Tailgating Must Haves

Football season is upon us! Time to gather up your tailgating gear and head out to the stadium. What's that, you are new to tailgating? No worries, friend, we here at Rollors (home of possibly the greatest game ever created!) have created a list of must have items for your first time pre-game at the stadium:

1. Cooking Gear: Before going out and buying a portable grill, find out before hand if the stadium you are planning on going to allows you to cook with an open flame, gas, propane, charcoal or if they only allow electric cooking appliances to be used on site. Once you have that info, you can go out and buy what you need. I suggest for open flame or charcoal, that you keep your cooking surface on the small to medium size, this way you will have better control of heat, as stadium lots tend to be windy. There are many options out there for open flame, charcoal & electric grills, but I do have a fave in each category:
2. For Charcoal I suggest the Weber 1211001 Jumbo Joe Gold Charcoal Grill, 18-Inch. It is a nice size, very portable, and a classic. I used this model last year at Metlife Stadium, and while the Giants started 0-6, this grill was a winner each week!

1. For Open Flame - Coleman Camping Coleman PerfectFlow InstaStart Grill Stove. Again a nice portable size (I actually use this model for camping too), it has a built in grill section and an open burner if you want to get some liquids heated up.

1. Electric – This one can be tricky, because you will need an electrical supply in the parking lot and in most cases it will be your vehicle. But here is my pick for an electric grill: Cuisinart CEG-980T Outdoor Electric Tabletop Grill

2. Food – Now you have your cooking gear, now some food to put on it. There are thousands of great tailgating recipes out on the internet. I suggest that you think about who is going to be with you, and based on what they like and dietary needs, do some research and come up with something that is going to be a hit with everyone. The basics here are: Hot Dogs, Brats, burgers, grilled corn on the cob (late summer here in NJ is the best time to get them!), some grilled veggie and pork kabobs are awesome as well. You can be as basic or as fancy as you want. 

3. Entertainment – Of course we hope that you will partake in some pre-game fun, by playing a few games of Rollors – it's fun for the whole family, a great combo of Bocce & Horseshoes and anyone can play it! Pick up your own Rollors set. We also suggest you bring a radio so you can listen to pre-game coverage, a football to toss around (be careful, you are in a parking lot, so watch out for traffic), and bring a portable DVD player to keep the little ones entertained! 

4. Shelter & Seating– An EZ Up type canopy is a must, keeps the sun, rain and snow off of you, and gives you a place to hang your team banner and flags from. Make sure you have weights to anchor it down for windy days, free weights, water jugs and sandbags work good. Check to make sure you are allowed to set up one first. Also camping tables and chairs can make things more comfortable and are portable and designed to be used outside.

5. Friends and Family – Take your pick, but it is always awsome to pre-game with people you love and who love the same thing you do: Your Team! There was this one time last year, a friend brought along a girlfriend who ended up being a Cowboys fan. It was awkward for a bit, but after a few drinks and brats, everyone got along just fine.

From everyone here at Rollors, have a fun, safe and awesome tailgate and come back soon for more great ideas on how to tailgate better!

By Ed Morris (for Rollors LLC)