I found the best eats at my first Eagles tailgate, from deep-fried turkey to Philly pretzels galore

Running back Saquon Barkley wasn’t the only one making bold moves on Nov. 3.

Hours before the Eagles kicked off against the Jacksonville Jaguars, I made a bold move too: spending the day at Lincoln Financial Field for my first-ever Eagles tailgate.

After four years of living in Philadelphia, I decided it was time to experience this jawn, track down the best food, and learn the ropes from some pro tailgaters.

Full disclosure: my interest in anything football is practically non-existent. But walking past the NRG Station and through the lot gates, I felt a thrill of excitement as a sea of kelly green jerseys came into view. Folks lounged on truck beds, tossed footballs, and kicked beer cans into makeshift goal posts.

My eyes jumped from tailgate to tailgate — grills smoking, beer floats flowing, and trays of pretzels that could feed the whole lot — until they landed on Antoinette “Ham” Valentine’s spread. The Delaware resident caught my wandering eye and waved me over to her setup, where a pot of chili “made with eight different types of beans,” cornbread, pasta salad, hot dogs, and — “of course” cheesesteaks — filled a fold-up table. Lawn chairs dotted the grass like it was the most comfortable spot in town.

Valentine and fellow tailgater Jermaine wasted no time serving bowls of chili and pouring out homemade espresso martinis for my colleagues and I.

When they heard I was a first-timer, the two offered some advice.

“Don’t be afraid to walk around and go to the other tents,” Jermaine said. “The whole world is cut off [when you’re at an Eagles tailgate] — and we’re all family here.”

“I don’t even know anything about football. I’m here for the drinks and the camaraderie,” Valentine said. “And I come back every time because it’s so much fun.”

After devouring a sweet, crumbly cornbread, I heeded their advice and found myself at Jake Greenberg’s table.

The Wayne resident had his tailgate down to an art — cookies iced in Eagles green and decorated with mini footballs, a mountain of chips, a platter of pretzels, and tiers of Eagles-themed cupcakes covered the table up front, and, in the back, a grill smoking skirt steaks, burgers, and hot dogs.

With the help of friends, Greenberg set up his tailgate to raise money for Penn Medicine’s Abramson Cancer Center.

“We did a tailgate three years ago, [when I] found out that I had cancer,” Greenberg said. “Thankfully, I’m cancer-free now. So every year around this time, we do one tailgate a year to raise money.”

The skirt steaks — marinated with “lots of seasonings,” including soy sauce, garlic powder, minced garlic, onion powder, salt and pepper, and truffle salt — are the showstopper here.

For first-time tailgate hosts, Greenberg’s advice is simple: Make a list and come prepared. “Think of everything — there are a million different things you can forget,” he said.

One of those things? A bathroom, as Jonathan James McIsaac told me. “You could do the porta-johns but once you get close to the game it’s good to have a personal one,” the West Chester resident said.

And while a deep-fryer might not be necessary for some, it is for McIsaac’s tailgate crew who eagerly waited for the 13-pound turkey inside. The deep-fried turkey is a yearly tradition with Allentown resident Stephen Frederick manning the bird. He brines and seasons the turkey with a Costco blend for 24 to 36 hours.

“It’s just one thing we do every year,” he said. “We do some fried food (mozzarella sticks, fries, Oreos) with it and just have fun.” Frederick said. But safety is paramount, he added. No frozen turkeys are getting dropped on his watch.

The timer goes off and the tailgate crew gathers around for the big reveal. Cheers ring out as Frederick lifts the perfectly crisp, golden brown turkey out of the vat of hot oil.

“Oh, that’s beautiful,” McIsaac says.

But fried turkey isn’t the only culinary masterpiece cooking in the parking lot. Fredrick tells me there’s a whole pig roasting at another tailgate.

Sure enough, I find Eric Wayne in an Eagles chef’s hat next to a long reverse slow smoker with a seven-pound hog named “Tropher Lawrence” inside. The Media resident roasts various meats in theme with rival teams each year, including an alligator for the Saints, a goat for the game against Tom Brady, and smoked dolphin fish for the Miami game. This year, the hog is inspired by Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence.

“We do this for anyone without a [tailgate] home; you don’t want to grab a hoagie from Wawa — that’s not tailgating even if [the company] try to say it is,” he said. “Tailgating is coming down here having some fun with the people, eating some good food, and just digging in and getting your feet dirty.”

For Brendan Fox, it’s a chance to work on his culinary skills.

The South Philadelphian, who cooks at Enswell in Center City, spent his Sunday tossing mussels and shrimp in a pan for hungry tailgaters. Pork loin, cheesesteaks, and smashburgers were also on the menu.

“I just replicate my training here — it’s like cooking in a restaurant with bunch of friends and family,” he said.

The last stop on my tailgate journey was a smaller set-up hosted by Sean Ortiz and Andre Josiando. The North Philly and Kensington residents fired up jerk chickens, burgers, salmon, crabs, shrimp, and steaks for their friends, who decided to join in on their tailgating fun this year.

As they flipped meats on the grill, the two pros shared some words of tailgate wisdom.

“Always have on an Eagles jersey in Philly,” Josiando said. And “life is about happiness and comfortability” so what’s a better place to experience that than at an Eagles game, Ortiz added.

I couldn’t agree more.

As I looked around at all the camaraderie, a wave of contentment washed over me. I now understood why Eagles tailgates are a Philly tradition. It’s not just about the food — though the diversity of dishes was a delicious surprise — it’s the feeling that you’re part of something bigger than just a football game. And that is what makes this jawn worth trying.