Tailgate Bonanza with Pork and Kroger!

There's not much I love more than a great Tailgate Party!  Our friends and family are quite divided fans but regardless of what team we cheer for, everyone loves great food and great company on Game Day!  I wish there was a way every one of you could come on over to try some of the amazing things we've cooked up with Pork. 

 Since you all can't be here in person, to celebrate Pork and Tailgating, I’m giving away a
PRIZE PACKAGE VALUED AT $200
so you can stock up on plenty of Pork and other party supplies at Kroger!

Here's what we'll send to you:
-One portable outdoor grill

-Taylor digital thermometer
-Tailgate cooler (contains divided areas to keep your drinks and food separate, storage pockets and an attached bottle opener)
- $100 gift card to Kroger Supermarkets.

 

TO ENTER:
Time's up! We have a winner! 
Madonna who said..."I tweeted
https://twitter.com/avrilsgranny/status/389492543752122368"

Now, back to the Paaaaaaartay!...
We started at King Soopers (our local store in the Kroger Family) to stock up on great Pork products and party supplies.

 They had everything we needed, including some Broncos gear (We're NFL Broncos Fans and NCAAF Ohio State Buckeye fans all the way!)

Now on to the menu!  The stars of the show were definitely the Marmalade Ribs

and Smoked Pork Sliders

We also whipped up a batch of our family-favorite 50 Yard Fiesta Dip

as well as some Spicy Corn Bake

Throw your favorite drinks in the cooler and bring along treats (High Altitude Chocolate Chip Cookies) and you've got one great tailgate!

BBQ Marmalade Ribs

Ingredients:

4 lbs Pork Ribs

Rib Rub:
2 tsp coarse salt
2 tsp paprika
1 T garlic powder
½ tsp red pepper flakes
¼ tsp ground black pepper

BBQ Marmalade Sauce:
3 C your favorite BBQ sauce (we love Sweet Baby Ray)
2 T honey
¼ C. orange marmalade 

combine all sauce ingredients in a medium bowl and stir well.

To prepare Ribs in either an oven or smoker:
Conventional Oven:  Preheat to 300 degrees F.  Coat ribs with rub mixture.  Wrap ribs in aluminum foil and place on baking sheet.  Bake for 2 ½ hours.  Remove from oven, coat ribs generously with BBQ Marmalade.  At this point, I like to put the ribs in the fridge (can make ahead up to 24 hours) then when it’s Tailgate time, put them on a hot grill for 2-3 minutes each side to heat them up and sear the sauce. 

Smoker: If you have a smoker, here’s our favorite way to cook these ribs.  Set smoker to 225 F.
Coat ribs with rub mixture, place in smoker for 3 hours.  Remove ribs, coat with a thin coating of BBQ Marmalade and wrap in aluminum foil.  Continue smoking for 2 hours.  Remove ribs, coat generously with sauce and smoke for 1 additional hour.

Smoked Pork Sliders
We created a "Sliders Buffet" so everyone could make their own creations!  This is great for a crowd, especially if you have kids in the mix.

Ingredients:
Pork Loin, around 3 lbs.
coarse Kosher Salt
liquid smoke (in the spice aisle)
24 King's Hawaiian Rolls or other small rolls
3 cups your favorite BBQ Sauce
Honey Mustard
Creamy Horseradish
Butter Pickle Slices
Sliced Olives
Cole Slaw (homemade or storebought)
Sliced Provelone Cheese

Directions:Preheat oven to 225 degrees. Lay out two large sheets of aluminum foil. Lay two large sheets of plastic wrap on top of foil. Placepork loin on the plastic wrap (this keeps the moisture in! It's an amazing slow-roasting secret!:)). Sprinkle generously with kosher salt and liquid smoke, rub all over pork loin. Wrap up plastic wrap tightly around pork loin and then wrap with aluminum foil. Place in large roasting pan. Repeat with other loin half. Bake at 225 degrees 7-10 hrs. until done.  Remove from oven and shred pork.  At this point you can refrigerate or freeze for later use.  To make sandwiches, place Pulled Pork in a slow cooker.  Add BBQ Sauce and heat on low until pork is warm.  Place remaining ingredients in seperate bowls along with a basket of rolls.  Let guests place desired amount of pork on a roll then add toppings to create their own smoked pork creations!

Need More Tailgate Inspiration?  Check out the Tailgating with Pork and Kroger Pinterest board!  You can even repin your favorites for a chance to win a $250 Gift Card!

Disclaimer: I am being compensated by the National Pork Board and Kroger for this recipe and tailgate promotion.