Wings, nachos and cheeseballs, oh my! Super Bowl snacks sure to please

San Francisco 49ers or Kansas City Chiefs?

In these parts, the bigger question for Super Bowl LIV will be, chicken wings or guacamole — or both?

Super Bowl snacking is part of the fun of watching the Feb. 2 festivities, even if our Pittsburgh Steelers won’t be on the field at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla.

According to The National Chicken Council’s annual Chicken Wing Report, Americans are projected to consume a record-breaking 1.4 billion chicken wings during Super Bowl LIV weekend.

“Football is great. Wings are great. But they’re even better together,” said council spokesman Tom Super. “Sure, you can have your chips, your guacamole, your pizza. But when it comes to Super Bowl menus, wings rule the roost.”

While it’s a good bet that chicken wings will be part of the game plan for Super Bowl party hosts, there are so many other treats to consider. Here are some of them, including a few from chefs hailing from Steelers Country. Enjoy!

Start with the wings

Here’s a tasty recipe from The National Chicken Council for preparing chicken wings in the oven.

Sweet and Tangy Chicken Wings

Serving size: 4

Ingredients

3 pounds chicken wings (about 16-20)

1 can (8 oz) cola

1 jar (12 oz) bottled chili sauce

¼ cup orange juice

½ teaspoon cumin

¼ teaspoon coriander

1 clove garlic, crushed

¾ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Directions

In medium saucepan over medium-high heat, combine cola, chili sauce, orange juice, cumin, coriander and garlic. Turn heat to high and bring to a boil. Boil and reduce until sauce is thickened, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and cool slightly.

Heat broiler and arrange rack about 4 inches from heat. Place wings on broiler or baking pan covered with aluminum foil; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place in oven and broil 6 minutes, turn and broil for another 6 minutes. Remove from oven.

Turn off broiler and heat oven to 400 F.

Pour sauce over wings, tossing until well-coated. Place tray with wings in oven and bake 35 minutes, or until wings are tender and register 165 F when tested with meat thermometer.

To serve, remove wings to platter and sprinkle with parsley.

Kimchi is hot

It’s not just about the wings on Super Bowl Sunday, according to chef Greg Andrews, also known as The Pickled Chef at his Latrobe restaurant of the same name.

“Kimchi is currently the hottest food trend,” he says. “We’ve combined our best-selling house-made fresh-healthy-raw fermented classic kimchi with your favorite loaded nachos, fries or Tots for a fantastic foodie’s Super Bowl snack,” he says.

Details: thepickledchef.com

Shredded Five-Spice Pork

Ingredients

1 bone-in pork shoulder, 5½ to 6 pounds

2 teaspoons five-spice powder

3 garlic cloves, very finely minced or pressed

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions

Let the pork stand at room temperature for 1 to 1½ hours.

Preheat an oven to 425 F (220 C).

In a small bowl, stir together the five-spice powder, garlic, 2 tsp. salt and 1 tsp. pepper. In a large shallow dish, rub the spice mixture all over the pork, then arrange the pork on a rack set over a roasting pan.

Transfer to the oven and roast for 45 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 350 F (180 C) and continue to roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the meat away from the bone registers 135 F (57 C) for medium, about 45 minutes longer, or until done to your liking. Let rest for about 30 minutes. Trim away excess fat and shred, using two forks.

Kimchi Fries, Tots or Nachos

Ingredients

4 pounds frozen French fries or Tater Tots, or two bags tortilla chips

16 ounces shredded Colby-Jack cheese

One 16-ounce jar The Pickled Chef Kimchi, at room temperature

½ cup The Pickled Chef Korean BBQ Sauce or your favorite BBQ Sauce

Sriracha mayonnaise, for drizzling

Sriracha, for drizzling

1½ cups thinly sliced green onions

Directions

For the fries or Tater Tots:

Fry or bake the French fries or Tater Tots according to package instructions until crispy and golden brown. Drain and spread out on two baking sheets.

