Steven Raichlen's Project Fire

Wrangler Tailgate

The first tailgating party took place in 1869 at a Princeton-Rutgers football game. Picnickers grazed from food arranged on the buckboards of horse-drawn wagons-the precursor of one of America's most favorite pastimes: tailgating. Today the party goes global, starting with lettuce-wrapped, smoked pulled lamb from the wood-burning smoker at Odys + Penelope in Los Angeles. Next, honey soy chicken wings ingeniously smoked on skewers-eat them like lollipops. Brisket tacos, served with avocadoes and wood-grilled salsa, make a magisterial main dish. And true to the global tailgating theme, potato salad gets the Peruvian treatment with yellow chile-spiked cheese sauce. Smoked pulled lamb in lettuce leaves; Honey soy chicken wings; Brisket tacos; Peruvian potato salad.