Top 10 Tastiest Tailgate Cities Revealed

SPARKS, Md.The kickoff of football season is a rite of passage as fans break out their favorite jerseys along with their tailgating playbooks. To help usher in the season, McCormick® Grill Mates®, in a joint venture with Bert Sperling's "Best Places" research, analyzed 31 cities in the United States with professional football teams to identify the Top 10 Tastiest Tailgate cities in the country.

"We scored each city based on the Tailgating Food Index, which took into account regional foods and flavors, and the Tailgating Experience Index, which focused on stadium atmosphere and traditions," said Sperling. "Other criteria included team success over the years and tailgating rules and regulations."

The Top 10 included:

No. 1 spot went to Houston, which received high scores in both the Tailgating Food Index and the Tailgating Experience Indexbarbecue smokers served up ribs and brisket and the tailgating contests generated an overall vibrant, flavorful and energetic scene. Kansas City claimed the No. 2 spot, where tailgaters featured pork ribs, paired with the city's trademark barbecue sauce. No. 3 Green Bay received the highest experience rating, but lost points due to a lack of variety of foods featured.

More hit flavors were unveiled in McCormick's 2013 Flavor Forecast, along with the season's hottest grilling trends.