Football season is in full swing, and we’re loving every minute of it—especially the delicious game-day food. We enjoy taking classic tailgating favorites and giving them a fresh twist, so we partnered with Ozarka Water to create an easy, crowd-pleasing recipe you can prepare at home and bring to the stadium. OZARKA® Brand 100% Natural Spring Water, a brand with deep Texas roots, has long been a part of community life here, and high school football is no exception.
In Texas, high school football is a community tradition. For the second year in a row, OZARKA® is proud to support the Southlake Carroll High School football program as the official spring water of Dragon Stadium. This season the focus is on the three pillars of Texas high school football: community pride, homecoming and tailgating.
We teamed up with OZARKA to bring tailgating to life and to share one of our favorite game-day recipes: Carne Asada Sliders topped with a spicy Mexican coleslaw. These sliders deliver the best of both worlds—a little burger, a little taco—stacked into a perfectly handheld slider. Crockpot recipes are ideal for tailgates because you can set them to cook all day, then transport them to the venue with minimal fuss. For this recipe, all you’ll need to bring to the game are: 1) slider buns, 2) the crockpot filled with tender shredded carne asada, and 3) a bowl of the spicy coleslaw. Simple, portable, and fantastic for sharing.
We also kept nutrition in mind. The coleslaw uses Greek yogurt instead of mayonnaise, and the carne asada marinade relies on fresh, simple ingredients. These sliders are a great balance of flavor and approachability—prepare them for your next game-day gathering and watch them disappear. Let us know what you like to bring to tailgates!
We hope you enjoy these Carne Asada Sliders with Spicy Mexican Coleslaw.
Crockpot Carne Asada Ingredients (makes 12 sliders):
- 1.5–2 lbs flank or skirt steak
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1/4 cup fresh orange juice
- 2 tbsp fresh lime juice
- 2 tbsp organic apple cider vinegar
- 1 jalapeño, seeds removed and finely chopped
- 1/2 red onion, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup freshly chopped cilantro
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp ground cumin
Method:
- Using a fork, pierce the flank steak all over (about 15 times). Season both sides generously with salt and pepper and place the steak in the bottom of the crockpot.
- In a bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lime juice, orange juice, apple cider vinegar, jalapeño, red onion, garlic and cumin.
- Pour the marinade over the steak. Cover and cook on low for 6–8 hours, or on high for 4–6 hours, until the meat is tender and easily shredded.
- Once cooked, remove the steak and shred it using two forks. Return the shredded meat to the crockpot and stir in the chopped cilantro to finish the flavor.
- Serve the carne asada on slider buns and top with the spicy Mexican coleslaw (recipe below).
Spicy Mexican Coleslaw Ingredients:
- 2 cups shredded green cabbage
- 1 cup shredded purple cabbage
- 1/2 cup shredded carrots
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
- 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
- 5 tbsp plain 0% milkfat Greek yogurt (such as Siggi’s)
- 4 tbsp fresh lime juice
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, or to taste
- 1/2 tsp garlic salt
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Method:
- In a large bowl, combine the shredded green and purple cabbage, shredded carrots, chopped cilantro and thinly sliced red onion.
- In a smaller bowl, whisk together the Greek yogurt, fresh lime juice, cayenne and garlic salt until smooth. Pour the dressing over the cabbage mixture and toss thoroughly to coat. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve so the flavors can meld.
Tips for a successful tailgate: cook the carne asada on low for maximum tenderness, keep the coleslaw chilled until serving, and assemble sliders on-site so buns stay soft and the filling remains juicy. These sliders are portable, flavorful and ideal for sharing with friends and family at any game-day gathering.
This post is sponsored by OZARKA®. All thoughts and opinions are our own.