[Sponsor Note: Those of you who went to Dallas might’ve stopped by to taste Joe Pichey’s BBQ. He also may have mentioned that we can pay him back for his materials and writing because a sponsor covers it. That sponsor also makes incredible—and I’m very serious—hummus:

It rhymes with “Santana”. Also if you haven’t tried it yet I swear go stop by a Busch’s or Meijer or Kroger or whatever’s on your way home and pick up the carrot one. If somehow this isn’t the best hummus you’ve ever tried I’ll eat a spoonful of the super spicy three pepper one on YouTube. This isn’t actually much of a threat because that one’s really good too, but I’m not kidding the carrot one on your way home today do it.]

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Week one is in the books and the tailgating season is officially underway. We had a fantastic turnout at Jerryworld and cooked some really fun and tasty tailgate grub. Thanks to everyone that came out and said hello. Over the course of the 10-hour tailgate, we heard two questions over and over:

1. “Mind if I grab a beer”?
2. “Can I get the recipe for the blueberry breakfast thingie”?

The blueberry breakfast thingie is known as a FATTIE. It is one of my top 3 favorite tailgate foods to cook. A Fattie is basically a sausage chub stuffed with whatever you want. We went with blueberry muffin stuffing on this one. If you want to WOW your crew, make a few of these. This is a true SHOW STOPPER. Don’t forget to add some of your favorite Lantana Hummus flavors to the tailgate as well. Your hungry guests always need to something to snack on while the barley pops are flowing. Keep your eyes out for the seasonal flavors coming up.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb Breakfast Sausage Chub
• Blueberry Muffins
• Maple Syrup
• Coffee Rub

[After THE JUMP we roll a fattie]

Directions:

I like to use store bought blueberry muffins just out of pure laziness. If you want to use home made muffins, feel free. I’m sure they would be better. This ingredient list is rather short, so this recipe won’t break the bank. I went with Maple and regular flavored sausage, but HOT would be my choice on most occasions.

Start by placing the sausage chub on some foil. This will help with the rolling process.

Start by pressing the sausage into an even patty. I placed a sheet pan underneath, but this is not necessary. The key is to roll or press it out so that it’s even across the board.

Once the sausage is rolled out, crumble your muffins. I go with about 1.5 muffins per 1 lb sausage log. This of course will depend on the size of your muffin.

Fill the middle of the sausage log with your muffin crumbles. Leave room on both ends so that you can close the chub.

Add a little maple syrup to the crumbles. MMMMmmmmmmaple Syrup. I gave it a couple of GLUGS which is a very technical chef term. This is code for about 3 tablespoons.

Once the crumbles are moistened, start rolling one end of the foil.

Don’t overstuff as I did in this pic. If you overstuff, the chub will explode. You will see this one again in later pics.

Once it’s rolled, start pressing down to help form the log. This takes some work, but gets easier with each FATTIE you make.

Once you get the log formed, you can start forming the log by closing any openings. Make sure it is sealed up tight.

I like to make these the night before the tailgate and seal in plastic wrap. They will shape nicely in the fridge overnight. When you are ready to cook, set the grill or smoker up for indirect heat at 275 degrees and toss on a few pecan chunks. Dust your fattie with your favorite coffee rub and place on the pit.

These will cook for about 60 mins or until we hit an internal temp of 165 degrees. Once you hit 165 degrees, brush the fattie with some maple syrup. Go ahead and buy the good stuff. Let cook for another 5 mins and remove from the heat. As up can see, I overstuffed the one chub and it split. The great thing about tailgating is that beer consumption will always make the masses less “JUDGY” when it comes to your food. Our great fans are always ready to lend a hand when the food comes off the pit.

These slice perfectly and would go great on a biscuit with some cheese. Or, you can eat them as is.

The great thing about a fatty is that you can stuff it with whatever you want. Mac and cheese, pizza toppings, scrambled eggs and cheese are all favorites. I may try some crumbled waffles next time. I hope you give this one a try. Let me know what your favorite stuffings are on this one.

Have a great week and enjoy the home opener. GO BLUE!!!!