Fix and Forget Food for Super Bowl Sunday

When it comes to the Big Game, the Super Bowl, folks all over the country plan get together’s, both large and small, to gather round the big (or small) screen and root for their favorite team. All that cheering requires energy, and when they get together, people like to eat. After Thanksgiving, Super Bowl Sunday is the single largest day of food consumption in the United States. So if you’re planning a game-day party, here are some crowd-pleasing recipes you might like to try.

From Aimee Broussard, here is a recipe for pulled pork that’s a southern favorite, especially popular on game day. The beauty of this recipe is the fix and forget factor; you can put this together the night before and let it cook, then turn your slow cooker to the “warm” setting and forget about it until your guests arrive. This delicious slow-cooked, savory meat works well both in a sandwich, all by itself, or with a side of salad and a drink:

INGREDIENTS:

  • Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Pork Recipe:
  • 2 medium yellow onions, thinly sliced
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 cup chicken stock
  • 2 tbsp dark brown sugar
  • 1 tbsp chili powder
  • 1 tbsp salt, or to taste
  • ½ tsp ground cumin
  • ½ tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 (4-1/2- to 5-pound) boneless or bone-in pork shoulder (also known as pork butt), twine or netting removed
  • 2 cups barbecue sauce (I use Sweet Baby Ray’s Hickory & Brown Sugar)

INSTRUCTIONS:

  1. Place the onion and garlic in the bottom of the slow cooker with the chicken stock poured on top.
  2. In a small bowl, combine the dry ingredients: sugar, chili powder, salt, cumin, and cinnamon. Pat the pork dry with paper towels and rub the spice mixture over the pork, patting to keep it in place. Add the meat to the slow cooker on top of the onions.
  3. Cover and cook 6-8 hours on high, or 8-10 hours on low.
  4. Once the pork has finished cooking, remove to a cutting board to shred. If the pork has a bone, remove and discard it.
  5. Remove the liquid from the slow cooker, reserving ½ cup.
  6. Add the shredded meat back to the slow cooker with the ½ cup of liquid. You can either add your bbq sauce now or allow guests to control the barbecue sauce proportions and choose their own flavors by providing a variety of sauces.

Speaking of that side salad, here’s a five-star recipe for creamy potato salad from Colorado:

INGREDIENTS: (Serves 8)

  • 6 medium potatoes (2 pounds)
  • 1⁄2 lb bacon, prepared as in Homemade Fresh Bacon Bits
  • 1 cup thinly sliced celery
  • 1⁄2 cup finely chopped onion
  • 1⁄3 cup sweet pickle relish
  • 1 1⁄4 cups mayonnaise or 1 1⁄4 cups salad dressing
  • 2 teaspoons sugar
  • 2 teaspoons celery seeds
  • 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons prepared mustard
  • 1 1⁄2 teaspoons salt
  • 2 hardboiled egg, coarsely chopped

INSTRUCTIONS:

  1. Cook potatoes in boiling, salted water until tender.
  2. Drain well.
  3. Peel and cube potatoes.
  4. Transfer to a large bowl.
  5. Add celery, onion, sweet relish and bacon bits.
  6. Combine mayo, sugar, celery seed, vinegar, mustard, and salt.
  7. Add mayo mixture to potatoes.
  8. Toss lightly to coat potato mixture.
  9. Carefully fold in the chopped eggs.
  10. Cover and chill thoroughly.
  11. Bacon bit tip: Partially freeze your package of bacon. Use a sharp knife and cut the frozen bacon into long strips about 1/4 inch wide. Turn the bacon and cut the strips into pieces also about 1/4 in wide. You now have perfect raw bacon pieces to fast fry. No need to separate. They will separate during cooking and produce perfect bacon bits.

This yummy salad can be prepared the day before the game as well. These two fix and forget foods are a great pair, and your guests will thank you for making them. For that someone special in your life, this beer mug with a bell is a fun gift to pull out for game day.

beer mug