Grill… check. Grilling utensils… check. Coals… check. I think it is finally time we confront the apex of tailgating decisions. What kind of meat do we grill? First, there is no single right way in this area. Each tailgater brings his or her own style to the table. However, there are trends that every grillmaster should know about his or her crowd that can influence certain decisions: the ratio of men to women, the number of people weighing over 200 pounds etc.

The options are endless. So let’s take a look at the plethora of carnivorous choices that can be employed while tailgating.

The foundations of any great American barbecue or tailgate are the hot dog and hamburger. Especially if you’re on a tight budget, the hot dog is going to be your best friend (although it’s debatable whether a hot dog is really meat). All condiments come into play for hot dog consumption, especially ketchup. So I’d appreciate it if the Chicago army would stop giving me disgusted looks as I put ketchup on my hot dog. As for burgers, they might as well have their own food group. They can be assembled in any way that satisfies the creator. So throw some on the grill, and set out all the trimmings in order to satisfy the pickiest eater. They cook fairly quickly and are a great meat to buy in bulk.

Next, you’ve got your kielbasa, brats and Italian sausage. These guys tend to be a little thicker and provide a little kick for your bite. Brats definitely appear to be the fan favorite here in Wisconsin and are a personal favorite, but you also can’t go wrong with the others. If you want to be really classy, provide all three. Allow each taste to be satisfied.

Now that we’ve touched on all the basics, you’re thinking the Grillmaster is going to reach deep into his bag of tricks and pull out something absolutely ridiculous. Well… not quite yet. Chicken is an extremely underrated item that should be chosen more often. Barbecued, marinated – no matter the style – it makes for some good eatin’. It just takes a little prep work. Like we’ve talked about in previous articles, don’t sell short on effort. Grilled chicken will be a nice addition to the tailgating experience.

I’m going to go a little off-the-cuff on you now. Through my experiences, I’ve been fortunate enough to discover that frozen pizza grills extremely well. I cannot take sole credit for this, as I continuously bashed the man who bought the pizzas, telling him that they would never cook. But, oh, was I wrong! Place the pizza on a metal cooking platter, place it on the grill and cover it with some type of pan. In 10 to 15 minutes, you’ll have a medium pizza ready to rock and roll.

I have the utmost confidence in all of you, so make the right choices when you pull your grills out. And save the Grillmaster a bite to eat.

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