Super Bowl LVIII is less than a week away with the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs set to face off in Las Vegas on February 11, and feature gameday snacks with participating teams and host cities is a centuries-old tradition. This year, Kansas City’s barbecue sense takes on San Francisco’s reputation for being excellent at all things edible, all sprinkled with a little Vegas glitter.
You have to set the scene and the color palette is very simple: red, white and gold suit both teams.
Kansas City is famous for its barbecue restaurants, such as Arthur Bryant’s, Gates and Joe’s Kansas City Bar-B-Que. Throw whatever you want on the grill, as long as the weather allows, but why not try Joe’s beloved Z-Man sandwich, which is a favorite of actor Paul Rudd, who lived many years in Kansas. It features smoked brisket, provolone cheese, KC-style barbecue sauce (sweet and spicy made from molasses), and onion rings, all piled on a Kaiser roll. You can create miniatures of them – easier to grasp while still concentrating on the game – using sliders or buns. (Here’s an exhaustive video on the history of the sandwich and instructions if you want to make everything from scratch, including the bread.)
There’s another popular Midwestern food tradition: We talk about the questionable combination of cinnamon rolls and chili, and we don’t go there. But feel free to make a big slow cooker of chili (here’s a healthier one, made with turkey), always a Super Bowl favorite.
Choosing a 49ers-inspired dish is trickier because San Francisco is a culinary mecca. Cioppino, a tomato-based seafood stew, is probably its most iconic dish, but we don’t want you to work in the kitchen all day, so we’re going for something a little simpler and friendly: garlic fries! He is more associated with the San Francisco Giants than the 49ers, but Niners fans also enjoy them at their stadium.
The easiest way to prepare them is to heat about a quarter cup of olive oil on the stove over medium heat, stir in 2 tablespoons of minced garlic, and cook until l garlic turns golden. If the color is darker, you’ll have really nasty burnt garlic. Bake or air fry a bag of frozen fries, and once cooking is complete, brush the fries with the garlic oil mixture and sprinkle them generously with chopped fresh parsley, salt and grated Parmesan. Garlic powder? Will. Not. Do.
And yes, here we go: your Swiftie friends will want to have Chicken Fingers, Taylor version — nuggies served with ketchup and “apparently ranch”.
How do we adapt to the Vegas atmosphere? The city is known for its celebrity chef restaurants, but its casino buffets are iconic. Then you’re in luck: Super Bowl spreads are most often served buffet style, so scatter a few playing cards and poker chips among your red, white and gold decorations and you’re golden.
We hope these ideas have gotten you out of the wings and pizza rut (although there’s nothing wrong with that) and inspired you to elevate your broadcast for the Chiefs vs. 49ers, broadcast on CBS and Nickelodeon, and streaming. on Paramount+.