Football and food– what more could we ask for?

The “Big Game” is just around the corner with the Cincinnati Bengals and Los Angeles Rams going head-to-head. What is a better way to celebrate and watch the game than making a bunch of food and enjoying it with friends and family?

For as long as I can remember, football weekends, especially for the Big Game, have always been filled with lots of delicious food to indulge in! My husband is huge into grilling and smoking food so that is his specialty. This year we will be spending it with friends, and I wanted to share some of our favorite recipes with you that we will also be enjoying! We hope you love them as much as we do!

Chicken Dip

Ingredients

• 16 oz cream cheese
• 16 oz sour cream
• 40 oz canned chicken (drained)
• 1 medium onion (chopped)
• 8 oz jalapeño peppers (chopped)
• 1 green pepper (chopped)
• 1 ½ cup Velveeta cheese (chopped)
• 8 oz pepper jack cheese (chopped)
• 2 10.5 oz cans cream of chicken
• 1 tablespoon garlic

Directions

1. Chop and cream all together
2. Keep warm in a slow cooker
3. Best served with tortilla chips

Taco Dip

Ingredients

• 16 oz cream cheese (softened to room temperature)
• 2 cups sour cream
• 4 tablespoons taco seasoning (1 oz packet)
• 1 cup shredded lettuce
• Grape tomatoes (chopped)
• ½ cup sliced olives
• Sliced jalapeños
• Shredded cheese

Directions

1. Combine softened cream cheese and sour cream in a large bowl and stir together until creamed and well combined
2. Add taco seasoning and stir well
3. Spread mixture evenly into a 9×13 dish
4. Top mixture with shredded cheese, shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes, olives, and jalapeños
5. Taco dip can be served immediately or can be covered and stored in the refrigerator until ready to serve

Tip

• Mixing the cream cheese and sour cream with an electric mixer helps to make sure there are no lumps

Smoked BBQ Ribs

Ingredients

• Pork ribs
• Mustard
• 2 tablespoons ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 tablespoon garlic salt
• 1 tablespoon Lowry’s seasoning salt
• 4-6 tablespoons butter
• ½ cup brown sugar
• Apple juice
• Your favorite BBQ sauce
• Hickory wood split for the smoker

Directions

1. Take ribs out of the package and rinse with cold water
2. Pat dry with paper towels
3. Set meat side down. Using a paper towel and knife, remove the membrane
4. Put a thin layer of mustard on each side and rub in for seasoning binder
5. Mix all seasonings into an empty container and sprinkle the desired amount on each side
6. Wrap each rack loosely in tin foil
7. Leave in the fridge until ready to smoke
8. While preparing smoker, take ribs out of tin foil and set out to room temperature for 30-40 minutes
9. Once it has reached 300°, add ribs to the smoker with the thicker side towards the smoke chamber and push each end of ribs inward that way the meat isn’t stretched out and cooks too fast
10. Leave the lid closed for 1 hour. Maintaining heat at 300°
11. After 1 hour, spritz with apple juice to ensure the ribs won’t go dry
12. Continue cooking for 30-45 minutes depending on the color of the ribs
13. Once ribs are tender, take off smoker and place on a sheet of tin foil
14. Add butter and brown sugar on the bottom side then wrap in tin foil
15. Place ribs back on the smoker, meat side down that way butter and brown sugar get to the meat better
16. Cook for another hour maintaining 300° and then take off the smoker
17. Brush ribs with BBQ sauce of your choosing
18. Return ribs back to the smoker to caramelize BBQ sauce at 400° for roughly 10-15 minutes
19. Let ribs rest for 5-10 minutes then enjoy!

Tip

• Do steps 1-7 the day/night before smoking them to let flavors soak in and it pulls out any bacterial juices

What are your favorite foods to prepare for the Big Game?

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