Pregame Platter: Titans at Ravens

Titans at Ravens, Sunday Nov. 9, 1 p.m., M&T Bank Stadium, CBS

The Tennessee Titans are one of the NFL’s four alliterative teams, and also one of the 32-team league’s four worst. At 2-6, the tiny Titans are just the type of sacrificial lamb the suddenly struggling Ravens need to feast on to turn their fortunes around. I could tell you how Tennessee’s opponents have outscored them by 65 points (by comparison, the Ravens have outscored theirs by 66), or how the Titans have won just one game on the road. I could tell you how they’re ranked 27th in offense and 23rd in defense, or how Vegas oddsmakers think so little of them that they’ve installed Baltimore as a huge, 10-point favorite. But really, all you need to know is this: Three weeks ago the Titans lost to the Washington Redskins. That tells the whole story.

What to Eat: The Titans are based in Nashville, a rapidly-growing vibrant city of musical and increasingly culinary acclaim. Seventy-five miles south of the country music capital sits Lynchburg, home to the Jack Daniel’s distillery. Mind-bogglingly, the town is located in a dry county, meaning the whiskey is not available for consumption at stores or restaurants there. Luckily, it is here.

I’ll be using it to make Oven BBQ Tennessee Pork Tenderloin:

• ¼ cup Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey
• ¼ cup soy sauce
• ¼ cup ketchup
• ½ cup brown sugar
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 pounds pork tenderloin

Directions:
Heat the oven to 450 degrees. Combine all ingredients except the pork tenderloin in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and simmer until slightly thickened, about five minutes. Place the tenderloin on a foil-lined baking or roasting pan. Brush with the sauce. Roast for about 30 minutes until the internal temperature is 150 degrees. Remove from the oven and let the meat rest about 10 minutes before slicing. Makes six servings.

Nashville’s Monell’s fries some seriously delicious chicken in its legendary skillets. While I generally prefer to consume my fried chicken behind drawn blinds in the privacy of my own home, I make an exception for the Cardinal Tavern (901 S. Clinton St.), which serves some of the best golden, crispy chicken I’ve found in Baltimore. It also has a nice whiskey selection and some big TVs to watch the game.

What to Drink: There is seemingly no limit to the number of ways one can self-administer a Jack Daniel’s-induced hangover. I will be choosing Tennessee Tea as my delivery method.

Combine two ounces of Jack Daniel’s Old No. 7, one ounce of triple sec, one ounce of sweet and sour mix, and an ounce or so of Coke. Pour into a rocks glass filled with ice, garnish with a lemon or lime if you so wish, and enjoy.