The San Francisco 49ers are in the Super Bowl, and if you’re anything like me, you are having a party on Sunday. Not just any party, but the best 49ers-themed party ever. We hopped into the lab to work with some existing recipes and create some new ones to make meals with a 49ers theme.
But we didn’t stop there. We also came up with some fun games and gambling activities for your party so everyone, even non-49ers fans, can get in on the fun.
And, of course, we found a way to incorporate booze.
Read on for some ideas to ensure your party is yummy, 49ers-themed and most of all, FUN.
Games
Yes, it’s a Super Bowl party, but there’s also halftime and after the game. And if you’re not tuning into the halftime show (or the amazing Puppy Bowl), then you’ll need some games.
Watch Football, Get Drunk
Need a drinking game to get that keg rolling? This one has you covered. This is fun for the rabid football fans and those who showed up just to watch the commercials. Grab up to 12 people at the party and deal out some cards. It won’t take long for you to get a buzz and motivation for some Super Bowl munchies.
Disclaimer: This is for people 21 and up. If you’re under 21, use something like water or grape juice. We don’t wanna get sued.
Cost: Around $30
Super Bowl Bingo
How often have you overused the “On your bingo card” joke? Well, now you can finally have a literal bingo card for the Super Bowl. Print these things out and hand them off for a prize. Money, a 49ers jersey, a TCL Television set? Sky’s the limit.
Cost: FREE
Football Squares:
For those of you who live in a state where you can’t do the DraftKings thing (like Washington), this is the next best thing for a prop bet. Here’s how it works.
- Take a large piece of paper and draw yourself a grid which has 10 squares. You can also use an Excel sheet, but it’s more fun with a large poster paper up on the door revealing bad handwriting and a lack of straight lines. The columns will be one team. The rows will be another team. Make sure to specify which team is which (see the example below).
- Each square is for sale. Any person can buy one oras many squares as they want (or you can limit them). Charge $ or, $5, or make a separate “High Roller” board and charge $20. It’s up to you. Once someone buys a square, they get to write their name in the square bought. Note: if you have a large party, you may want to make a few different poster boards so everyone can get in on this. Do NOT proceed to the next step until all squares are occupied by names.
- Now, once all your squares are filled, we’re going to randomize where the numbers are on your board. Rip up a piece of paper into 10 scraps. Write a number between 0-9 on the scrap and finish when all are accounted for. Shuffle the paper (a cup works well) and draw the numbers going left to right on your squares. So if your first number drawn is 7, that’s the first column. If you draw a 3, that’s the next column.
- Once all columns are filled. Shuffle the paper again and do it to the rows you made. You should have something like this spreadsheet I created:
The goal is for whoever is on a square to have the last digit of each team’s score lining up to their box. So if John, in my example, has the 49ers with a last digit of 9 and a Chiefs last digit of 3. John wins the pot if the game ends 49-13, 49ers.
I don’t recommend a winner-take-all payout. A better way is dividing the pot with a winner each quarter, leaving the fourth quarter the biggest payout:
1st Quarter: 15%
2nd Quarter: 20%
3rd Quarter: 25%
4th Quarter: 40%
Cost: Your shirt, you compulsive gambler, you. But to get materials, this shouldn’t set you back more than $20.
Food
Alright, let’s get to the good stuff. These are some fun takes on popular recipes.
Big Clock Brocc Pizza
We’ll start our food options with a pizza. This can be easily made with some store-bought pizza crust or make your own dough. For something smaller and not as filling, I recommend burrito-sized tortillas.
You’ll need:
- Pizza Crust
- Barbecue sauce
- Cooked chicken breast
- Red onions
- Bacon
- Broccoli (Brock, Brocc, get it?)
- If you’ve ever done pizza before, this should be pretty simple. Get your crust out and apply sauce as your base. Add a layer of shredded cheese (28-35 grams should do the trick —more for larger crusts).
