Football Charcuterie Tutorial with a bonus recipe: Football Cheese Ball!
Creating a unique, aesthetically pleasing, and flavorful charcuterie board can bring a little extra excitement to any party–especially if it’s football-themed. Football charcuterie boards offer a fun and delicious way to incorporate food into the party atmosphere and are sure to be a big hit.
The combination of individual bites such as cheese, nuts, cured meats, olives, and fruits makes it easy to choose something for everyone, no matter what their preferences are.
It’s also an easily customizable snack station perfect for any football viewing party.
In this post, we’ll go over the basics of how to make a charcuterie board, along with some ideas for ingredients and presentation. Whether you’re a seasoned charcuterie board enthusiast or a beginner looking for a fun way to bring some excitement to your next football gathering
After all, who can resist a cheese ball shaped like a Football and coated with crispy chopped bacon?
Don’t miss some of our favorite appetizers:
Game Day Layered Dip: Your guest will love this easy Game Day Layered Dip recipe! It is super easy to put together and is the perfect snack food for the big day. The best part is it in individual containers. No double-dipping!
Baked Spinach and Artichoke Dip: Dips are a must-have for any gathering, and for your next family get-together or party, you must make this delicious Baked Spinach & Artichoke Dip! It is super easy to make and guaranteed to be a crowd-pleaser!
Air Fryer Lemon Pepper Chicken Wings: If you love delicious chicken wings, then you will love this easy-to-make Lemon Pepper Chicken Wings recipe! In only minutes and with wings, seasoning, and a little bit of butter, you can have melt-in-your crispy and juicy chicken wings no one can resist!
Bacon Mini Mac Cheeseburger Sliders: If you love Sliders, these Bacon Mini Mac Cheeseburgers are perfect for dinner, or appetizers for the big game. These are so easy to make too- you can cook them in the oven and make the hamburger to fit six buns at a time.
Football Charcuterie Ingredients:
Football Cheese Ball
- 16 ounces cream cheese (2 8-ounce blocks), softened 2 tbsp sour cream
- 2 cups colby jack cheese shredded
- 1 tbsp cajun spice
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp chili spice
- 1 tbsp garlic salt
- 1 tsp crushed red peppers
- 1/4 cup green onions chopped
- 1/2 cup chopped bacon
- ¼ cup diced jalapenos
- 1 tsp hot sauce
- 1 cup chopped bacon (for the Coating)
Meats Needed:
- Smoked Cajun Sausage
- Smoked Turkey sausage
- Pepperoni wrapped mozzarella
- Salami wrapped mozzarella
Cheeses Needed:
- 6-8 Cheddar Cheese, sliced
- 6-8 Colby Jack Cheese, sliced
- 6-8 Pepper Jack Cheese, sliced
- 6-8 Swiss, sliced
Vegetables Needed:
- 1 cup Baby Tomatoes
- 2 cups Baby carrots
- 4-5 Bell peppers sliced
- 3 Jalapenos sliced
Olives:
- ½ cup Kalamata Olives
Jams and dips needed:
- ¼ cup Pepper Jelly
- ½ cup Cheese dip
- ½ cup Spicy aioli
Crackers and other garnishes:
- 1 cup Ritz crackers
- 2 cups Pretzel bites
- 1 cup Seasoned pretzel sticks
- ½ cup Roasted peanuts
- ½ cup Fried jalapenos
Football Charcuterie Board Instructions:
Making the Football Cheese Ball:
Using a hand mixer and a large mixing bowl, combine cream cheese, sour cream, and spices.
Add the bacon, jalapenos, green onions, and colby jack cheese to the cream cheese mixture. Use a spatula to mix to combine.
Refrigerate for 1 hour.
Spray your hands with nonstick baking spray and mold the cheese mixture into a football shape. Lay out a piece of plastic wrap and place the cheese ball on top.
Wrap the cheeseball with the plastic wrap tightly so it can hold its shape.
Refrigerate for 4 hours.
Unwrap the cheese ball and carefully roll it in the chopped bacon.
Gently press the toppings into the sides, if needed.
Don’t forget to pipe sour cream to create the laces on the football cheese ball. I would do this last, after the board is all assembled.
Charcuterie Board Assembly:
Place the football cheese ball in the center of your board.
Set to the side.
Add the ramekins for the jam and dips on the board.
Place all of your meats on the board in various spots.
Now add the cheese slices to the board.
Begin to add the remaining ingredients and make sure to fill in the empty spots on the board.
Use sour cream to create the laces on the football cheese ball.
Refrigerate until serving.
Print the Recipe
Make a Football Charcuterie Board
Creating a delicious football-themed charcuterie board for your next game day gathering is a great way to show your support for your favorite team and provide a variety of tasty snacks for your guests.
Ingredients
- Football Cheese Ball
- 16 ounces cream cheese (2 8-ounce blocks), softened 2 tbsp sour cream
- 2 cups colby jack cheese shredded
- 1 tbsp cajun spice
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp chili spice
- 1 tbsp garlic salt
- 1 tsp crushed red peppers
- 1/4 cup green onions chopped
- 1/2 cup bacon chopped
- ¼ cup diced jalapenos
- 1 tsp hot sauce
- Coating:
- 1 cup chopped bacon
- Meats:
- Smoked Cajun Sausage
- Smoked Turkey sausage
- Pepperoni wrapped mozzarella
- Salami wrapped mozzarella
- Cheese
- 6-8 Cheddar Cheese, sliced
- 6-8 Colby Jack Cheese, sliced
- 6-8 Pepper Jack Cheese, sliced
- 6-8 Swiss, sliced
- Vegetables
- 1 cup Baby Tomatoes
- 2 cups Baby carrots
- 4-5 Bell peppers sliced
- 3 Jalapenos sliced
- Olives
- ½ cup Kalamata Olives
- Jams and dips
- ¼ cup Pepper Jelly
- ½ cup Cheese dip
- ½ cup Spicy aioli
- Crackers and other
- 1 cup Ritz crackers
- 2 cups Pretzel bites
- 1 cup Seasoned pretzel sticks
- ½ cup Roasted peanuts
- ½ cup Fried jalapenos
Instructions
Football Cheese Ball
Using a hand mixer and a large mixing bowl, combine together cream cheese, sour cream, and spices. Add the bacon, jalapenos, green onions, and colby jack cheese to the cream cheese mixture. Use a spatula to mix to combine.
Refrigerate for 1 hour.
Spray your hands with nonstick baking spray and mold the cheese mixture into a football shape. Lay out a piece of plastic wrap and place the cheese ball on top.
Wrap the cheeseball with the plastic wrap tightly so it can hold its shape.
Refrigerate for 4 hours.
Unwrap the cheese ball and carefully roll it in the chopped bacon.
Gently press the toppings into the sides, if needed.
Pipe sour cream to create the laces on the football cheese ball.
Charcuterie Board
Place the football cheese ball in the center of your board.
Set to the side.
Add the ramekins for the jam and dips on the board.
Place all of your meats on the board in various spots.
Now add the cheese slices to the board.
Begin to add the remaining ingredients and make sure to fill in the empty spots on the board. Refrigerate until serving.
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