Tobacco Road Rivalry Bar Cart

Football is a big deal in the South. We love food so it’s no surprise that we look forward to congregating around grills in parking lots all day. Besides tailgating, the South tends to be pretty darn good at college football. The SEC football culture is deeply rooted in competitiveness and dominance. Gamedays in the SEC are entire productions. Have you seen those Ole Miss tailgates?!

I do love tailgating and a good football game, but this North Carolina girl lives for college basketball and the Tobacco Road Rivalry. The close proximity of Carolina and dook (located only eight miles apart) and history of both programs fuel the tension between the two archrivals.

Many folks in Chapel Hill and Durham have been making their Kroger beer runs. Others have been up since 6:30 am to get in to College GameDay or their favorite bar to snag a table for the game (that doesn’t start until 8pm). Me? Well I decorated a corner of my dining room in anticipation of the big game…that’s normal right?!

Soon to be followed by the ACC and NCAA Tournaments, to me this is the official start of March Madness. I’m extremely fortunate that I’ll be in the Smith Center tonight, but I’m sharing my watch party inspiration with y’all! I’ve styled my bar cart with the essentials and kept it casual…game days should be fun, not stressful!

Below you'll find one of my go-to wing recipes and some beer suggestions (all from UNC alumni-owned breweries) that you should indulge in tonight while watching the greatest rivalry in college sports. Enjoy your Saturday and GO HEELS!

Honey Sriracha Chicken Wings

(Adapted from Damn Delicious recipe)

Ingredients:

Wings: 

-2.5 pounds chicken wing portions (can use drumettes as well if you prefer)
-2 tablespoons olive oil
-3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
-4 cloves of garlic, minced
-1 teaspoon kosher salt
-1 teaspoon ground black pepper
-Sesame seeds and chopped cilantro (for garnish) 

Honey Sriracha Glaze:

-6 tablespoons unsalted butter
-2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
-1/4 cup of honey
-1/2 cup Asian-style hot chili sauce (found in Asian section of local grocery store)
-2 tablespoons Sriracha (I also use 1 tablespoon of Texas Pete)
-2 tablespoons soy sauce
-1 teaspoon garlic powder
-1/2 teaspoon chili powder
-Dash of cayenne pepper, salt, and ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. In a large bowl, combine wings, olive oil, butter, garlic, salt and pepper.

3. Place wings onto the prepared baking sheet and bake for 25 minutes, using tongs to turn halfway through.

4. While the wings are baking, start the glaze. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour until lightly browned. Stir in honey, both hot sauces, soy sauce, and add remaining spices (garlic powder, chili powder, cayenne, salt, and black pepper). Bring to a boil and simmer until thickened, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat until wings are done.

5. Remove wings from oven and brush 1/2 of the glaze on top. Return to oven and broil 3-4 minutes. Remove wings from oven again, flip, brush with remaining glazing, return to oven and broil for 3-4 minutes until desired crispness. 

Garnish with sesame seeds and cilantro.