Food & Football: Hurricanes’ Guide to Tailgating Notre Dame

The Miami Hurricanes welcomed the month of November with a bang by taking down the #13 Virginia Tech Hokies. The Canes played lights out on a Saturday night that featured the new ‘Miami Night’ jerseys in front of a crowd that was absolutely phenomenal. After securing their place atop the ACC Coastal Division, the Canes look for an encore performance against the #3 Notre Dame Fighting Irish on the national stage this week. This Top 10 bitter rivalry game kicks off at 8 PM ET and I know “The Rock” will be rocking even harder than last week.

Not only will the Canes be on display on prime time, but our beloved campus will be seen in all its lustrous glory as College Game Day visits for the first time ever! Let’s show the world what it’s like to be a Cane living in “paradise” starting at 9 AM ET. I personally can’t wait to see the signs and the guest picker. This obviously goes without saying since it has become the theme for this football season, but the Canes are the underdog and every prediction I’ve seen has the Irish wining. Even their QB, Brandon Wimbush, predicted a win, a dominant win at that, earlier this week. So before we get into the Game Meal, let’s learn a little about the Irish.

The University of Notre Dame was founded in 1842 by a French missionary priest, Rev. Edward Sorin, and seven brothers of the Congregation of Holy Cross (C.S.C.). The C.S.C is a catholic institution founded 5 years prior in Le Man, France whose mission was to build Catholic education centers. The property in South Bend that became the Notre Dame campus was a gift to Rev. Sorin from the Bishop of Vincennes, a city in Indiana. The inaugural football season for ND was in 1887 and during these early years, Notre Dame was known by various names like the ‘Catholics’, ‘Hoosiers’, and ‘Ramblers’ during the days of the “Four Horsemen”. In 1924, the Irish influence on the mascot began when an Irish terrier was introduced as the mascot. The terrier, “Clashmore Mike,” became the official mascot in 1935 and lasted until 1963 when the Leprechaun took over completely. If you’re like me, you’re probably wondering why they are now called the Fighting Irish. Well, other than the terrier and a portion of the student population, the Irish influences on Notre Dame are not fully defined. The most logical story, in my opinion, is the fact that Rev. William Corby, C.S.C., (third ND school president) was the chaplain of a Brigade of Irish immigrants who fought for the Union during the Civil War.

Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images

Food: For the food, I decided to use inspiration from Notre Dame’s shallow Irish roots and serve “bangers”. Take the tailgate classic brat to the next level by soaking them in Irish beer before grilling them.

Donovan Hutchins

Drink: Finding inspiration for the perfect game drink will lead you down a few different paths. If you still have Grand Marnier from the Syracuse game, pair it with some cognac for the “French Connection”. If you are living dangerously, combine tequila, rum, whiskey and gin for a “Four Horsemen” shot. With assistance from my best friend and fellow Cane, we chose the path of creativity and concocted the “Last Confession”. Once the Absinthe hits you will surely start talking.

Donovan Hutchins

Be safe Canes Family and drink responsibly! For full recipes of this game and previous ones, see “2017 Hurricanes’ Cooking Guide”

Let me know your food and drink choices for this game!