailgating it’s BBQ smoke. And either way you’re still going to need a designated driver if you plan to drink heavily.