YSU TAILGATING Hungry for more than just football

When it comes to tailgate fare, anything goes!
By JUDITH DULBERGER
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
YOUNGSTOWN -- The skies cleared over downtown as the remnants of Hurricane Lili moved out to the northeast. The temperature was in the 70s, making it a perfect Saturday afternoon to take in a Youngstown State University football game.
Although the Penguins cruised to a 31-16 victory over Indiana State later that night, some fans began celebrating long before the team took the field.
For some, the partying began as soon as the parking lot gates opened at 10 a.m. -- even though kickoff wasn't until 7 p.m.
The three parking lots along Fifth Avenue were filling up by 3 p.m., and music from boom boxes filled the air while a live band warmed up in the corporate sponsors lot.
Ritual
Tailgating is a ritual to be sure. Many YSU tailgaters have used the same location in the M-24 lot on Fifth Avenue since it opened in 1991. But there are some real die-hards, such as Guenther Hladiuk, a YSU alumnus, who has been tailgating before YSU football games since 1977.
What's the big attraction? Well, it's friends, fun and food -- with the emphasis on food. And when it comes to the food, tradition flies out the window and anything goes.
Tailgate fare is a diverse mixture of flavors, colors and aromas that make the all-day partying absolutely worth it.
Every tailgate party is different. You'll find something new every time.
"At least two meals are a must at any tailgate party," says John Vag of Boardman. He brings something already made to eat for the first meal. The second meal is on the grill.
Steve Horvat of Canfield and Adrian Grecko of Boardman work together at Compco Industries. They've been tailgating for 12 years and say they just eat all day. They can't tell if it's one meal or two, or more.
Variety
Whether you're cooking for 10 or 50 or 250, variety is the name of the game.
Alongside the standard fare of hot dogs, hamburgers, sausage and peppers, chicken wings, hoagies, submarine sandwiches and pizza, you'll find pork loin roast, deep-fried turkey and a host of personal recipes by some of the best tailgate cooks in the Youngstown area (or so it is rumored).
"Big" Joe Juby came this year for the first of many tailgate parties. His son Joe is a freshman linebacker (No. 45) for YSU. At this tailgate event, "Big" Joe supplemented his menu with marinated Cajun shrimp. He used Zatarain's Creole seasoning, adding kosher salt, pepper and fresh lemon juice. Jumbo shrimp take only three to four minutes on the grill, he said.
Chicken is also a tailgate favorite cooked in 101 ways.
Joe Yeager of East Palestine joined Horvat and Grecko and the Compco Industries team just last year. But he seems to have moved into the role of head cook.
Chicken
At this event, Yeager was roasting four whole chickens on a standard-size grill. The birds were set upright through their cavities on stainless steel stands. The stands are hollow and filled with beer, apple juice or just about any other concoction you can imagine. The liquid steams while the chickens are cooking, keeping them moist and flavored. Yeager used a mouthwatering blend of dill pickle juice, garlic powder and butter.
Grilled chicken-breast sandwiches are relatively common, but none are as good as Mike Lattanzio's. It's "Mike's Marinade" that makes the difference. He's modest about the results. He uses a marinade of hickory-smoked barbecue sauce, olive oil, crushed garlic, a teaspoon of honey and Italian dressing. Putting it on a sandwich bun with lettuce, tomato and mayonnaise is almost a sin, since it masks the incredible, melt-in-your-mouth flavor.
By the way, Lattanzio's friend, formerly from Nebraska, ships in red hot dogs for YSU tailgate parties. No, they're not a delicacy. It's just food coloring, said Mike. The color just adds to the team spirit.
Deep-fried turkey
Probably the most-talked-about tailgate recipe is deep-fried whole turkey. But only one tailgater could be found preparing one.
You'll need the right equipment if you're going to try this -- a 30-quart stainless steel pot set on a frame above a propane burner. The price is about half of what it used to be, said Jim Fullerman. They're now about $80.
But, be cautious. It's a dangerous business hoisting a 10-15 pound turkey into a vat of boiling peanut oil. Fullerman uses heavy work gloves to carefully check his bird. But, he said, deep-fried turkey is probably the easiest to make. Just heat your oil to 325 degrees, and it cooks in 3 1/2 minutes per pound.
Is it greasy? "No," said Fullerman. When the bird is dipped, the boiling oil seals everything inside, including the butter that he injects with a syringe under the bird's skin before the immersion.
Low-fat food
For anyone concerned with cholesterol, talk to Joe Cabucchi of Hubbard. He makes all kinds of low-fat tailgate recipes -- mostly turkey, fish and chicken. Cod filets are one of his specialties, covered with a sauce made of fat-free sour cream, horseradish, a little mustard and a little water to thin it out.
He also makes a broccoli-and-chicken-breast dish. He cubes the chicken breast and cooks the broccoli and chicken in tin foil over the grill. At home he prepares rice and an Alfredo-style sauce that consists of skim milk, fat-free sour cream, fat-free Parmesan cheese and a little brown mustard.
What's next? Cabucchi says he'll be bringing stuffed cabbage with ground white meat chicken to the next tailgate party. You'll find him on the north end of Lot M-24, if you're looking for a taste.