- Add the chicken, red onions, bacon, and broccoli. Be sure to give adequate space between your toppings. When I made this, I saved the bacon for last and just tossed it all over my pie.
- Put into the oven at the crusts temperature (should be in the 400 degree Fahrenheit range)
- Pull when edges are golden brown and cheese is melted.
COST: $25-$35
Kittle Corn
This is relatively easy to do whether you want to buy pre-popped popcorn or pop up a few bags. I recommend the latter, as the cheese will melt within the popcorn as it stays hot.
You’ll need:
- Bag (or more) of popcorn (any flavor)
- Pepper
- Salt
- Garlic powder
- Red pepper flakes
- Shredded mozzarella cheese (or cheddar if you want)
- Bacon bits
- Pepperoni slices
- Pop a bag of popcorn and take a handful from the bag and carefully drop in a bowl, being careful for any un-popped hulls (throw those away).
- Add a dash of salt, pepper, garlic powder and red pepper flakes
- Take a pinch of shredded cheese and drop it
- Add Bacon bits
- Add 3-4 slices of pepperoni
- Add another handful of popcorn and repeat until desired serving size (or until the bag is empty
Note: Doing it through handfuls will keep the hard corns that didn't pop out of the bowl and prevent a jaw-ache.
COST: $15
The B.A. Sandwich
This sandwich is named after wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk. While it’s tasty on its own, taking some Cameroon pepper (Aiyuk is of Cameroonian descent) will give it some good kick.
You’ll need:
- Sliced bread
- Smoked brisket/Tri-tip steak
- Avocado
- Garlic aioli
- Cameroon pepper
Most of these ingredients are easy to find/prepare. It’s the brisket that you may have some issues with. If you don’t have a dedicated smoker or your HOAs/landlord/court order forbid you from any sort of combustible grill, you can certainly try it in the oven, though I can’t vouch for the flavor in that case.
If you can’t afford a brisket or just want to save a few bucks, grab yourself a tri-tip roast. These can be cooked very similar to a brisket and will yield great flavor. There’s also trimmed briskets which are about a quarter the size of a normal brisket and commonly come with a lot of the fat already cut off which can save you a half hour.
The big thing is smoking the brisket. You’ll want to do this a day or two before so it can rest and the juices can re-permeate. If you need some assistance on how to do this, check out this BBQ Pit Boys video. Alternatively, if you use a tri-tip, you can go here if you need something to follow along.
Once that’s all done, here’s how to make the sandwich:
- Take your garlic aioli and put into a very small bowl. Add 1-2 teaspoons of Cameroon powder and stir it up (the more you add, the more kick it’s going to give you). Set aside.
- Toast the bread/bun.
- When bread is toasted to your liking, spread your mixture from step one on each side. Add other condiments if needed.
- Slice up three to six thin slices of brisket and place it on one of the toasted halves.
- Cut up a 50-gram-90-gram avocado into 4 pieces and remove the skin/pit. Place slices on top of the meat.
- Top with the other half of bread and eat.
COST: Depending on the meat, $40 and plenty of leftovers
The CMC - (Chicken, Mustard, Cheese)
Don’t take this sandwich anywhere near Brock Purdy. Dude hates mustard. For the rest of you, we’re going to fry up a chicken sandwich with a breading mixture. If you have a deep fat fryer, then by all means go to that. I prefer an air fryer as it makes my chicken not near as oily. The instructions below will be for anyone using an air fryer. If deep fat frying, you may need to make some adjustments.
You’ll need:
- Air Fryer, Deep Fryer, etc.
- 8 oz chicken breast
- Brioche-style buns
- Swiss Cheese (or any cheese you want)
- Salt
- Pepper
- Paprika
- Onion powder
- Cayenne Pepper
- Eggs (or egg whites)
- Flour
- Baking Powder
- Cooking Spray
- Preheat Air Fryer to 400 degrees Fahrenheit
- Take your chicken breast and a knife and cut it into two thin slices. Once done, take a meat hammer to the chicken to thin it out for more even cooking.
