20 of our best recipes for a winning pregame gathering.
Pork and Duck Sausage
Most sausage recipes call for a meat mixture that is about 30 percent fat—using too much can yield a link that is more greasy than luxurious. Here, Russell Moore of Camino in Oakland, California, combines pork belly with rich duck liver and skinless duck breast—fatty duck skin is too tough—for a perfectly tender sausage.
These Hawaiian-style pork ribs are a sweeter version of kalbi, a Korean preparation for marinated and grilled beef short ribs that’s sometimes cooked tableside.
Mango-Habañero Salsa
The addition of diced mangoes to a puree of roasted chiles delivers heat-defying bursts of sweetness to this deliciously spicy salsa.
The Pledge
In this easy-drinking beer cocktail, the concentrated raisin flavor of the sherry, the honeyed quality of the Benedictine liqueur, and the oatmeal stout add up to something like “breakfast in a glass.” A sprinkling of sweet, spicy nutmeg seems completely appropriate in this context.
Mititei (Grilled Sausages)
Small skinless sausages like these (pictured top left)are cooked on charcoal grills in Romania and in other parts of eastern Europe and the Balkans. Fragrant with garlic, paprika, and caraway, the Romanian version, called mititei, or “wee ones,” are delicious served with zesty mustard. See the recipe for Mititei (Grilled Sausages) »
Classic Michelada
Mexican lager is refreshing on a hot beach day. Mixed with ingredients usually associated with the bloody mary, it’s even more restorative.
Chicken and Sausage Gumbo
During cooking, okra exudes a thick liquid that gives this hearty Cajun stew a sumptuous, silky texture; a little filé powder, made from dried sassafras leaves, further thickens and enriches it. But the backbone of this gumbo, and the source of its smoky flavor, is the roux made by toasting flour in hot oil until it is a deep red-brown. Get the recipe for Chicken and Sausage Gumbo »
Hoisin and Ginger Spareribs
Pork spareribs are marinated and basted in a sweet-spicy sauce, with layers of flavor including sesame, pepper, ginger, hoisin, and garlic in this recipe from Napa Valley winemaker Christopher Vandendriessche.
Extra-Crispy Fried Chicken
Double-fried chicken marinated in an aromatic brine is a specialty of the house at the restaurant Rye KC in Leawood, Kansas.
