Super 'Gate 08 - The Super Bowl of Tailgating

By Karen DiEugenio

03/08

They came - from stadium parking lots all across the country - with giant grills and colossal coolers, folding tables and collapsible chairs, with banners and pennants and jerseys and games... and enough food to feed a whole league of linebackers.

They're the Blacktop's Best - the best of the Best - and they descended upon the Arizona State Fairgrounds in Phoenix over Super Bowl weekend to connect, to compete, and to conquer. Through four days of contests and tournaments, they tested their talents, their skills, their endurance, and their allegiance to both individual teams and the Tailgate Nation.

By winning Tailgating Taste-offs at their home stadiums, a select few were chosen to have their recipes featured in the cookbook series I Got Your Tailgate Party Right Here! and qualified to compete against each other in the Blacktop's Best Invitational Cook-Off, where they pulled out all the stops and threw down some of the sickest spreads in the history of tailgating.

The Grand Champions, Tailgaters Barbeque Party, launched an all-out assault (in true Raider fashion) complete with Astroturf and table linens under an entire village of pop-up tents. These Oakland fans drove down from the Bay Area towing a 14' trailer bustin' with tailgating gear. They had a portable sound system to crank the tunes, a smoke machine and resident face painters (Raider Jerry and Toozak) to add to the ambiance, and a hot tub to put them completely over the top! But the star of the show, as always, was their monstrous Grillzilla, a massive self-made barrel grill that could handle a small heifer without a blink! Masterfully manned by Kingsford Kirk, BBQ Bob, Rotisserie Ron and the rest of the crew, they kept a constant flow of food coming off the grill including oysters on the half shell, assorted sausage, grilled salmon, Man Pan Prawns and their infamous Candy - tender morsels of skirt steak marinated in mouthwatering red wine and spices! As if that wasn’t enough, a buffet table loaded with salads, snacks, and tasty hors d' oeuvres made for some plates piled-high. BBQ Bob tempted the judges with some kicky Mango Martinis, and to top it all off they finished up with Kirk’s totally satisfying Better Than Sex Cake. And the crowd went wild!

But it was hardly a shoe-in. Not with competitors like Bart and Lisa Beaudry putting up a gourmet menu that featured Puerto Rican favorites like Pernil (roast pork) with Mojito Sauce and Arroz con Gandules (rice with pigeon peas), Bart's signature Mussels cooked in wine and prosciutto, herbed turkey breast, sesame ginger shrimp, baby lamb chops, escargot (!) and a butternut squash soup. These Dallas Cowboys tailgaters' set-up included a massive Mongolian-style BBQ, six-foot charcoal grill, and restaurant-scale deep fryer. Plus, two margarita machines that over the course of the weekend churned and served up more than 30 gallons of margaritas, AND a Jager chiller to really get the party going. For dessert? How about some hand-dipped chocolate-covered strawberries?

Redskins fan Pat "Big Grin" Murphy presented the judges with his award-winning Big Grin Beans. Baked in a cast-iron Dutch oven on his Big gAss™ Grill, they are rumored to have inspired one Chargers fan to remark, "these beans have changed my life!" Served alongside shots of Jack Daniel's, a pot of seafood-packed jambalaya, and a little more Jack, it was pure tailgate perfection. But what really put him on the map? How about a 16 foot inflatable movie screen he pulled out of the back of his pickup? It was truly a sight to see - from blocks away!

Cheeseheads Steve Muck and Todd "Woody" Davis typically tailgate in the Kmart parking lot adjacent to the frozen tundra of Lambeau Field. These tailgate gurus hit the road to Arizona for the Big Game in a rented RV, loaded down with what else but - GAME! Duck and deer, bear, wild turkey plus a lifetime supply of Windsor Canadian Whiskey and SunDrop Soda.

Their menu starred the legendary Smucker's BBQ Raccoon, Woody's perfect grilled potatoes, a melt-in-your-mouth venison tenderloin, and cheese. Oh, the cheese, including a five year-old cheddar that Mr. Muck insists you have to "roll around in your mouth a while and make love to" before swallowing. They impressed the judges with their spectacular Wisconsin Wild Rice with Mushrooms, and stole the hearts of their fellow tailgaters with their generosity, wit, and wisdom (which was presented on a white board in their campsite each morning as a Thought of the Day - "People who live in glass houses make the most interesting neighbors.")

