January Playoff Game Preparation

Here's a picture of my boys playing!  They did well this game...they won!  On the menu for the tailgate was Baltimore style pit beef and pit ham sandwiches, buffalo chicken dip, and hot dogs.  I have pictures of the spread but they are on my phone so I will post them in the next blog as well as the recipes for the meat and sides.

First I'll explain the logistics of the food preparation before the actual game day.  BTW for purposes of a timeline the game was on a Sunday so preparation started on Friday :-)

Friday night....

• Took the roasts for the pit beef and covered them in the rub.  Covered with cellophane then foil.  Side in the fridge to marinate overnight

Saturday.....

• Took the roasts out of the fridge.  Pre-heated the grill to 350 degrees.  Kept 3 of 5 burners on high heat.  Left the two to the right off.  Once the grill was preheated I placed the roasts (I did about 10lbs of meat in 3-4 lb chunks for approximately 25 tailgaters).  I cooked the roasts for approximately 2 hours on indirect heat turning them a couple of times.  The important thing is to make sure when they come off the grill that they still have some pink inside.
• Once the roasts were off the grill take a basting brush and slop some red wine vinegar on the outside of each roast chunk.  Let it cool a bit on the plate.  You don't want to burn yourself when you cut them!
• Now its time for the meat slicer (a super sharp knife will work also but is tons for work for that much meat).  Cut the roast into thin slices.  Place them immediately into a sealed tupperware containers with the juices that came off the plates.  You'll need the juices later.  Don't worry if they're redder than you normally do your roast beef or steaks.  You'll understand why in a minute.  Put the containers in the fridge to store overnight.
• Now for the pit ham.  This was simple in comparison.  The ham was a boneless variety.  I rub it with brown sugar and threw it in the roaster inside for approximately 3-4 hours.  I put a little beer at the bottom of the pan for added flavor.  After it cooked I cut it and put in plastic containers in the fridge also.
• The hot dogs were simple.  Cooked on the grill.  In they went to plastic containers in the fridge.
• For the buffalo chicken dip.  I mixed all the ingredients together in a container and put in the fridge. 

In the next post I will share some photos, the recipes, and the game day transportation and preparation!