Advertisement

Joe Montana shares his favorite Super Bowl snacks, from chips and dip to chicken wings

Joe Montana says in the kitchen, his skills are just
Joe Montana says in the kitchen, his skills are just "OK." (Photo: Getty; designed by Zana Kaba)

Because food connects us all, Yahoo Life is serving up a heaping plateful of table talk with people who are passionate about what's on their menu in Deglazed, a series about food.

NFL Hall of Famer Joe Montana is widely considered one of the greatest players to ever step on a football field, but when it comes to cooking a meal, the four-time Super Bowl Champion is simply "OK." The former San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs quarterback always seemed to keep his composure in the pocket and was a master of chopping up defenses on the field, but it's his wife who does more "spectacular things" in the kitchen.

"I do all the easier things and everyday stuff," Montana tells Yahoo Life. "I love to cook outside. I love the grill. I love the pizza oven. Unfortunately, I think I make more of a mess, so she made me put two burners outside just so I can keep the grease or my spillage to the minimum."

His wife, Jennifer, is the healthy one, but she can serve up some incredible guilty pleasures. "Jennifer has learned to make a ridiculously good fried chicken with no batter," says Montana. "It's all dry rub from a Southern recipe from the mother-in-law of one of my old wide receivers. She also does a great Philly cheesesteak that she learned from Steve Martorano down in Fort Lauderdale."

One of the 66-year-old's favorite food traditions goes back generations. "My grandmother used to make raviolis for midnight mass," he shares. "Everyone would go to midnight mass and come back to her house. She lived with my aunt and uncle, who had seven kids, and she would make raviolis with meat, cheese, egg and spinach filling and her own homemade sauce. We would all go back to her house at 1:30 in the morning and have raviolis and Jennifer's been trying to keep that alive."

When it comes to comfort food, the two-time NFL Most Valuable Player is a meat and potatoes guy. "I would say a good cheeseburger and good fries, which is hard to find these days," he says of his go-to comfort food order. "I like double cheeseburgers — that is probably my guiltiest pleasure, especially on the go in airports. It's easier to find a fast-food burger place than something else." Although he likes them all, Montana's favorite go-to on the West Coast is In-N-Out Burger. If pizza's an option, his go-to is a Margherita with anchovies or pepperoni and sausage.

With the big game around the corner, the three-time Super Bowl MVP says no party is complete without chicken wings and "potato chips with sour cream and onion dip." When he's attending an NFL game he sticks with "a good old fashioned hot dog, popcorn and salted peanuts in the shell."

"You know," he says, "things to keep you busy during the game."

The one food that causes Montana to fumble his healthy appetite is curry, which his wife loves to make from scratch. "I don't know what it is," he says. "She makes it and she loves it. It's just something about the flavor that doesn't sit well with me."

Montana spoke with Yahoo Life to discuss his partnership with Guinness Gives Back, which has donated over one million dollars to food banks across the country. Guinness is asking people to pledge 10 hours or more of community service, to hit a goal of one million hours, between now and January 2024. The two-time NFL Comeback Player of the Year has teamed up with Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow for the campaign. "Joe and I are trying to have a little bit of fun along the way and help people get out there and help their communities," says Montana. "Guinness is looking for a commitment of over one million hours, so we're hoping we can help them get to that and you know, who doesn't love a good Guinness?"

The eight-time Pro Bowler shares when he truly discovered Guinness: "I fell in love with Guinness in Ireland. I was there looking at horses and our trainer's husband suggested we go to the pub to get Guinness."

"He goes, 'I'll order the beer you sit down.' He comes back and I go, 'Where's the beer?' He says, 'You got to wait for it, it takes some time to pour,'" Montana adds. "From that point on every afternoon I said, 'Is it time for a Guinness now?'"

The Philadelphia Eagles will take on the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII on Sunday, Feb. 12. Montana says the Eagles have been the "cream of the crop" all season, while Kansas City has looked "human" at times this year.

Wellness, parenting, body image and more: Get to know the who behind the hoo with Yahoo Life’s newsletter. Sign up here.