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    Home » Recipes » SEC

    Big Orange Smokeys with Checkerboard Relish | Tennessee Tailgate

    Updated Jan 25, 2021

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    Big Orange Smokeys with Checkerboard Relish are perfect for your next Tennessee Tailgate or any football party. This tailgate recipe will make you wanna break out Rocky Top and sing! Wait, that's every day for a Tennessee fan, right?

    Ever hear of little smokies? Yeah, we have, too. But we're not having it. A true SEC tailgate party deserves big and bold flavors. This recipe features a winning team of sweet orange marmalade and spicy chili sauce with slow simmered smoked saugages. Big Orange Smokeys are our way of going big or going home.  Sweet, spicy, loud, and a big ol' country mess.  With a checkboard finish.

    There's no place like home. #GBO 

    Big Orange Smokeys and Checkerboard Relish | Tennessee Tailgate

    SEC Tailgate Special : The University of Tennessee

    At heart, we are fans of the University of Tennessee and our Vols. This recipe is what inspired us to do a tailgate party recipe for every team in the SEC. 14 Teams = 14 Tailgate Recipes!

    Our goal: to capture the spirit of each school's team and make a fun and delicious recipe using local flavor and flair. So we put our football differences aside, and researched every school.

    If you have ever been to an SEC Tailgate, you know that food is the only thing that brings opposing fans together. (Besides the fact that we all want to beat Florida.)

    Don't follow college football or aren't a fan of the SEC? That's totally ok. Our tailgate recipes are still awesome for your next party. Or a Tuesday. (We won't judge.)

     

     

    Big Orange Smokeys with Checkerboard Relish | Tennessee Tailgate

    First things first, Vol Nation...you've gotta find big smoked sausages. Big Smokeys, not little smokies. We used a hardwood smoked country-style sausage and cut them into serving sized pieces.

     

    large smoked sausages simmering in a rich, sweet and tangy sauce in a crockpot

     

    You can brown them in a skillet first, like we did. Or, throw them on the tailgate grill to add color first. If you are using pre-cooked sausages like these, you can just throw them right into the slow cooker.

     

    a jar of orange marmalade and chili sauce

     

    Now, time for Big Orange flavor at your Tennessee Tailgate. A whole jar (yes) of orange marmalade followed by a whole bottle of chili sauce (the ketchup-y kind).

    Orange marmalade has the pieces of orange peel in it, which adds to the orange flavor that we want. Combined with the chili sauce and some Sriracha, this simple but flavorful sauce makes a WOW statement. Can't wait for you to try them at your next Tennessee Tailgate.

    You can make these before the game and take them with you, or make them on site in a skillet or slow cooker. Let them slow simmer so the sausages can really take on that sweet and spicy flavor. (We used our Crock Pot!) So Easy!

    We served our Big Orange Smokeys on fresh buns with a heaping serving of our Checkerboard Relish.

     

    Try more of our SEC Tailgating Recipes here:

    Nashville Hot Chicken Wraps

    Dawg Chow Snack Mix

    Gator Bait Bites + Swamp Sauce

     

    an overhead shot of diced orange bell peppers, onion and cabbage

     

    Sweet orange bell peppers, white onion, and cabbage are all chopped up and combined with vinegar, sugar, and spices. (To get the best flavor, make the relish the night before serving.)

     

    a white bowl with spices such as mustard seed, dill, salt and pepper

     

    The colorful relish is a perfect topping for the sweet and spicy smoked sausages. Plus, it looks awesome.

     

    Tennessee Vols Tailgate Recipe

     

    Tailgating 101 | Tasty Recipes for Football Fun

     

    Warning : these are messy. But I am a firm believer that tailgate never happens until someone spills something on their jersey, so bring it on.

     

    Big Orange Smokeys with Checkerboard Relish - a Tennessee Volunteers Tailgate recipe

     

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    Big Orange Smokeys with Checkerboard Relish | Tennessee Tailgate

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    Ingredients
      

    For the Big Orange Smokeys

    • 2 16 oz packages of smoked sausages
    • 1 TB oil if you are browning in a skillet first
    • 1 18 oz jar orange marmalade
    • 1 12 oz bottle chili sauce
    • 1 TB Siracha or more to taste
    • Buns

    For the Checkerboard Relish

    • 1 large orange bell pepper seeded and diced
    • 1 small white onion peeled and diced
    • 1 ½ cups green cabbage diced
    • ⅔ cup water
    • ⅓ cup white vinegar
    • 3 TB white sugar
    • 1 teaspoon dill weed
    • 1 teaspoon mustard seed
    • ½ teaspoon ground ginger
    • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
    • ¼ teaspoon salt

    Instructions
     

    For the Big Orange Smokeys

    • Cut sausages into serving sized pieces. We cut some in half lengthwise as well. If desired, cook in oil in a skillet to brown the sausages.
    • In a crockpot or slow cooker, combine the orange marmalade, chili sauce, and Siracha. Stir to combine well. Place the sausages in the sauce and coat well. Cover and simmer for 2-3 hours.
    • Serve on fresh buns with Checkerboard Relish.

    For the Checkerboard Relish

    • Dice the orange bell pepper, onions, and cabbage to the same size pieces.
    • In a bowl, combine the water, vinegar, sugar and spices. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Add the vegetables and stir well. Refrigerate before serving.
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

     

    More SEC

    • How to Make Alabama Red Velvet Whoopie Pies
    • Nashville Hot Chicken Wraps
    • Cocky's Carolina Mustard Wings
    • Death Valley Cajun Jambalaya | LSU Tailgate

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