After sharing a good bit of Instagram stories from our Clemson football tailgates over the past few weeks (they’re saved to a highlight!), I’ve gotten a handful of questions that I wanted to cover! I created a “Tailgating Must-Haves” post before the season started, but wanted to do a more complete guide for you. I’ve absolutely loved planning these tailgates, and wanted to share a few things that I’ve learned along the way, as well as some of the recipes I’ve been using!
I do also have a post with some tailgating outfit inspiration, as well! Our Barbour jackets are also linked here.
In an attempt to make this more coherent, I’m going to break this down into the 3 main categories I go over with myself before a tailgate – the first is general supplies + decor. In addition to the supplies below, I always make sure I have a pair of scissors, paper towels, trash bags, and ziploc bags. You never know when you might need those things!
This supplies + decor list covers everything that I typically start getting out 2-3 days before we leave for a day of tailgating. I usually put everything on our dining room table (except for the tent, chairs, and coolers, which stay in the garage,) so I can see what I’m working with. I also go through each food item that I’m planning to take, and go ahead and determine what platter/crockpot/bowl it will go in. Then, I get out said platter/crockpot/bowl so that it’s ready to go on the day of the game.
Supplies + Decor:
- Tailgate Tent
- Tailgate Chairs
- Folding Table(s) – Sometimes we’ll use more than one, depending on what I have planned food-wise!
- Gingham Tablecloth – I also bring my solid white tablecloth to throw on the tailgate of Rudd’s truck, underneath the TV that we set up. I think using cloth tablecloths up-level a tailgate SO much – 100% nicer than paper/plastic/disposable cloths or those stretchy nylon ones. I always just throw mine in the washer when we get home, and they come out great every time!
- Football Banner – A really cute piece of decor! I have this one in purple and orange. You can just safety pin it to the front of your tablecloth!
- Yeti Cooler(s) – What we use to pack all of our drinks, and food that needs to stay cold!
- Brumate(s) + Koozies
- Casserole Carrier(s) – Any food that I want to stay warm (but that doesn’t go in a crockpot), I put in one of these.
- Paper Plates & Napkins
- Large Crockpot
- Small Crockpot
- Clemson Flag(s) – I like to bring a few things similar to this to set around the tailgate to make it fun, cute, and festive. Any team items that you have laying around are always a fun addition!
- Faux Flowers – I have an orange faux flower arrangement that I bought at Home Goods YEARS ago, that I actually had in my dorm room at Clemson – now I bring it to tailgates! Ha! These faux hydrangeas come in a lot of colors – you could throw them in a vase and bring them to each game.
I probably get the most questions about this category: serving pieces! Another great way to make your tailgate feel “nice,” is to not be afraid to use/bring your good serving pieces. I’ve never had an issue bringing along any of my nice things!
Serving Pieces:
- Nora Fleming Platter + Football Helmet – These platters come in all shapes and sizes – if they don’t carry your team’s helmet, you could always get the plain football charm.
- Beatriz Ball Platter – Y’all know I love these platters because they can go from the fridge, to the oven, to your casserole carrier like THAT! I’ll put hot foods on these platters, cover in foil, and then take them in my casserole carrier.
- Wilton Armetale Bowl – This is the perfect sized bowl for chips! I always bring it and set it next to my crockpot, if I’m doing a dip.
- Melamine Tray – If you are afraid of breaking/damaging serving pieces, try melamine! I have so many different melamine trays, but use this one the most. Perfect for cold foods or charcuterie spreads.
- White Porcelain Platters – These deserve an honorable mention because I genuinely love this set of platters from Amazon, and never worry about them because they’re not much of an investment!
- Rattan Silverware Basket – My most-used tailgating item – I keep plates/napkins/forks/koozies in this basket during the tailgate!
- Serving Spoons/Spatulas – Something that is easily forgotten! I always make sure to throw in a couple of serving spoons, etc.
And now, some of my most-used tailgating recipes! Along with these recipes, we’ll usually do mimosas if we’ll be there in the morning hours – I like to bring this acrylic carafe to put the juice in! A quick note on my food-heating-up-process: An hour before we leave the house, I plug in any crockpots that I’m taking and set them to “high,” then plug them in the generator on “warm” when we get to the tailgate. I also turn the oven to 250 degrees during that same hour before we leave, and put my other hot foods in – I take them out and put them in my casserole carrier(s) at the very last minute!
Another note on transporting the food: for items that aren’t warm, or that will just go out on platters (like charcuterie, cookies, etc.), I put them in tupperware and then set them out on the platter or tray when we arrive. It’s much easier to transport that way!
Recipes:
- Chicken Bog – I substitute hot ground sausage, put this in my big crockpot for cold games, and get these snack cups to serve it in!
- Breakfast Casserole – A good thing to make for a noon game, if you’ll be there early. I make this in a disposable foil pan, cover with foil, and bring it in my casserole carrier.
- Sausage Balls
- Sausage Pinwheels
- Pigs in a Blanket
- Sausage Rotel Dip – I put this and any other dips in a small crockpot to stay warm!
- Spinach Artichoke Dip
- Buffalo Chicken Dip
- Ham Delights
- Pimento Cheese
- Fruit Dip (serve with strawberries, grapes, & pineapple)
- Charcuterie Board – I did one of these for the game before Halloween and made it fun and fall-ish! You could do one and just add things that go with your team’s colors.
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