Yes, you could bring storebought shrimp cocktail to your next tailgate. Yes, you could go “healthy” and bring a vegetable-and-ranch-dressing tray.

Or you actually give a damn.

Any tailgate worth its pigskin requires time, effort, and dedication. Dial up tired standbys and you might as well watch the game from your couch.

Chef Jason Dady knows this. Dady, who has lived and worked in San Antonio for 14 years, takes his tailgates as seriously as he takes his commitment to the Dallas Cowboys.

Check this out: Dady makes a large-scale Frito pie for game day. The thing is so freakin’ huge that he uses a 48-inch paella pan to hold the glorious concoction.

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For the unfamiliar, Frito pie usually contains Fritos (naturally), chili, and a hodgepodge of Mexican toppings such as salsa, jalapenos, onions, rice, and/or cheese. Most often, you build and devour the dish straight out of the Fritos bag.

Dady swaps the chili for slow-smoked barbecue brisket and goes large-format. This recipe is actually half the size of his original, but the end product is still formidable.

Beyond a large skillet of at least 20 inches, you’ll also want a CrockPot or similar warming carrier to transport the brisket to the game. You’ll do most of the prep work the day before, but the sweat equity will pay off once you assemble the pie in front of your fellow fans.

“Big Tex” Frito Pie

Recipe adapted from Jason Dady, a chef and restauranteur in San Antonio, TX

What you’ll need:

6 lb. whole smoked brisket, chopped*

32 oz. BBQ sauce

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

4 (10.25-oz.) bags Fritos Original Corn Chips

3 lb. shredded cheddar cheese

3 lb. cherry tomatoes, halved

1 lb. jalapeno peppers, diced

2 bunches scallions, chopped

1 large red onion, small diced

3 cilantro bunches, rinsed well and chopped

32 oz. sour cream

*You have two options here. You can stop by your favorite BBQ joint and buy the whole brisket precooked. Or, you can smoke it yourself. Here’s the best recipe to do so.

How to make it:

1. Combine the brisket with half the barbecue sauce and season with salt and pepper, if needed. Set aside.

2. To serve, pour in the Fritos and then top with the brisket, cheese, tomatoes, jalapenos, scallions, red onion, cilantro, sour cream, and remaining barbecue sauce. Instruct fellow tailgaters to scoop the Fritos pie into cup and eat with a spoon. Serves 30 to 40 people.

Nutrition per serving: 671 calories, 36g protein, 29g carbohydrates (2g fiber), 44g fat

Paul Kita Paul Kita is the Food & Nutrition Editor at Men's Health, where he has covered the science of eating healthfully and the art of cooking simply for more than 10 years.

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