For nachos:

Spread desired tortilla chips on 2 baking sheets.

Sprinkle the cheese evenly over the chips, fries or tots. Distribute the pork over the cheese and top with BBQ sauce, bake in 350 F for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Drizzle over the desired amount of Sriracha mayonnaise and Sriracha in thin ribbons, top with kimchi, garnish with green onions and serve.

Baked Ziti with Pittsburgh Pasta Sauce

Chef Doug Mariani is carrying on a family tradition with his Pittsburgh Pasta Sauce. His recipe for baked ziti is an easy dish for family suppers or Super Bowl parties.

Details: pittsburghpasta.com

Baked Ziti

3 jars of Pittsburgh pasta sauce, Authentic Recipe

1 pound ziti pasta

1 pound cooked sausage

½ lb. pepperoni

1 pound pizza cheese, shredded

½ cup Romano cheese, grated

Cook sausage in a pan on top of the stove, then drain grease. Boil ziti noodles until cooked, then drain water. Put noodles in large mixing bowl. Add in sausage, pepperoni, one-half of the pizza cheese and all of the Romano.

Place mixture in a bakeable pan approximately 3 inches deep. Bake at 350 F. for 20 minutes. Add the rest of the pizza cheese over the top, spread evenly. Bake another 20-30 minutes or until cheese is melted evenly.

Pittsburgh Pickle Co.

Only a true “Yinzer” would think to create a sushi recipe that dares to substitute Isaly’s chipped ham for raw fish. Pittsburgh Pickle Co. owner John Patterson provides two recipes that feature the made-in-the-‘Burgh pickles.

Details: pittsburghpickle.com

Yinzer Sushi

Prep time: 10 minutes

Servings: 18 pieces

Ingredients

12 slices Isaly’s chipped ham, thinly sliced

1 8-ounce package cream cheese

3 spears Pittsburgh Pickles, your choice of flavor

1 bottle Wasabi Sandwich Sauce, for dipping

Directions

Take 4 slices of ham and lay them flat. Create two other stacks, too.

Spread cream cheese on the ham to the edges. Repeat with other two stacks.

Place Pittsburgh Pickle on each stack and wrap ham around the meat like rolling up a blanket. Repeat.

Cut all of your rolls into pinwheels and secure with a toothpick. Serve with Wasabi Sandwich Sauce for the total Pittsburgh experience!

Cheeseball — Pittsburgh Pickle Style

Prep Time: 5-10 minutes

Servings: 2 baseball-size cheeseballs

Ingredients

For cheeseball:

1 8-ounce package cream cheese

1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded

½ cup Pittsburgh Pickle chopped, your choice of Pittsburgh Style, Dill Mill or Fire and Smoke

1 teaspoon dill, finely chopped

1 tablespoon Pittsburgh Pickle brine (use same flavor as chopped pickle)

1½ teaspoon garlic powder

½ teaspoon paprika

Salt and pepper to taste

For coating:

8 slices bacon cooked until crispy, then chopped

½ cup cheddar cheese, shredded

½ cup Pittsburgh Pickle, finely chopped, your choice: Pittsburgh Style, Dill Mill or Fire and Smoke

Directions

Cheeseballs are easy. Seriously. Just mix all of the cheeseball ingredients together, season with salt and pepper, then roll into a large ball. Then roll the cheeseball into the coating ingredients and you’re done. You can always toss this in the fridge for a bit for a firmer cheeseball.

Splurge for dessert

Before the Big Game ends, Super Bowl guests will be ready for dessert. Football-themed options ordered in advance at local supermarkets and bakeries will take the work out of preparing some sweet treats.

At Oakmont Bakery, there’s even a chocolate chip cookie cake for that serves 16-20 people and gives some encouragement to the home team with its message, “Whoever vs. Who Cares … Go Steelers.”

Yes, there’s always next year.

Details: oakmontbakery.com