While these grillmasters toiled over mountains of glowing coals, their teammates and fellow tailgaters competed in the first ever Tailgate Decathlon - ten events designed to test tailgating prowess. Highlights included the hugely popular Ladder Golf Tournament, sponsored by LadderGolf.com. "We had a great time at Super ‘Gate 08," says owner Matt Peterson. "Everyone was incredibly friendly. For four days we had a constant stream of tailgaters in our area playing Ladder Golf. Whether it was families playing together during the day, or the hard-core partiers playing for money over cocktails at two o'clock in the morning, we got to meet everyone in attendance. It was a totally memorable experience and we look forward to Super 'Gate Part Deux in Tampa!"

On Friday, tailgaters battled the cold desert night with some heated Hold 'Em action. PreGame.com, a Las Vegas-based bettors website, presented the poker tournament, as well as a lively Beer Pong Tournament on Saturday afternoon. TailgateToss.com set-up the essential Cornhole Tourney, which kept the kids busy all weekend long.

The whole time, trays of tasty tailgating treats were constantly passed throughout the crowd. Bart would pull sizzling baskets of fried shrimp and French fries out of his deep fryer, or Muck would come by with skewers of bacon-wrapped wild turkey. Matt Peterson shared, "We've never eaten so good, or so much. In fact, I took my wife to dinner at a nice local steakhouse when we got home and was actually disappointed. It just didn't compare to what we were treated to at Super 'Gate."

Reporters from the local and national media mingled, taking pictures and talking with fans. NY Post columnist Kevin Kernan was embedded with the crew from Big Blue BBQ, traveling across the country with them by RV and documenting the entire Super 'Gate experience in his daily column. The Commissioner of Tailgating, Joe Cahn, was on hand to catch up with old tailgating friends and meet new ones.

Throughout the weekend, as word spread around the Phoenix area about the Super Bowl tailgating ban, Giants and Patriots fans stopped by to find out if they could join the party. "We just flew into town and found out we're not going to be allowed to tailgate over at the stadium tomorrow," one group explained. "This is crazy! This is what we do!" They were in luck.

"We knew that this would happen, because the same thing happened in Miami last year, and Detroit before that," explained Super 'Gate spokesman Jay "The Tailgate Guy" DiEugenio. "That’s why we're here. We're giving the Super Bowl back to the fans."

These Day of Game tailgaters were able to show up Sunday morning, and for $30 per space they could park their rental cars and party with fans who share their love of tailgating. There was even loaner equipment available for them to use (since airlines tend to frown on flying with your BBQ) including the new MVP Grills from Camp Chef and folding tables and chairs from Lifetime Products. Shuttle service provided by Calvin and Sean from SportsTailgaters.com assured that fans could enjoy their pre-game party and still get to the stadium safely, and back again!

As game time approached, new friends and old gathered around televisions scattered throughout the lot for what would turn out to be one exciting upset. The biggest crowd pulled up chairs under the expansive awnings of Jay's 43' Newmar UTV to watch the game on the 52" flat panel built into the side of the Ultimate Tailgate Vehicle. "This thing always draws a crowd. It's a good thing I've got another screen back here in the kitchen. Sometimes it can be tough to find a spot out there!" he said, leaning on the stainless steel counters of the unit's tailgate kitchen.

On Monday morning, there was a sort of end-of-summer-camp atmosphere hanging over the lot, as the tailgaters packed up their gear to head home. Sipping coffee and enjoying one last breakfast hot off Jay's grill, they exchanged phone numbers and email addresses, making plans to visit each others' stadiums. Talk quickly turned to Super 'Gate II in Tampa. "When can we reserve our sites?" they wanted to know. "We want to make sure we get spots together!"

Super 'Gate II will be held in Tampa, Florida January 29th through February 2nd, 2009. This year's event will again feature the Blacktop's Best Invitational and 2nd Annual Tailgate Decathlon, as well as the Miss Blacktop Babe Pageant and Fantastic SuperFan Competition. Deposits can be placed and more details are available at www.SuperGateII.com.