- In a mixing bowl, add the 2.5 tablespoonsof flour, two teaspoons of salt, pepper, baking powder,r and one teaspoon of paprika, onion powder, and cayenne pepper. Mix well and set aside.
- Create an egg wash. Either get yourself two-four eggs and mix in a bowl or pour yourself around 150 grams of egg whites.
- Take your chicken and pat dry. Coat in the egg wash on both sides, then transfer the chicken to the bowl of breading mixture. Make sure every inch of the breast is covered—you can’t possibly over bread this so don’t worry.
- Once you have the coating, transfer it to a plate. For air frying folks, take some cooking spray and hose the breast down on both sides with it. If you want to use oil, be careful when applying that you don’t brush off the mixture (using an oil spray would work).
- Transfer chicken to air fryer. Cook for 15 minutes, turning it over halfway. Before removing check to be sure chicken is at 165 degrees internal temperature.
- Let chicken rest for five-15 minutes.
- Add Dijon/spicy mustard to your brioche buns. Add cheese
- Transfer breaded breast to the bun and close it up.
- Top with other condiments (lettuce, onions, etc.) if desired.
COST: Around $25
Wide Back Ribs
Named after Deebo Samuel’s position, this should accompany your chicken wings. Like the BA, this will take some preparation and patience, but if you’re looking for something new to your rib recipe, just doing this should work.
You’ll need:
- Rack of baby back ribs
- 1 lb of bacon (whatever flavor you want)
- Rib rub
- Hickory BBQ sauce
The key ingredient to these ribs is going to be the bacon. What’s going to happen is you’ll make yourself a bacon weave over the ribs. Go here to see how to do this. When the bacon gets hot, it’s going to tighten up, and the grease/fat will seep into the ribs below,giving you this amazing flavor.
I recommend doing this either very early in the morning or even the day before and reheat in the oven so you can chomp away during the Super Bowl.
- Remove the membrane from the ribs. Take a spoon and press it against the back of the ribs to peel up that white-ish membrane. Use a paper towel to grip and pull it off. Note: Some like the membrane, so leave it there if you really want.
- Apply rub of choice to the ribs; I recommend something that has sugar, paprika, cumin, and onion powder as part of the ingredients.
- Create bacon weave over ribs. Use toothpicks if needed to hold bacon in place over the rack. Try to get it circling the rack underneath so it’s a nice pillow of sorts containing the rack. If you can’t get it connected under the rack or don’t have enough bacon, don’t sweat it. The top is where we are most concerned.
- Season the weave once more with light salt and pepper
- Smoke or roast the ribs. Much like The B.A., you’ll want to put aside adequate preparation time for this. Ribs can be unpredictable whether you’re roasting them in the oven or on the smoker. Sometimes, I have cooked them to temp in four hours, and other times,it took me eight. It’s all about getting that connective tissue to melt. If you have any suggestions on how to do it, go ahead and give your method in the comments. I personally sear my ribs on a charcoal grill for 5 minutes on each side, then leave them opposite the heat source for about 2 hours. Once that’s done, I take foil, put sauce/brown sugar on the ribs, wrap them up very tight (with just an opening for a food probe), and let them sit that way until they hit 195 degrees.
- Add some sauce and cut the ribs up for a serving bowl.
The bacon can consumed with the ribs or used for other sandwiches/salads. It’s going to be very soft using this method. If cooked right, you should get some good flavor. Good luck.
COST: Around $40, depending on the rib rate/lb at your grocery store.
Bosa Burger
Need some ideas for a hamburger? This modification of the BBQ Pit Boys whiskey burger combines booze and sugar to make something special. It’s meaty, just like Nick Bosa.
You need:
- 1⁄2 lb ground beef
- Two strips of bacon
- English muffin rings (you can use a cake ring too, but an English muffin ring gives you 3.15 inches, so your burger isn’t huge).
- Hamburger buns (If you can, match them up with your rings to be sure there won’t be too much overlapping).
