Hot enough to melt the soles off your shoes...
and we're not just talking about the weather!
Our first tailgate of the season was a real scorcher. The sun beat down as the grills heated up, ready to sear mountains of carne asada and pollo asado to delicious perfection. Tortillas toasted, and salsa brought beads of sweat to brows all across the lot.
There was no question we were partying less than an hour from the Mexican border.
So it didn't take me long to track down Al with his icey cold margaritas. All I had to do was follow the sound of his gas-powered Daiquiri Whacker!
Refreshed and renewed in my quest to track down the best recipes in the lot, I pressed on. Along the way, I came across some great tailgating rigs, like the spirited Bolts Bus painted up all blue and gold.
And this cool patio party on wheels, complete with an umbrella, table, chairs and grill all in the bed of a flatbed truck. Very innovative!
At Taste-off time, we had 16 entries, many of them with a distinctive south-of-the-border flair. We also tasted Chef Lewi's Tri-Tip Teriyaki, an impressive Chinese Buffet, Mediterranean Shrimp, Fish Tacos, and some killer Hot Wings.
Our winning recipes showed the variety of these tasty foods: Marco Perez' Costillas (mexican spareribs) in tortillas, and Ernie Mario's Fresh Yellowtail Ceviche tostadas, plus James Harris' tasty Lakeside Steaks and Rick Schweiter's Smoked-Grilled Salmon.
We gave away a ton of cool swag from our sponsors, including Twilites butane lanterns, PigTail Food Flippers, a BigFoot Gear Bag, HandyCan drink coozies, mini-helmets from Bowl-Bound and this Turkey Cannon from Camp Chef!
Stop by at a tailgate this season or register for the Pep Squad today for your chance to win!
See you On the Blacktop...
The Queen of Smack!
We've been to New York. Philly. Chicago. We've seen the trash talk tossed around at the Taste-off with the skills of Terry Bradshaw.
But never have we seen such a relentless barrage of slurs slung around a crowd with such precision. Each insult well aimed, and delivered with finesse (and a hint of a smile).
And so Chargers fan Ana Berlanga takes her place not just among the best of the best... Austin Bregman, Eric Mitchell, Willie Washington... but as their Queen of Smack!
Photo of the Week!
At the end of the tailgate, as we packed up our gear and headed out of the now-vacant lot, we couldn't help but pause for a picture of this poor abandoned bbq.
Earlier in the day, when Jay had stopped by to invite its owners to enter our Tailgating Taste-off, he had enticed them with his ususal "we're giving away a grill today!"
"That's funny," they responded. "So are we!"
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