I live in the Fondren area of Jackson quite close to Memorial Stadium. Several neighbors and friends have loved participating in and being a part of an occasional JSU football tailgating for the past couple of years. What Coach Prime did for the football program, JSU, and Jackson’s reputation in general, has been amazing. I would like to personally thank him and his staff for this fairytale football season. Best of luck to TC Taylor and his team at JSU, and I look forward to more titles for the Tigers in 2023.
This season we had the opportunity to attend the SWAC championship game and almost every single tailgate area invited us to join them to share a sample their special tailgate treats. Tailgating at a JSU game was mind-blowing to me. Just like Ole Miss and Mississippi State, the food at a JSU tailgate is a big deal. However, at the JSU tailgate, the cooking equipment is over the top and these fans bring on their big grills and heavy equipment for game day. They have it all: huge smokers, grills, fryers, some of the biggest stock pots I have ever seen, rotisserie ovens, waffle makers, microwave ovens, and I even saw a heated nacho machine that you could get hot chili and nacho cheese for your chips or hotdogs. Amazing!!
The bar areas at these tailgates are equally impressive. We saw an incredible fan who built an entire “lounge” in the back of a trailer, and it was complete with tiki style bar, décor, lights, turf grass, and lounge chairs, as well as, all the appropriate themed drinks. Now, that is tailgating in style.
My favorite interaction during the tailgating was with an older gentleman. It was not really about the food but it was about his attitude. We struck up a conversation and asked about Coach Prime leaving the JSU program. He looked straight at us said “Who’s Prime? I’m Prime!” We all laughed, but his point was well taken. Coach Prime’s attitude had seeped into his fans. Many folks now have Coach Prime’s can-do spirit and his candor about the issues we all face. Coach Prime told his team and JSU that they were champions, and his words resonated with the fans. They all get to take a little bit of Prime with them, and I hope they will keep his “Prime attitude” for years to come.
This past year in Jackson was difficult. Being in the national news as SWAC champions is so much better than being in the news about Jackson’s water woes or crime. I know we can all take a lot of good advice from Coach Prime. He does not listen to the negative talk, he will not take “No” or “I can’t” for an answer, and he would not listen when people told him it could not be done. We need to remember that hard work, a good attitude, a little luck, a little smack talk, and a big smile still goes along way. We can win even when the odds are stacked against us. Just like my JSU tailgate friend said: We all need to be “Prime.”
I wish Coach Prime good luck in Colorado, and I wish Jackson State good luck in the future. We plan to be back next year and I look forward to the delicious fried catfish, junk pots, wings, and even Jell-O shots. Thank you JSU fans for being fantastic tailgate hosts, and thank you Coach Prime for being a great coach and great motivator for our city.
JSU Junk Pot
From what I can understand, a Junk Pot can have just about anything in it, but it is definitely not junk. It is a delicious melody of flavors and spices all cooked in highly seasoned water kind of like a big crab or crawfish boil.
The one we saw was in the biggest pot I have ever seen and contained turkey necks, corn, potatoes, sausage, and a lot of spices.
1 pound red potatoes
1 pound corn on the cob, can use frozen
2 pounds smoked sausage, cut into 1 inch pieces
2-4 tablespoons liquid crab boil or one bag crab boil
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon pepper
3 bay leaves
2 pounds turkey neck bones, turkey wings, or any meat you want to use.
1-2 whole bulbs garlic, top sliced off
Feel free to add anything else you want such as onions, celery, carrots, additional meats or spices. I even saw one recipe on the internet that added raw peanuts to the pot. I think I may try that sometime.
Cover all ingredients with one to two inches of water and simmer for two to three hours or until meat is falling off the bone. Add additional water as needed.
Fried Catfish
We actually did not get any fried catfish while we were at the tailgate. It seems like that is an “after game” item but we saw LOTS of deep fryers and pots ready for catfish.
This recipe idea for fried catfish was given to me years ago by Chad Williams at a church fish fry. He coats the catfish filets with yellow mustard before dredging in the seasoned cornmeal. Amazing.
1 pound Mississippi catfish filets, cut into thin strips
1½ cups fine cornmeal
½ cup flour
1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning or lemon pepper seasoning or any combinations of your choice
1 cup regular or stone-ground mustard
¼ cup water
1 quart vegetable oil for frying
Mix water and mustard. In a separate bowl, mix cornmeal, seasonings, and flour. Dip catfish in mustard and then in cornmeal mixture. Heat oil to 365 degrees and carefully fry catfish until golden brown or about three to five minutes. Remove and allow to drain on paper towels or newspaper.