- Swiss cheese
- Portobello mushrooms (one per burger, stem removed)
- Whiskey/Bourbon
- Two garlic cloves
- Onions
- Chopped red onion
The rings are going to be specifically to pack the burger together so we can pour liquid and sugar on it before putting it into a smoker/oven.
- Preheat Oven to 300 degrees,
- Add bacon when oven is ready
- Remove ground beef and season however you want it (I recommend salt, pepper, paprika, garlic, and a pepper of your choice), and then pack burgers into the rings
- Using the handle of a wooden spoon or something with a flat/round end with a small diameter, poke holes in the burger (chopsticks work well). Make sure you do not poke all the way through, you want to go about 3⁄4 of the way.
- Begin by drizzling a bit of olive oil on the mushrooms
- Chop the garlic and add it to the mushrooms
- Add chopped red onion to the mushrooms and set mushrooms aside
- If you haven’t yet, get your burgers into the rings. under a 1⁄2 lb should get you one burger. You want to pack it tight into the rings
- Pour a shot of whiskey/bourbon on the top of your meat in the rings, then pour 1⁄4 cup sugar also.
- Transfer burgers to an oven-safe pan if you haven’t already and place in oven. Remove cake ring when inside.
- after 30 minutes, add the portobello mushrooms to the oven.
- Cook burgers to desired doneness and pull (should take 45 minutes-hour)
- Top with the mushroom, Swiss cheese, and bacon.
COST: $30
Booze
You think we’d go through this without giving you suggestions on your alcohol? We’re pretty sure you got beer taken care of, so here are some mixed drinks and other suggestions. Keep in mind that a drink mixing kit, wine opener, etc., is assumed to be in your possession.
The Shanamanhattan
Names after the 49ers head coach, this Manhattan has a sweet twist to it.
What you’ll need:
2 ounces of Maker’s Mark bourbon (or any bourbon—a couple shooters should do)
3 dashes of chocolate Bitters
1 ounce of sweet, red vermouth
1 square of chocolate bar
Cherries
- Grab your mixing glass and throw some ice in.
- Add the bourbon, vermouth, and bitters.
- Stir with a drink mixing spoon.
- Drop a cherry into your martini glass (or whatever glass you use)
- Strain the drink into the glass
- Add another cherry via toothpick
- Place the chocolate square in
COST: Varies based on the alcohol you buy
The Red and Gold Fashioned
This is a take on the old-fashioned, but we’re going to add some cherry syrup into it
What you will Need:
- Bourbon (Again, Maker’s Mark recommended)
- Lemon juice
- Cherry juice
- Old fashioned bitters (don’t bother using extra bitters from the Shanamanhattan unless you want this really messed up).
- Lemon wedge
- Cherry
- Maple syrup
- Start with two ice cubes and add 2 oz bourbon in a whiskey glass
- Pour 1⁄4 oz of the cherry syrup, two dashes of bitters, and 1⁄4 oz lemon juice and stir
- Add a splash of maple syrup
- Once all together, add a lemon wedge and cherry into the drink and stir once more.
COST: Varies based on the alcohol you buy
Chateau Mouton-Rothschild 2019
If we’re going to do a 49ers Super Bowl party, we need wine, and damn it; if you’re gonna do something, you need to do it right. So we went and found some great wine.
The description of this bottle says this French red blend is “an intense garnet red with purplish hue...Beautifully rich overall, it culminates in a stylish, succulent and very harmonious finish.”
I have no idea what any of that is, but it sounds like it’s justifying the price tag. On Wine.com, it has a 4.4 rating out of seven and comes with some high praise. If you’re going to watch the 49ers, the wine and cheese thing is an almost must and if you really want to do it right, you might as well nab yourself the Chateau. They can do next-day shipping, so you should have it by the Super Bowl if you have an urgency. Pair this with a B.A., and you are living like a king.
COST: Around $700 + Shipping (Note: $20 off a $100 order)