Tailgates are supposed to be a party. Friends circled around a cooler, the smell of charcoal in the air, someone balancing a too-full plate on the hood of a car. But too often the food feels like an afterthought — burgers, dogs, maybe a bag of chips if someone remembered. Fine, sure, but not exactly memorable.
If you’re firing up a grill in a parking lot, you might as well make it worth the trouble. This year, skip the sad burger patties and show up with beef that makes people stop mid-conversation. Tri-tip, hanger steak, flap steak — cuts with actual personality. They’re flavorful, affordable, and cook up beautifully without requiring you to be an award-winning pitmaster. Trust me, once you serve steak at a tailgate, there’s no going back.
Why tailgates need better beef
Hot dogs and burgers are the lowest common denominator of grilling. Nobody’s mad when they show up, but nobody’s telling stories about them later, either. They’re the background music of game day.
Steak, though — steak is the headliner. It has presence. It announces, we came to eat as much as we came to cheer. And the best part is you don’t need to buy ribeye or filet to get that reaction. There’s a whole lineup of underrated cuts that grill up like a dream, feed a crowd, and leave enough money in your pocket for an extra case of beer.
Underrated cuts that shine on the grill
Tri-tip
If you grew up on the West Coast like I did, you already know the cult of tri-tip. If you didn’t, let me introduce you. It’s a triangular cut from the bottom sirloin with enough marbling to keep it juicy and enough size to feed everyone. Grill it, slice it against the grain, and pile it onto rolls for sandwiches. It’s steak that feels communal, and nothing brings a tailgate together like one cutting board everyone keeps circling back to.
Hanger steak
This one used to be called the butcher’s cut, because they’d keep it for themselves instead of selling it. Which tells you all you need to know. It’s beefy, tender, and quick to cook. Perfect for when kickoff is looming and you don’t have time to babysit the grill. Sear it hot, slice it thin, and watch your friends act like you just performed a miracle with a Weber and a pair of tongs.
Flap steak
Flap steak is like flank steak’s cooler, more forgiving cousin. Loose-grained, juicy, and happy to soak up a marinade, it’s a tailgate MVP. Marinate it in oil, lime, garlic, and chili, throw it over the coals, then slice it thin with a pile of tortillas and a jar of salsa. Suddenly, you’re the guy serving steak tacos in a parking lot. That’s a legacy.
Want to branch out even more? Chuck eye is the “budget ribeye,” Denver steak is marbled and tender, and picanha — Brazil’s barbecue darling — has enough fat cap to keep things interesting.
How to cook them without fuss
The beauty of these cuts is that they don’t require a culinary degree (though, hey, it doesn’t hurt). Just follow a few simple rules:
- Keep it simple. Salt, pepper, a little garlic powder. You don’t always need a complex rub to make good beef taste good.
- Mind your heat. Tri-tip loves a two-zone fire: sear first, then move it off to finish slow. Hanger and flap want it fast and hot. Just about four minutes per side and you’re golden.
- Rest and slice right. Let the meat sit for five or ten minutes before carving. And please, slice against the grain. Especially with flap and hanger. Cross-cutting makes the difference between melt-in-your-mouth and still chewing through the fourth quarter.
Pairing beer and steak for game day
If you’re already filling a cooler, you might as well think about how the beer plays with the beef. No need to be fussy about it, this is a parking lot, not a wine bar. But the right match can make everything taste better.
- Flap steak + IPA. The bitterness and citrus cut right through the richness, especially if you went with a chili-lime marinade.
- Tri-tip + amber ale. Malty, smooth, a little sweet, it brings out tri-tip’s natural juiciness.
- Hanger steak + stout. The deep, roasted flavors of a stout double down on hanger’s beefy character. It’s like steak night and dessert in one.
- Anything with chimichurri + pilsner. Crisp, clean, refreshing. The beer equivalent of hitting “refresh” before another bite.
The final whistle
Here’s the truth: burgers and dogs are fine. They’ll always have their place. But if you really want your tailgate to be the one people talk about next week, throw steak on the grill. Tri-tip, hanger, flap — these cuts aren’t just budget-friendly, they’re showstoppers.
Tailgating is about the experience. The laughter, the chaos, the guy who drops his plate in the parking lot but eats it anyway. Make the food part of that memory. Because once your crew gets a taste of steak before kickoff, no one’s asking for hot dogs again.