Spaghetti and Meat Sauce
We were served this before the Alcorn State-JSU game last year. I have never considered spaghetti with meat sauce to be a tailgate food, but when you have a microwave at the ready at your tailgate, lots of options become available. Our host simply “reheated” his plate of spaghetti in the microwave.
5 pounds lean ground meat
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 14.5 ounce can crushed tomatoes
1 6 ounce can tomato paste with Italian herbs
1 8 ounce canned tomato sauce
3 bay leaves
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried parsley
4 cups beef broth or chicken broth
Salt and pepper
1 pound thin spaghetti noodles
Olive oil
In a heavy-duty stock pot, cook the beef and until it is no longer pink and has crumbled. Drain the grease and reserve the meat in a separate bowl. Add olive oil to the same pot and add the vegetables and sauté until translucent or about five minutes. Add the cooked meat back to the pot and stir in the tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, herbs, and broth. Bring to a boil and boil for about 10 or 15 minutes, stirring often. Simmer for one or two hours and allow the flavors to intensify.
Season if needed and remove the bay leaf before serving.
Boil the spaghetti in a large pot of salted water according to the package instructions drain and pour the pasta back into the pot. Add the meat sauce and a little olive oil. Mix well and serve.
Grilled Chicken Wings
We tried several different varieties of grilled chicken wings and they were seasoned with everything from barbecue seasoning to plain salt and pepper. Each variety was as good as any chicken I have ever tasted.
Charcoal is king at these tailgates, and I believe that the flavor of slow cooking over charcoal cannot be beat. Also, most people had whole chicken wings including the little tip. They did not cut them up. These wings included all three sections, the wing tip, the middle joint, and the drumette. This made it easier to eat and probably easier to cook.
3 pounds whole chicken wings
Seasonings of your choice, salt and pepper, garlic salt, any seasoning salt will work.
Prepare your charcoal grill.
I observed most of these grills had a hot section with lots of charcoal and another section that did not have any charcoal. The “cool side” is where you could move the chicken wings to finish cooking.
Most folks would sear the wings directly over the coals on the hot side of the grill and then move them to the other to finish cooking. It would also keep the wings warm. Be sure and cook all the chicken wings to a safe internal temperature of 165 degrees. Generally, this will take about eight to 10 minutes. You can brush on any number of sauces or additional seasonings, if you would like.
We also sampled grilled pork chops that were sublime. Nothing fancy, just some salt, pepper, garlic powder, and season salt or Cajun seasoning, then grilled to perfection. Cooked on a well-seasoned charcoal grill. Perfection.
Jell-O Shots
Not sure how Jell-O shots came to be a big tailgate treat, but they were everywhere on game days. Folks were sharing their favorite flavors and combinations.
3 ounce box of Jell-O, pick your favorite flavor or do any combination
1½ cups water
½ cup vodka
1 ounce plastic cups with lids or shot glasses
Heat one cup of water until it is boiling. In a large bowl, place your powdered gelatin and whisk in boiling water until mixture is completely dissolved. Pour in an additional ½ cup of cold water and vodka. Whisk until thoroughly blended.
Carefully pour mixture into plastic shot cups or glasses and refrigerate for 1½ to 2½ hours until they are firm. Serve or store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Game Day Waffles
I cannot make this up and I really think serving waffles on game day is genius.
We saw a man with a big stack of small waffle makers, and I had to ask about them. He said that he treats his family to hot fresh waffles for brunch before the game. Tailgating does not get much better than that.
2 cups of all-purpose biscuit mix, such as Bisquick
1 egg
½ cup of vegetable oil
1 - 10-ounce bottle of club soda
Mix well and prepare according to the instructions on your waffle iron. Top with fresh berries, butter, syrup, whipped cream, or powdered sugar. Whatever you like.
Prime Rib Roast
No, we did not see anyone with prime rib but I could not let it go without one play on words about “Prime.” At our house, prime rib is for a special occasion. I would say a SWAC Championship may be reason enough to splurge on a nice roast and toast to a great JSU football season.
4 pound prime rib roast, trimmed
4 teaspoons of kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
4 large sprigs fresh rosemary
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
Season the prime rib roast with salt and pepper and refrigerate overnight. About an hour before cooking, remove the roast from the refrigerator and allow to sit at room temperature. Preheat oven to 400°.
In a large pan with a roasting rack, layer rosemary sprigs, the smashed garlic, and the olive oil on top of the rack and then place the meat on top of that. Cook for 30 minutes and basting with any meat juices in the bottom of the pan. Reduce the heat to 350° and cook until the meat is medium rare or an internal temperature of 125- 230°F.
This should take about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Baste roast every few minutes.
Remove roast from the oven and allow it to rest for at least 20 minutes before carving.
