Whether you watch the Super Bowl for the actual game or simply enjoy all the delicious snack foods, make pork the center of game day!
Besides the “pig skin” traveling up and down the field, pork can also be a versatile ingredient in your game day foods! From bacon to ribs to pulled pork, the options are endless.
Here’s a look at some ideas to make flavorful pork the center of your Super Bowl party food lineup:
Buffalo Pork Ribs
Ingredients:
- 2 pork back ribs (racks, about 3 pounds each, membrane removed)
- 3 cups buffalo sauce (such as Franks Red Hot Sauce, original flavor)
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter
- salt
- pepper
- blue cheese dressing (for garnish, optional)
- celery sticks (for garnish, optional)
Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
2. In a small saucepan set over medium heat, combine the hot sauce and butter. Bring to a boil while whisking until it’s smooth, then set the buffalo sauce aside.
3. Arrange 2 layers of aluminum foil, large enough to wrap around each rack of ribs, on your work surface. Place a rack in the center of each foil setup and season both sides generously with salt and pepper. Coat the meat side of the ribs, which should be facing up, with 1/2 cup of the buffalo sauce. Wrap the ribs tightly with the foil, place on a baking sheet, and bake until tender, about 1 hour.
4. Remove ribs from oven, place the oven rack in the middle of the oven; turn the oven to broil. Remove the ribs from the foil and lay them, meat side up, on a foil-lined baking sheet. Coat each rib with 1/4 cup of the buffalo sauce and broil until the sauce starts to brown, 4 minutes. Continue to broil and baste the ribs until you have used another 1/4 cup of buffalo sauce per rack.
5. Let the ribs rest for 10 minutes, then cut into individual ribs. In a large bowl, toss the ribs with the half of the remaining buffalo sauce. Arrange the ribs on a serving platter and serve with blue cheese dressing and celery and carrot sticks.
Cheesy Italian Grinder Dip
Ingredients:
- 1 lb. sweet Italian sausage
- ½ c. diced bell pepper
- 1 ½ c. sour cream
- 4 c. pizza blend shredded cheese
- 1 c. Parmesan/Romano cheese blend
- ½ tbsp. Italian seasoning
- ¾ tsp. garlic salt
- ¼ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
- 2 tbsp. minced parsley
Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. In a 10” cast iron skillet, add sausage and red pepper. Cook over medium heat until sausage is browned and peppers are tender. Drain if necessary. Reserve ½ cup sausage and pepper mixture for garnish, keep warm.
3. In a large mixing bowl combine sour cream, cheeses, Italian seasoning, garlic salt, crushed red pepper flakes and 1 tbsp parsley. Stir until well mixed.
4. Pour cheese mixture on top of sausage and pepper mixture in cast iron skillet. Spread evenly.
5. Bake at 450 degrees Fahrenheit for 16-20 minutes until golden brown. Garnish with ½ cup reserved sausage and pepper mixture and reserved parsley. Serve warm with sturdy crackers, pita chips and or toasted crostini pieces. Small bowls of basil pesto and marinara can also be offered on the side as well.
Watch how to prepare it here.
Pork Belly Burnt Ends
Ingredients:
- 3 1/2 lb. pork belly
- 1/2 cup pork seasoning (your favorite)
- 2 cups barbecue sauce
- 6 Tbsp. unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup honey (hot, optional)
Instructions:
1. Trim all silver skin and hard fat off the top of the pork belly. Trim the skin off the bottom of the pork belly.
2. Cut the pork belly into 1.5" strips, then cut again into 1.5"x1.5" cubes. Liberally season with your favorite pork seasoning.
3. Preheat smoker or grill to 225 degrees. Place pork belly cubes into the smoker and smoke for 3 hours.
4. Remove pork belly from smoker, place them into a foil pan and add in the barbecue sauce, more seasoning, butter, and hot honey (if desired). Return to smoker for 1.5-2 hours.
