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They started by feasting on bison

Greg Gardner (left) from Merrimack, N.H., and Dale Constant from Weare, N.H., prepare some bison sliders at their tailgate party Sunday.matthew j. lee/globe staff/Boston Globe

FOXBOROUGH — There is no doubt Rich Grosky and his tailgating friends take their pregame parties seriously.

From the 2,200 watts of sound pumping through the amplifiers in his 1988 Isuzu van — retrofitted as a traveling tailgate party named the "Pat-e-Wagon" — to the warning sticker on the grill that reads "No hot dogs allowed," Grosky does not settle for mediocrity.

It was only fitting that Grosky's Sunday menu was highlighted by bison burger sliders for the Patriots' season finale, against none other than the Buffalo Bills.

"Make sure that buffalo is well-cooked," Grosky quipped.

Grosky, who is 64 and a 29-year season ticket-holder from Merrimack, N.H., also made bacon-wrapped beef tenderloin stuffed with Gorgonzola cheese and sun-dried tomatoes to top off the menu.

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But the idea for the bison sliders belonged to Dale Constant, who said he's been attending games with Grosky for years.

Constant, who said he likes bison because of its lean cut, topped the burgers with salt, pepper, and Danish blue cheese, before passing them off to Greg Gardner, who was working the grill.

"We bring as much elegant food as we can possibly bring," Constant said. "That's really what it's all about."

The rain poured down leading up to kickoff, but Grosky and his friends had plenty of shelter in their tents and the Pat-e-Wagon.

The van also features a 46-inch flat-screen TV on the inside, and on the outside, an 85,000-BTU heater for the tents, generating enough heat for Grosky to second-guess entering the stadium to watch the game.

"We've been to plenty of bad-weather games, we don't have to prove it to anybody and go in," Grosky joked. "We're here to have a good time with our friends."