The Super Bowl is coming up, and if you are a big fan of the National Football League, there is a 93.7% chance that your team did not make the big game. Maybe they lost in heartbreaking fashion during the conference championship. Maybe their star quarterback got injured four plays into the first game.
Maybe they lost the Super Bowl last year and started this season off with an impressive 10-1 record and then one of the teams that did make it to the Super Bowl molly-whopped them so badly that they lost six of their last seven games and whimpered out of the playoffs in the wild card round against a guy who allegedly cheated on his wife in the parking lot of a Cheesecake Factory in Ohio. In any sense, if you are like me, you want to feast on something that has died during Super Bowl LVIII, so here are a few reliable meaty foods to make for this gridiron matchup.
For starters: sliders.
Sliders are a perfect food for the occasion. A smaller, less complicated cheeseburger that can be made in large batches with ease, there are still a few things to know when trying to make perfect sliders. Let’s kick things off with the ingredients:
- 1.5 pounds of 80/20 ground beef
- 1 pack (12 count) of King’s Hawaiian dinner rolls
- American cheese slices
- Unsalted butter, softened
- Vegetable oil
- Kosher salt
- Black pepper
For any type of burger, it is key to use ground beef that is 80% lean and 20% fat. Fat delivers so much of the flavor that makes a burger worth your while and helps develop a far better texture upon the surface of the patty, being delightfully crispy rather than chewy or leathery.
The first thing you will want to do is very lightly butter your dinner rolls, and heat some vegetable oil to high heat on a cast iron pan. The amount of oil you use will depend mostly on the size of your pan, but as a general rule of thumb, you will want an even coating along the bottom of the pan, but not a puddle of oil.
Once the oil is almost smoking hot, place your buns face down on the hot skillet for a minute or so to toast them. A toasted bun makes the difference between a good burger and a great one.
A toasted bun makes the difference between a good burger and a great one.
Sal DiMaggio | The Montclarion
Once your buns are all toasted and set aside, separate your ground beef into 12 two-ounce balls, and start placing them onto the hot skillet. Once you have as many meatballs as you can fit on your skillet, start squishing them down into proper patties.
For any type of burger, it is key to use ground beef that is 80% lean and 20% fat.
Sal DiMaggio | The Montclarion
Once you have as many meat balls as you can fit on your skillet, start squishing them down into proper patties.
Sal DiMaggio | The Montclarion
Then, season to taste on one side with kosher salt and black pepper. Once cooked through on one side, which should only take a minute or two considering the small size of the burgers, quickly flip over and adorn the patties with American cheese. By the time the cheese is nicely melted, the patties should be cooked through and ready to be put on your perfectly toasted buns.
Once cooked through on one side, which should only take a minute or two considering the small size of the burgers, quickly flip over and adorn the patties with American cheese.
Sal DiMAggio | The Montclarion
By the time the cheese is nicely melted, the patties should be cooked through and ready to be put on your perfectly toasted buns.
Sal DiMaggio | The Montclarion
Now that you have the perfect basic slider, you can do whatever you want with them as far as condiments and other ingredients. Ketchup, mustard, relish, bacon- I am personally partial to some nicely caramelized onions atop my burger- you can put anything you want on these sliders to take them from simple greatness to delicious perfection.
And what is a more perfect pairing with burgers than hot dogs?
Hot dogs are great, because there is no real need to type out a recipe. The fun little secret about hot dogs is they are safe to eat right out of the package, even cold. The main reason to heat them up is because a cold hot dog tastes miserable, but the process of making a hot dog inherently requires cooking before it ever hits store shelves.
You can boil your hot dogs in a pinch, but cooking them in a pan tastes much better.
Sal DiMaggio | The Montclarion
That is what makes them the perfect party food, because there are a ton of quick ways to heat up a large batch of hot dogs to a non-specific “warm” temperature. If you do not decide to throw a Super Bowl party until 6 p.m. on Sunday, you could easily run to the store, pick up a pack of thirty hot dogs, get some water boiling and have a whole plate of glizzies ready to go for kickoff.
Time to plate your glizzies.
Sal DiMaggio | The Montclarion
Just when you think a hot dog couldn't get better, it gets topped with chili and cheese
Sal DiMaggio | The Montclarion.
And we all know the perfect topping for hot dogs: chili!
Master chef Colin Luderitz cooking up a storm in the Dinallo Heights kitchen.
Sal DiMaggio | The Montclarion
Texas is unfortunately home to our nation's greatest sickness: the Dallas Cowboys, but it is also home to a delightful type of chili known as chili con carne, a type of chili that forgoes beans in favor of more meat.
Sal DiMaggio | The Montclarion
Texas is unfortunately home to our nation’s greatest sickness: the Dallas Cowboys, but it is also home to a delightful type of chili known as chili con carne, a type of chili that forgoes beans in favor of more meat. There are a lot of ways to make it, but this simpler version uses the following ingredients:
- 1.5 pounds of ground beef (as much or as little fat as you would like)
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 3 minced cloves of garlic
- 1 28oz can of crushed tomatoes
- 1 cup beef stock
- 3 tablespoons of chili powder
- 1 teaspoon of cumin
- 1.5 teaspoons of paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon of dried oregano
- Kosher salt
- Black pepper
First, in a Dutch oven over medium heat, sauté the onions in the olive oil for two to three minutes, until translucent and lightly browned. Add the garlic and similarly cook for another minute.
At that point, add the ground beef and brown it until there is no pink visible. Make sure it is broken up into small bits, rather than large chunks, as they will take longer to cook and run the risk of going undercooked.
There's nothing better than a good slider.
Sal DiMaggio | The Montclarion
Now add your tomatoes, chili powder, cumin, paprika, oregano, salt and pepper to taste. Mix it well to combine all the ingredients and let the flavors get to know each other. Add the beef stock and the mixture to a simmer.
Reduce the heat to low, cover the pot and allow it to cook for about thirty minutes until the chili is deliciously reduced and thickened. Pour into a serving bowl, garnish with parsley, sour cream or shredded cheese and enjoy!
The only appropriate way to eat a hot dog: in an Eagles jersey.
Sal DiMaggio | The Montclarion
This chili can be eaten on its own, or ladled generously onto an awaiting hot dog. No matter how you mix and match your foods, your Super Bowl spread will surely be a hit for everyone who gets to eat it! Except for Dallas fans. Dallas fans get to eat a cold bowl of porridge and watch a VHS tape of their last NFC Championship game.
