Now, on to the fun stuff.
If you want to take your tailgating kitchen up a notch or two, there are several add-ons that will allow you to do more and impress your friends. I know you want to impress your friends.
First up, the side burner. It comes with some grills, but you can also get it as an optional feature for gas grills (sorry charcoalers). The side burner offers you the ability to cook with a pot or pan just like you do on the cook-top at home. This means more menu options and more space on your grill for other foods. This is probably the single most useful addition to the basic gas grill.
Skewers and kabob racks come in a close second in the useful category. As any tailgate chef knows, just getting a kabob on and off the grill in one piece can be a challenge. Not any more. Good skewers keep the food in place and, even better, kabob racks let you lift and flip the kabobs without the fear of adding ash to your list of ingredients.
If you want to expand your options, and also provide items for the more health-conscious in your group, then head to the store and buy a steamer. This will allow you to make a variety of vegetable dishes, seafood, couscous... even desserts (I've seen a steamed cranberry pudding recipe somewhere).
Want to add a pot roast or lamb shank to your tailgate menus? Then just add a Dutch oven to your arsenal. You can also cook everything from vegetables, to cornbread, to cobbler in this versatile vessel.
A simple add-on is the warming rack. Once you hit a certain price point with gas grills these usually come standard, but you can also get them as accessories. We all know how hard it is for your meal to be ready all at once - or for all of your friends to be ready all at once - so these little gems will come in handy and keep everyone from talking about how your tailgate party was the one with the cold brats.
Now, on the impressive scale, there's one more item that sits near the top: the rotisserie. However, this is, in a sense, two items since other than a crank-style version or two (and trust me, you don't want to be cranking your chicken for an hour) these take electricity to work. That means you'll also need to get a portable generator.
What would you use a rotisserie for? Well, just about anything. You can cook most any meat on a spit, although poultry and lamb are two favorites.
What else would you use a generator for? Well, how about a TV? Or stereo system? Maybe those little chile party lights? A blender would be good. Power can do a lot for a tailgate party. A small generator will be able to handle almost any tailgate need, so you don't have to lug around a unit on wheels to cook Five Spice Duck (talk about impressing friends). Newer generators are pretty quiet, too, so don't worry about yours drowning out the play-by-play on the 42-inch plasma TV hanging from your tent.
Next: The Tailgate Bar
Stephen Linn is the author of The Ultimate Tailgater's Handbook and The Ultimate Tailgater's Travel Guide: More Than 20 Great Road Trips which are the ultimate how-to resources for the tailgater who wants to do it all, have it all, and host the best party in the parking lot. Learn more and watch his how-to tailgating videos at www.theultimatetailgater.com.
