The first football game has come and gone, with the Badgers learning their strengths and weaknesses for future performances. Now it is time to do the same for campus tailgating practices and hone the skills necessary for the perfect pre-game feast, no matter where it takes place.
Starting Lineup
The basics of any tailgating meal are the grilled meats. Brats are usually first on the list for any pre-game spread, with hot dogs, hamburgers or chicken breasts and drumsticks rounding out the pecking order.
To make the perfect grilled brat, Wisconsin tradition commands simmering the meaty links in beer. Customarily, the brats are cooked for approximately 15 minutes in a mixture of simmering beer and onions, and then put on the grill for another 10 minutes.
However, the Johnsonville Company suggests creating a \brat hot tub"" in order to better serve a large crowd, using a foil 9x11 inch baking pan filled with two to three beers (the brand left up to the griller's taste), two tablespoons of butter and one medium yellow or white onion sliced.
This pan can be placed directly on the grill, where it will slowly heat as you cook the brats. The brats can either be served right away or transferred to the hot tub to simmer in the beer mixture until they are ready to serve. A moderate or low flame is suggested to prevent the unfortunate charring that can occur at the hands of an impatient grill master.
Defense and Strong Safety
With any outdoor tailgating party, food safety becomes an issue.
""One of the major problems is to make sure that the meat is thoroughly cooked because you can have the pathogenic E. coli bacteria,"" said Michael Pariza, director of the Food Research Institute and UW-Madison professor of Food Microbiology and Toxicology.
""[E. coli] is quite heat resistant,"" said Pariza, ""so if you don't get the hamburger in the center at least to a well-done state, you will not kill those bacteria if they're present.""
""The second major problem is cross contamination,"" Pariza said. Placing cooked meat on the same initial plate ""just reintroduces whatever pathogens were in the uncooked food.""
Special Teams
There are many ways to make a tailgate party both simple and unique. For instance, Better Homes and Gardens recommends using disposable containers, plates and utensils as well as tinfoil pans to ensure quick clean up.
They also suggest making a tailgate stand out by using a theme for decorating and planning the menu. One interesting idea is to make a breakfast-themed tailgate for those early 11 a.m. games, such as this weekend's game against Temple. Another option is to make the meal match the opposing team's mascot, like serving poultry for November's game against the Iowa Hawkeyes.
However, the most essential part of a tailgate is showing Wisconsin team spirit in any way possible, from wearing the school colors to decorating the location to serving the food.
Foul Play and Penalties
Depending on where a tailgating event is held, different rules and regulations often come into play.
In the dorms, any appliance with an open flame or coil is prohibited indoors, but this does not mean that pre-game grilling is forbidden. Most dorms have outdoor charcoal grills that can be used by a few residents before a game, with the charcoal and food provided by the resident.
For larger gatherings involving housing students, Nick Purkapile, a UW-Madison Housing student supervisor, suggested speaking with the house fellow or resident life coordinator for the appropriate floor or dorm about tailgating plans.
From there, an event registration form can be filled out and housing or floor money can often be used to fund a pre-game party. For the discerning tailgater, Purkapile also recommended renting propane grills from housing for a small fee, which are much nicer to use than the permanent outdoor grills.
Regarding non-housing property, Lt. Bill Larson of UW-Madison Police said that although there is not any particular place where a tailgate cannot be held, ""some of the areas, like in the parking ramps, can't have a grill because of the structure.""
Students and other tailgaters are generally well-behaved, Larson said.
""We haven't ticketed anybody last year and we haven't ticketed anybody for this first [game]."" Larson said if there is a problem, ""it's usually a behavioral thing like disorderly conduct.""
When asked for any words of wisdom for tailgaters, Larson said, ""Moderation. Take things slow, come to the game early, get your seats. The big thing is moderation.""
Final Score
No matter what traditions are followed or what food is cooked, one thing is for sure: a Wisconsin tailgate is a memorable event.
