Tailgating tips.

Tailgating is now a whole new ball game. Make it an ultimate experience with these tips.

Prepare ahead of time.

Get a headcount.

Find out how many guests plan to attend so you’ll know how much food and drink to buy.

Plan your menu.

Consider a variety of dishes and create a shopping list. Include any utensils, condiments, or other necessities.

Keep extras on hand.

There‘s no such thing as too many chairs, bottle openers, phone chargers, or ice cubes. The more, the merrier.

Grill our experts.

T-bone? Flank steak? Ribeye? If you‘re not sure what to grill, talk to the folks in our Meat department.

Marinate overnight.

Marinating meat the night before not only saves time, it enhances flavor. Planning kabobs? Skewer them before you tailgate. Mmm, kabobs.

Preslice veggies.

Slice veggies in advance. You’ll thank yourself later.

Grill like a pro.

Preheat your grill.

Give your grill ample time to heat up before donning your pregame apron.

Skip the over-flip.

Over-flipping toughens meat. Flip once for more tenderness.

Less smoosh, more juice.

Smooshing burgers while they cook? Amateur move. Less spatula = more juice.

Let steak rest.

Wait five minutes after taking steak off the grill. This allows the juices to settle back into the meat.

Cook burgers evenly.

Say no to puffy burgers. Use your (clean) thumb to put an indent on the patty. It keeps the meat even while cooking.

Make it a kabob.

Meat on kabobs stays juicier longer. Not that they’ll last long at your tailgate.

Toast those buns.

Toasted buns: Further proof that if you can grill it, you should grill it.

Keep veggies stick-free.

Raw veggies? Or grilled veggies? Now you’re tailgating. A little olive oil keeps asparagus, eggplant, and squash from sticking to the grill.

Don’t forget the dogs.

Chances are, you have three types of mustard in your fridge or cooler—so don‘t forget the hot dogs.

Customize with sides.

Coleslaw.

Coleslaw goes great with a pulled pork sandwich. It’s even better on a pulled pork sandwich. That’s ultimate tailgating.

Chili.

Perfect in a bowl. Perfect on a hot dog, burger, or nachos. Check out these recipes perfect for your tailgate.

DIY toppings bar.

Set up a DIY toppings bar so people can customize their burgers and hot dogs.

Potato salad.

No one has to know the “homemade” potato salad you’re serving came from our Deli.