1 Hour till Friday night prep...

Back in the day, we used to have a costume party the night before the Big Game, and then roll in hot on Saturday morning. We've gotten rid of the party, but we still gather together, prep food, have some fun, drink some beers, and revel in the party that we are about to win the next day.

Here's a teaser for you guys as to what you can expect if you're coming to Big Game 2013.

Butt Rub getting settled in. We have 55 lb. of pork smoking as we speak.

Grilled cheese...comfort food at its best.

We nixed the baked beans, but here's what the batch looked like at Test Kitchen.

DBo and his magical bacon cups.

Pork, after people picked at the bark.

Pork sliders w/ "Pig Paint" mustard sauce.

Pork sliders, "The Sweet Stuff."

Tinkering in my lab. Making dressing for the slaw.

What the baked beans looked like when finished. The bacon melts like butter in your mouth.

Big Game 2013 Menu: Comfort Food

Ok, so here is the menu for the Big Game Tailgate, 2013.  Theme? "Comfort Food."  It's been a rough year, friends, so come take comfort with us and ease the pain.

Ohio St. Tailgate Recap

In case you didn't realize it...but the Bears stink this year. We're awful. We haven't beaten a single DIV I opponent.  And the Ohio St. beat down got me so out of touch with football, that it's taken me many weeks to get back to the computer and continue the blog.

Well, guess what, I'm back!  And we'll start with a basic recap of the day, show you some photos...and then move on to the next chapter, which is the Big Game 2013...First, the tools...

After a bunch of tailgates here's the workhorse.

She's been a good soldier so far. Hoping for a few more years.

We start with the basics. The Bacon Explosion.  In case you want detailed explanation of what it is...click here Bacon Explosion.  Here are some photos of our version, which came out great.

The bacon weave. I know I missed an over/under at the bottom.

Spicy Italian Sausage.

Add cooked bacon pieces and bbq seasoning.

Rolled and smoked.

Interesting to note, the SPICY version was WAY more popular this year. I made 1 spicy version and the rest regular. Next year I'm doing probably 3 spicy and 2 regular...Anyhow...moving on.

Our egg cooking station.

 See our earlier posts about how we cooked the eggs. This was the best way, by far, that we've tried so far.  And as you see below, the assembly worked great. Toast the muffin, cheese on one half, bacon explosion on the other. Top with egg...and boom! We literally we have this thing dialed in. It is the most perfect breakfast sandwich ever made.  I say that with a straight face.

General assembly line.

 Here's what they look like coming off the grill. How can you possibly not want one right now?

The finished product. It's perfect!

 I bought DBo a chef's jacket (that he's not wearing in this photo) as a token of my appreciation for all he does.  We're a great team.

 Bacon cups. See previous posts...but these were brought out for the special crew who helps put the tailgate together. Add egg and mac and cheese (see previous posts) and it's a great snack!

DBo's bacon cups. Came out better than test versions.

So, excluding the game itself, the tailgate was a great success. We kept the menu simple (more or less) and people chowed down on the Mac & Cheese. It was such a hit that it's coming back for the Big Game in a couple of weeks.

The Mac & Cheese ready for transport.

Brought a pot of extra sauce to ladle on before it was served.

There was an unsubstantiated rumor that I may or may not have allegedly supposedly gotten into it kinda sorta with Ohio St. fan at our seats...and that the names of Aaron Hernandez and Urban Meyer were invoked...I am neither here to confirm, nor deny such rumors...

So, that's a short but sweet update. Up next, we move on to the Big Game Tailgate...and "Comfort Food 2013."