FTBBQ: Kielbasa Tots

Sponsor: Whether tailgating in Happy Valley or watching the action at home, take your Saturday spread to the next level with Sauces, BBQ Dry Rubs and Bloody Mary Mix from the 409 Tailgate Club. Visit 409’s Online Store HERE.

You know, we don’t hamstring ourselves with a ton of rules when it comes to grilling, tailgating or life, in general. Our best creations, best ideas, best decisions arise when we color outside the lines a little, guesstimate our measurements, and add a shot of alcohol to pretty much everything.

But there is one ironclad principle from which we never waver. It is our day-to-day culinary compass:

PORK > POTATOES

This truth served as our inspiration for this week’s recipe – a side that eats like a meal.

Remember tater tots? An elementary school cafeteria staple that always seemed to be soggy for some reason? Intended to be golden, fluffy nuggets of fun, cafeteria tater tots always fell apart when you dipped them in ketchup, or stuck to the inside of the bag and disintegrate upon pulling. And then when you whined to the lunch lady about why we couldn’t just have French Fries instead, she’d glare back and try to convince you that tater tots were somehow a healthier option…which even 8-year-old us knew was a damn lie.

Thankfully, our ‘Kielbasa Tots’ will help suppress all those terrible childhood memories and fill you up with a protein-packed snack right before kickoff.

Here’s what you’ll need:

Ingredients

4-6 Freshly Smoked Kielbasa Links

3 tbsp. Yellow Mustard

1 bottle of 409’s Peachy Pa’s Bourbon Tailgate Sauce ORDER HERE

5 tbsp. 409 All-Purpose Rub ORDER HERE

Directions

• Fire up the grill to medium-high heat. If you’re making these at home, set the oven to 375.

• Cut your Kielbasa into 1-2 inch bite size pieces – like the size of a normal tater tot.

• Coat your tots with a thin layer of yellow mustard and then season them with your 409 All-Purpose Rub. Let the coating settle for 3-5 minutes.

•Toss your coated tots in the Peachy Pa’s Tailgate Sauce and transfer to aluminum foil, which will be placed directly on the grill. For those using an oven, put the tots in a baking dish.

• Once your grill/oven is at the desired temperature, start cooking the tots. Cook time is 20 minutes. At 5-minute intervals, open the grill lid and stir/move the tots while adding more sauce. Once the sauce gets a bit tacky, the Kielbasa Tots are done!