Emmy-nominated celebrity chef and celebrated co-host of The Kitchen Jeff Mauro is teaming up with Shipt and Visa to bring the Ultimate Tailgate experience to life this football season with two exclusive recipes perfect for gameday. 

Featuring bold flavors and trending ingredients, Chef Mauro’s delicious twists on classic dishes will give any tailgate a boost and keep guests coming back for more. Check out his two recipes below and enter to win an ultimate tailgate sweepstakes to plan your own watch party, powered by Shipt. 

Smoked Triple Pepper Aged Cheddar Dip

Serves 4-6 people

• 1 cup whipped cream cheese
• 2 tablespoons chipotle in adobo sauce
• 1 fresh jalapeno, seeds and ribs removed, very small dice
• 3 Tablespoons diced, drained pickled banana peppers
• 1 cup orange, aged sharp cheddar
• Kosher salt to taste
• 1 tablespoons very thinly sliced fresh chive (garnish)

Whisk together cream cheese, adobo, jalapeno, banana peppers and cheddar. Once smooth, season with salt. Top with a coating of fresh chives and serve with pretzel logs.

Maple Pepper Pig Candy BLT Sliders with Giardiniera Aioli

Serves 6-8 people 

• 1 Recipe Maple Pepper Pig Candy (see below)
• 2 vidalia onions – sliced
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• Balsamic Vinegar
• Roma tomato – sliced medium-thickness
• 4 crispy leaves of Romaine Lettuce
• 1 Recipe Giardiniera Aioli (see below)
• 1 Pack buttered rolls with salted butter and lightly griddled until golden

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Place oil and onions in pan and gently sweat out, stirring only occasionally, letting the sugars develop. If necessary, deglaze with the balsamic vinegar a couple times. Cook until a deep golden brown, about 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

Maple Pepper Pig Candy

• 1 lb. of thick cut bacon
• ¼ cup maple sugar
• 1 tablespoons fresh cracked black pepper
• 1 teaspoon fresh cracked pink peppercorns

Preheat oven to 350

Mix the maple sugar, black pepper and pink peppercorns in a bowl. Place bacon, flat, on a parchment-lined sheet pan. Top the bacon with a sprinkle of the sugar/pepper mixture. Bake until super golden brown and crispy. Immediately transfer to a WELL-GREASED wire rack to cool. Ideally, this should be made the day of and cooled for 1-2 hours before serving. Do not hold overnight.

Giardiniera Aioli

• 1 cup mayonnaise
• ¼ cup Mauro Provisions Medium Craft Giardiniera, chopped fine

  • Other giardiniera brands acceptable as substitute

• 3 tablespoons ketchup
• 2 tablespoons stone ground mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic

Instructions:

To make the sauce: mix all ingredients together in a bowl until smooth.

Sandwich Build:

On the buttered and griddle bun, place a layer of the caramelized onions, 2 halved pieces of pig candy then the tomatoes (season with a bit a salt) shredded lettuce, a nice schmear of the aioli on the top bun ONLY. Close and serve!

Chef Mauro will be appearing at the Shipt + Visa Ultimate Tailgate Lounge on September 23 at the Clemson vs. Florida State game. For more information, please click here.