Ranking the best tailgate food in California high school football: St. Paul's BBQ

Who has the best high school football tailgate and food on Friday night in Southern California? St. Paul's BBQ made a lasting impression.

The pulled pork plate from The Rolling Pit BBQ at St. Paul High in Santa Fe Springs, Calif. served on Friday night for high school football. / Tarek Fattal

SANTA FE SPRINGS, CALIFORNIA - Is there a better bond than food and sports?

MLB ballparks boast they have the best hotdogs. Saturdays and Sundays in college football and the NFL are littered with tailgaters - a phenomenon seemingly threaded into the fiber of American culture.

But what about Friday nights? What about fans, parents and community members that get fired up for high school football? Believe it or not, the tailgates for Friday night lights can get elaborate, too. Hours before kickoff, parking lots are filled with fans accompanied by a backdrop of loud music and mouth-watering food.

SBLive's Tarek Fattal, who covers high school sports in Southern California, is in search for which schools have the best tailgate and food on Friday nights.

In Week 1, Tarek went to St. Paul High in Santa Fe Springs, Calif. where the tailgate is highlighted by The Rolling Pit BBQ. Owner Mike Aguirre is a proud alum of St. Paul, and was on the football team when the program won a CIF Southern Section championship in 1981.

Aguirre's menu featured pulled pork and BBQ chicken sandwich plates that come with macaroni salad and baked beans.

The smell alone would make you salivate.

The pulled pork plate from The Rolling Pit BBQ at St. Paul High in Santa Fe Springs, Calif. served on Friday night for high school football. / Tarek Fattal

The marquee item is the loaded baked potato with your choice of meat, topped with BBQ sauce, cheese, green onions, and sour cream.

Have a pillow ready in the stands after eating this one.

The loaded baked potato from The Rolling Pit BBQ at St. Paul High in Santa Fe Springs, Calif. served on Friday night for high school football. / Tarek Fattal

All of the food was good. Fresh ingredients. Succulent flavors. No dry meat, and beyond friendly customer service led by Aguirre, who says he's been the owner for 27 years. (THE ROLLING PIT BBQ)

There must have been something in the food, because St. Paul beat rival Bishop Amat 21-12 to give the Swordsmen its first victory over Amat in 24 years. St. Paul QB Gabriel Castaneda was responsible for all three touchdowns, throwing for 146 yards and a TD to go with his two rushing scores.

Mike Aguirre, former St. Paul QB on the 1981 CIF championship team, is the proud owner of The Rolling Pit BBQ for 27 years.

Full circle for him, providing mouth-watering food for St. Paul’s rivalry game against Bishop Amat.

Jim Phillips (Football Ops.) expects 6,000 tonight. pic.twitter.com/rPZWfH021D

— Tarek Fattal (@Tarek_Fattal) August 31, 2024

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