5. Remove the foil pan from smoker and uncover. Let rest for 10 minutes, then serve.
Rain-Or-Shine Pulled Pork and Pimento Cheese
Ingredients:
- 3 lb. boneless pork shoulder
- 2 Tbsp. ketchup
- 2 Tbsp. brown sugar (packed)
- 1 Tbsp. red pepper flakes (or more to taste)
- 1 1/4 cups cider vinegar (divided)
- 1 1/2 tsp. salt (divided, or more to taste)
- 1 red onion (quartered and thinly sliced)
- 8 soft buns (split horizontally)
- 8 oz. cheddar cheese (coarsely shredded, about 2 cups)
- 4 oz. cream cheese (at room temperature)
- 4 oz. diced pimentos (or sliced, drained, about 1/2 cup)
- salt
- pepper
Instructions:
1. In a medium bowl, combine ketchup, brown sugar, red pepper flakes, 1/2 cup of the vinegar and 1/2 teaspoon salt, stirring to dissolve the sugar and salt. Pour vinegar mixture into a slow cooker and add pork. Cover and cook until pork is very tender, 6 to 8 hours on low or 4 to 5 hours on high, ideally turning the meat halfway through.
2. Meanwhile, in a medium nonreactive bowl, combine remaining 3/4 cup of vinegar and remaining 1 teaspoon of salt, stirring to dissolve the salt. Stir in onion and set aside at room temperature, stirring occasionally, for 2 hours. Set aside in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
3. For the pimiento cheese: In the bowl of a food processor, combine cheddar cheese and cream cheese, pulsing to combine. Add pimientos and pulse to coarsely chop. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
4. Transfer the cooked pork to a cutting board and let rest 10 to 15 minutes. Use two forks to shred the meat into bite-sized pieces. Moisten/season with cooking juices, red pepper flakes, and salt to taste.
5. Drain onions, setting them aside and discarding the marinade. Spread the pimiento cheese on the bottom halves of the rolls. Top with pork and onions and serve.
Air Fryer BBQ Pork Riblets
Ingredients:
- 3/4 cup water
- 1 lb. bone-in St. Louis pork sparerib portions (cut 1 to 1½ inches thick)
- 1 Tbsp. Kansas City style barbecue seasoning rub (or Homemade BBQ Seasoning, see recipe, below)
- canola oil cooking spray
- 2/3 cup barbecue sauce (bottled, heated)
Instructions:
1. Place water in bottom of air-fryer pan (underneath the basket). Preheat air fryer to 350°F according to manufacturer’s directions.
2. Meanwhile, cut rib portions between the bones into 1- to 1½-inch pieces; place in a large bowl. Sprinkle barbecue seasoning over rib pieces; toss until evenly coated. Lightly spray rib pieces with cooking spray; toss.
3. Lightly spray the air-fryer basket with cooking spray. Place rib pieces in the basket. Lightly spray tops of pork pieces with cooking spray. Cook for 6 minutes. Shake rib pieces in basket or toss with tongs; lightly spray with cooking spray. Cook for 12 minutes more, shaking basket or tossing rib pieces after 6 minutes.
4. Lightly brush rib pieces with some of the sauce; cook for 1 to 2 minutes or until sauce slightly caramelizes. Transfer rib pieces to a bowl and toss with remaining sauce. Let cool for 3 to 5 minutes before serving
5. Homemade BBQ Seasoning: In a small bowl combine 2 teaspoon packed dark brown sugar, ¾ teaspoon smoked paprika, ½ teaspoon garlic salt and 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper. Makes 1 tablespoon.
Ham Crescents
Ingredients:
- 1/2 lb. fully cooked ham (brown-sugar, shaved)
- 8 oz. crescent dinner rolls (refrigerated)
- 4 slices mozzarella cheese (OR Swiss, cut diagonally)
- 3 Tbsp. mayonnaise (OR salad dressing)
- 1 Tbsp. dijon (style mustard)
Instructions:
1. Separate package of crescent rolls into triangles; place on waxed paper.
2. Place cheese triangle over each dough triangle.
3. Divide ham among the 8 dough/cheese triangles.
4. Beginning at widest end, roll up to form a crescent. Place on baking sheet that has been coated with cooking spray. Bake at 375 degrees F for 13 to 15 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, in small bowl, stir together mayonnaise and mustard; serve with Ham Crescents.
For more pork centered dishes:
Super Bowl Stand-Outs: 8 Ways to Win With Pork
Super Bowl Standouts: 5 Pork Recipes They’ll Rave About
Ready to Please Your Crew? Try These 5 Pulled Pork Favorites
