Q&A with Mario Batali

Mario Batali. Scott Gries/Getty Images

If you've ever walked among the RVs and tents during a Nextel Cup weekend, you've likely encountered makeshift barbeque pits and spreads that would give any Iron Chef a run for his skillet.

In the spirit of NASCAR tailgating, chefs Mario Batali and Rachael Ray have combined forces for a grilling contest where the grand prize winner and a guest will enjoy a VIP weekend at Texas Motor Speedway alongside Batali and Ray. The winner will tailgate with the chefs prior to the Dickies 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race on November 2.

With plenty of sports fans heading for the grill this holiday weekend, SI.com checked in with Batali for some Fourth of July cooking advice:

SI: What's the perfect tailgating meal?

Batali: The main thing with tailgating is not spending all of your time cooking. You want to bring things that are almost ready to go. And I like things that even after I cook them, they can rest for a 30-45 minutes and not really go bad.

I love spit-roasting and rotisserie stuff. I love ordinary barbeque chicken, but the trick to barbecuing chicken and cooking any pork is brining it in advance. That way, when you cook it, it stays succulent and juicy. Tailgating can be about whatever runs your gamut.

SI: You've attended plenty of sporting events and written a book on NASCAR tailgating. Are sports fans good cooks?

Batali: Yes, because they are passionate about something already. They love their game, and that gives them the opportunity to explore their passion on many other levels. They get into their own specific recipes or their own sauce or dish. A lot of people don't have passion for their work or play or food, so anyone who can get excited about anything can get excited about cooking.

SI: I'm an average guy watching football on a Saturday or Sunday. What food can I make for myself that will enhance the experience?

Batali: Chips and dips are a great idea if you can avoid the fatty grotesque ones. And you will live longer to watch more games. I would say something as simple as vegetable sticks and a good hummus is a brilliant thing, and you can either buy or make good hummus very simply.

I think that good sandwiches are only condiments away from being excellent sandwiches. You need to buy all of the top-shelf meat and cheeses that you can and get really good bread, but more important, spend a little time [on condiments] besides mustard and mayonnaise. There is pepperoncini, there is pickled antipasto, there is olive paste, there is sweet and sour onions. There are so many things that can go on sandwiches that make it so much more than just ham and cheese on a piece of rye.

For hot food, the most important thing is really excellent, well-brined poultry. Cook it, let it sit and get cool. Keep in mind that when you are grilling burgers at the house, don't make them 12 ounces. You want to make them four ounces and cook them fast and thin and get them crisp, so you'll get them a little more charred and more delicious. What I like in my burger mix is for every two pounds of meat, I put in a half-cup of store-bought barbeque sauce and some salt and pepper. It makes it twice as good.

SI: Give us some specific grilling advice for the Fourth of the July?

Batali: Make sure you treat your meat or whatever it is before you cook it. Whether you do a dry rub on your beef or whether you do wet brine on your poultry, make sure you treat it right so that at the last minute all you have to do is cook it. Trying to save something or doctoring it up with a sauce at the last minute is always the hardest thing to do.

SI: You have cooked for some of NASCAR's most famous names. Who among the drivers likes what?

Batali: Well, let's put it this way: Richard Petty doesn't like anything except steak. And when you are The King, you can like whatever you want. Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon are very sophisticated dudes with homespun backgrounds. They like just about anything I make, from an insalata caprice with marinated mozzarella and three kinds of tomatoes to simple pasta or wings. Jamie McMurray likes just about anything meat but is also a big fish fan. Michael Waltrip is a sophisticated city dude who has to hide out in his NASCAR duds. The main thing about NASCAR drivers is they may pretend not to be sophisticated and well-traveled, but they know what they like.

SI: Have you found any athlete that is really interested in food or cooking?

Batali: Lance Armstrong loves to go to restaurants. He is interested in the food and where things come from. He's interested in how they are cooked and he is interested in his guests as well.

SI: What is NASCAR style when it comes to food?

Batali: Well, the thing that's different about NASCAR is when you go tailgating at a NASCAR race, you are there for three days. It's like going to Woodstock. Football and baseball guys, they tailgate for an hour and a half and then they go to the game. Or they do it after the game. NASCAR is much more comprehensive-style living. You have to plan on tailgating for breakfast, lunch and dinner, plus snacks. You have to live in a much more complex world of packing and cooling. It is probably a little more fun because it's a little bit more of a marathon.

SI: Tiger Woods has eaten at your restaurant, Lupa. How was he as a dining patron?

Batali: He was a cool dude. He was in the back room at Lupa and was a very nice guy, very well-spoken, very cool. He was a not a big entertainer, but cool with his crowd. I am going to be doing his Tiger Block Party in October so I'll have a better chance to do a one-on-one with him. Some people want to know all about the restaurant. Some people don't. Tiger was very much how I behave in a restaurant. I don't want to know anyone there. I want to hang out with the group I brought in.

SI: When you go to a sporting event, do you eat ballpark food?

Batali: It depends on the park.

SI: So what park's food is good?

Batali: I like Baltimore's baseball stadium, Seattle's football stadium, and San Francisco's baseball stadium. There are like 10 great things at Baltimore's baseball stadium, from the barbeque to crabs. I like to wander around and look at the counter to see what they are serving.

SI: What should one expect if they get to tailgate with you and Rachael Ray?

Batali: They will get breakfast, lunch and dinner for two days and see all the stuff that goes on in the inside of the race. They will ride around in a golf cart with Rachael and I and taste everyone else's food, which is always exciting.

Basically, we will throw down whatever we can come up with at that time of the year. You can assume there will be some kind of a tailgating pasta. There will also be pizza and plenty of top-shelf liquor and beer and fine wines. I believe Rachael's husband will be bringing his guitar so they'll be singing late into the evening. It should be a blast.

SI: Does Rachael know anything about NASCAR?

Batali: Well, she knows some. Not as much as I do because I am student of the sport. But Rachael knows how to party, let's put it that way.

SI: You are a diehard Seahawk fan, right?

Batali: Mike Holmgren has to come through this year. It's about time.

SI: And you like the Mariners. This is not exactly a plentiful time for you?

Batali: We're scraping bottom, baby. But when you are scraping bottom there is only one way up and it is up, up, up.

SI: Will Greg Schiano stay longterm at your alma mater, Rutgers?

Batali: Yes, he is a smart guy and there is a lot of backing behind him. The Penn State job would be stepping into a giant pair of shoes. He has his own program and he took us into the Top 10. It is a smart thing for him to stay and I bet they cough up the bucks.

SI: Who is the most compelling athlete today?

Batali: Ray Rice. He is an infinitely interesting character with an infinite amount of upside in his future.

SI: You can trade places with one athlete for one day, who are you and why?

Batali: Bill Russell. He is the king. The respect that he gets and deserves is an amazing thing. I would love to see his perspective.