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Drew Robinson is the pitmaster at Jim ‘N Nick’s Bar-B-Q. He previously wrote about serving up gratitude in trouble times, why barbecue matters and the historic rivalry between Alabama and LSU. No matter who you are or where you live, rituals are an intrinsic element to human life. Whether they’re based in religion, home, work, the kitchen or elsewhere, people rely on rituals to bring rhythm and order to their lives. They are the place where tradition and superstition intersect, and this is as much the case with tailgating as with any other ritual I can think of. There is not a more superstitious group of people than sports fans who typically develop their own rituals and turn to traditions to assist them in helping carry their team to victory. Arguably, the cornerstone of every tailgating ritual is the food. At the best tailgates, preparing the food is as important as the act of eating itself. Because my friends and I at Jim ‘N Nick’s love football passionately (Roll Tide!), we tailgate often - and it almost always involves barbecue. At a recent tailgate, someone asked me, "What is it about barbecue that lends itself so perfectly to the circumstance?"  Ray Isle (@islewine on Twitter) is Food & Wine's executive wine editor. We trust his every cork pop and decant – and the man can sniff out a bargain to boot. Take it away, Ray. My secret theory about why chicken wings and football go so well together can be demonstrated by a very simple experiment. First, go to the store and buy a chicken. Next, remove its wings. Next, truss its little feet together. Now paint it brown. What does it look like? Exactly: a football. Chickens are footballs, except for the wings. And that’s why when we watch football, we eat chicken wings. Some people might question the logic of the above theory, but they, of course, have not been drinking enough beer. Because that is the other thing that goes perfectly with chicken wings: beer, and enough of it. 
 Kate Krader (@kkrader on Twitter) is Food & Wine's restaurant editor. When she tells us where to find our culinary heart's desire, we listen up. It’s Week Three of the NFL season and Week Four of the NCAA football season, which means that everyone should be focused like a laser on their tailgate menus. And one thing most tailgaters will have learned somewhere along the road is that barbecuing is generally best not done hodgepodge in a parking lot - it should be left to the experts. At Food & Wine, we don’t spend enough time on the barbecue trail (we also don’t spend enough time tailgating). We tapped a new BBQ authority, Tiffani Faison, the chef and owner of the terrific Sweet Cheeks in Boston, to give us a list of her go-to spots. Faison, who’s of course a New England Patriots tailgaiter, gave us this list based on extensive research she did before she opened up Sweet Cheeks. It’s a list that’s handy whether you’re planning your next tailgate - a lot of these places have online stores - or now feeling hungry enough to plan your own barbecue road trip this fall. Note: This list is in no particular order. Do not assume Faison thinks Lockhart, Texas, is home to the country’s number one barbecue spot.
 If there's dip on the table, you know you're at a party. If there are at least three varieties present, that party is probably for the Super Bowl - and lucky you. People don't go making dips all willy-nilly for a weeknight meal or a prim Sunday brunch. They're reserved for gloppy, sloppy abandon in the company of other revelers and these dips should not hold back. We repeat - they should not hold back. Food editors like us are bombarded with recipe suggestions from celebrity chefs and product representatives touting non-fat, mayo-free, cheese-free, joy-free options for game day. We maintain that if you're eating sensibly the other 365 days of 2012 (okay - 362, because what fun is life if you can't go a little nuts on Thanksgiving, your birthday or New Year's Eve?), a little sour cream on a Frito isn't going to spell your demise. (Though apparently insufficient safety procedures might.) So go ahead and get dippy with it, and scoop up a few of our favorite recipes from dip devotees Richard Blais, Eva Longoria, John Currence, Marcela Valladolid and our very own recipe boxes.  Drew Robinson is the pitmaster at Jim ‘N Nick’s Bar-B-Q. He previously wrote about serving up gratitude in trouble times and why barbecue matters and the the sacred ritual of the tailgate. There are old traditions and then there are old football traditions. I had the fortune of witnessing one resurrected in my lifetime two years ago when Alabama played Texas in the Rose Bowl for the National Championship. But there are new traditions too. Alabama vs LSU is not a historic rivalry, it is only really a new tradition because they both have become superpowers in the same division of the same conference. So much so that they have beaten away all of college football for a rematch in the BCS game. How important is this game to each fan base? My grandfather was born and raised in New Orleans. He loved LSU. He loved Alabama too because that became his adopted home, but he never put the Crimson Tide above the Bengal Tigers.  Drew Robinson is the pitmaster at Jim ‘N Nick’s Bar-B-Q. He previously wrote about serving up gratitude in trouble times and why barbecue matters. There is something magical about fall. You begin to feel a chill in the air, notice the blue hue of the sky deepening and leaves of grass growing greener. The experience is different for everyone, but what we all know is that football season is here. The feeling never hits me the same way twice, but I can always count on it happening as game day approaches and the ritual of the tailgate can be seen spilling onto the streets outside the stadium. Team colors catching my eye, the smell of a good stadium dog, an assured sense of victory are each bits of nostalgia and emotion that bring me back time and again to take part in the madness that is game day. All of us at Jim ‘N Nick’s Bar-B-Q are football fans; there is no question about that, and we love football fans far and wide. We feel the fervor of football and feed off the passion of other fans. The question is, “why?”  Kate Krader (@kkrader on Twitter) is Food & Wine's restaurant editor. When she tells us where to get our grub on, we listen up. Now that the game of the century is over (in case you turned it off during one of those missed field goal attempts, LSU beat Alabama 9-6) we can turn our attention to the matter of tailgating. I wish there was space to name 10 notable tailgating schools. Unfortunately, I can only say honorable mention to Tennessee, Colorado, Texas, Ohio State and, of course, Ole Miss. Note to anyone who’s about to get mad: I didn’t say ‘top’. I said ‘notable’ tailgating schools. Louisiana State University
 5@5 is a daily, food-related list from chefs, writers, political pundits, musicians, actors, and all manner of opinionated people from around the globe. Tailgating menus tend to err on the side of chicken wings, hamburgers and hot dogs. All are delicious in their own right; however, with the professional football season lasting 17 weeks, the normal culinary playbook can get real old real fast. Enter 'Iron Chef' Jose Garces, the executive chef of Mercat a la Planxa and owner of Philadelphia's wildly successful Garces Restaurant Group, with his unlikely pregame feast. Five Tailgating Tapas: Jose Garces  5@5 is a daily, food-related list from chefs, writers, political pundits, musicians, actors, and all manner of opinionated people from around the globe. It's opening weekend for college football, and Texan chef Tim Love wants to make sure there's plenty of pigskin to go around - in more ways than one. Love will be tailgating on ESPN’s College GameDay Saturday, but he's dropped by to offer a little pregame party strategy just in time for tomorrow's kickoff. Hut, hut, bite! Five Tips to Make Your Tailgate a Touchdown: Tim Love |
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