Make a big-ticket Super Bowl spread on a small budget

A Super Bowl party can be the Cadillac of sporting event festivities.

It has all the bells and whistles — and comes complete with sticker shock.

The big game may mean thousands of dollars for tickets and travel to see it in person, but even watching at home can be expensive. Some of the classic championship snacks — wings, ribs, those great big party subs — come with a super-sized price tag.

Food is not cheap right now. Eggs are getting all the attention but other prices are up too. Grocery stores are charging more and so are restaurants.

Does that mean you can’t have a bountiful kick-off spread for Sunday? Not at all. You just have to shop — and cook — smart.

Wings are a football staple. They used to be dirt cheap but their bar-snack popularity has pushed the cost of these tiny tidbits with not nearly enough meat on the bones sky-high. They aren’t at their 2022 peak but Walmart has naked, raw, unseasoned wings at $4.84 per pound. Get them flavored, breaded and ready to pop in the oven and they can be $7.62 per pound. Yikes.

But drumsticks are both a better buy and arguably a more satisfying snack. For less than $6, you can score a five-pound bag of meaty chicken legs. They can be thrown on a grill, smoked, fried or oven-roasted just like wings. They can take on all the same popular flavors, from buffalo sauce and honey mustard to teriyaki or hot honey.

Ribs are another favorite with a price that doesn’t seem to acknowledge how little of the product is edible. Delicious? Absolutely. But are they worth the cost, often $12 or more per rack, when so much of the finished product is bone?

Pulled pork is much less temperamental than ribs. For the same cost, you can turn a pork shoulder into a large slow cooker of shredded meat ready to be tucked into sandwiches or piled on nachos. One Crock-Pot can be the centerpiece of a buffet of affordable options to stretch pricey meat across more filling, less costly choices.

Chili is a similarly cost-effective entree to build your Super Bowl spread around. Unlike chicken or pork, it’s easy to stretch with vegetables. Want that pot to go a little further? Toss in a can or two of beans. (Dried beans are even cheaper and arguably more flavorful.) Fill out a chili buffet with corn muffins, rice, baked potatoes or pasta.

The price of chips has gone through the roof in the last year or two, but can you even have a party without bowls of crunchy, salty snacks? Don’t overlook popcorn as a versatile and low-cost option. Buy kernels instead of microwave packets to make it even cheaper. Pop up big bowls and toss with things like Parmesan and garlic, taco seasoning, barbecue rub or cinnamon sugar.

The Super Bowl is a cultural touchstone. Even when your team isn’t playing, it’s still a draw for the entertainment, the commercials and, yes, the food. Having a fun, special spread doesn’t have to break the bank.