(Do start fires one or two hours ahead of time to obtain a lasting bed of glowing coals.
Keep ashes from one barbecue to the next to sprinkle over coals if they are too hot, and to stop flames that arise from melting grease.

Do line barbecue fire bowl with heavy foil to reflect heat.

Don't forget to buy a plastic pastry brush for basting with sauces.
Clean it meticulously in boiling water and detergent, rinse thoroughly.

Do build a wall of glowing coals six to eight inches in front of meat that is barbecued on an electric spit.
Make use of the back of the barbecue or of the hood for heating vegetables, sauces and such.

Don't fail to shorten cooking time by the use of aluminum foil cut slightly larger than the surface of steaks and chops.
Sear on both sides then cover meat loosely with heat reflecting foil for juiciest results.

Do avoid puncturing or cutting into meats to test them.
If doubtful about a steak, boldly cut it in half.
If necessary to replace both halves on grill, sear cuts and allot extra time.
For roasts, insert meat thermometer diagonally so it does not rest on bone.
Also make sure thermometer does not touch the revolving spit or hit the coals.

Don't practice a new recipe on guests.
Have a test-run on the family first, to be sure timing and seasoning are right.

Do buy meat the day or the day before you intend to cook it.
Keep it no longer than 36 hours before cooking, and keep it in the coldest (but non-freezing) compartment of the refrigerator.

Don't plan meals that are too complicated.
Limit yourself to good meat and drink, with bread, salad, corn or potatoes as accessories.
Keep the desserts simple;
fruit does nicely.

Do whatever kitchen work, such as fixing a salad, preparing garlic bread, or making a marinade sauce, ahead of time.
When you start the outdoor performance, you can stay outdoors without a dozen running trips into the kitchen.
(This goes for getting a drink tray ready, and for having a big cooler full of ice on hand long before the party begins.
)

Don't think you have to start with the most expensive equipment in the world.
The simplest grill (pan type) or inexpensive hibachi can make you a chef.
You need tongs to handle meat;
long forks for turning potatoes and corn;
heavy foil on hand at all times.
And lots of hot pads!

Do keep the grill high enough above the fire so that when fat from meat drips down and flares up, flames cannot reach the meat.

Don't forget to have a supply of Melamine plates, bowls, cups, saucers, and platters for outdoor use.
Made of the world's toughest unbreakable plastic, Melamine dinnerware comes in almost 400 different patterns and dozens of colors.
There is even one set that has "barbecue" written on it.

Do without fancy tablecloths.
It's cheaper to buy Wall-Tex and cover your outdoor table.
Or buy half a dozen lengths of oilcloth and change patterns for different kinds of barbecues.
Oilcloth only costs about 79-cents a yard for the very best.
Tougher than plastic, it wears well.

Don't forget -- when you take to the hills or the beach -- that your cooler, which you might have used for wine- or beer-cooling on your terrace or back yard, is indispensable for carrying liquid refreshments.
There are many varieties of coolers and they serve many purposes.
With them, you can carry steaks and hamburgers at refrigerator temperatures, and also get your frozen food for stews and chowders, to the marina or picnic, in A-1 condition.

Do use paper napkins;
lots of them.
Except when you prepare "do it yourself" shish kebob or a lobster roast.
Then you'll want terry cloth towels for mopping up.

Don't think barbecue cooking is just sometimes, or seasonal.
It's year-round, and everywhere.
In the winter, hibachi in the kitchen or grill over the logs of the fireplace.
Even use your portable electric or gas grill in the winter, inside.
Summertime supper, outside, is a natural.
You'll find, once your technique is perfected, that you can cook on a boat with a simple Bernz-O-Matic.

Do buy all-purpose mugs or cups.
Get copper or earthenware mugs that keep beer chilled or soup hot.
Be sure to get a few more than you need.
You will discover you keep the sauce for basting meat in one, use six for drinks, serve soup or coffee in another half-dozen -- and need one more to mix the salad dressing.

Don't forget the joys of a meal on the road.
If you travel over the vast U.S.A. you will, no doubt, discover that feeding is an expensive business.
Decide in the beginning to put your barbecue equipment to work.
You can take it with you.
A picnic bag, a grill, a cooler for soft drinks and beer, and for frozen convenience foods.
Eat in a restaurant or motel mornings and evenings;
or just evenings.
Turn off at any one of the marked picnic areas (gasoline companies have touring service bureaus that issue booklets on national parks to tell you where you have barbecue facilities) and -- with soft drinks cooled from morning loading up, hamburger, buns, an array of relishes, and fresh fruit -- your lunch is 75% cheaper than at a restaurant, and 100% more fun.
You need a little stove, a coffee pot and a stew pot;
maybe a skillet, a basket of essentials like salt, pepper, plates, forks, knives and a can opener.
As you pull out of your motel or national park home-for-the-night, visit a market and buy just what you need for the next meal.
For 25-cents load up the cooler with ice and keep cool pop in the car.

Simple meat dishes

spice is a fact of life in the U.S.A.
You only have to think of franks and sausages to know what I mean.
Go a step further and list all the wonderful barbecue basics -- cervelat, salami, Vienna sausages, mettwurst, bratwurst, bockwurst, knackwurst, Bologna, pepperoni, blutwurst -- and you have a long list of easy specialties.
Threaded on a skewer with new boiled potatoes, a bit of green pepper, a fresh white mushroom -- any one of these spiced meats makes a man a cook, and a meal a feast.

Sure, for the most of us, a frankfurter is the favorite.
A story goes that a certain Herr Feuchtwanger of St. Louis, around 1883 served his sausages (grilled) and mustard to his fancy customers.
So that his customers should not soil their hands, Feuchtwanger issued white gloves.
Discovery that the gloves frequently left with the customers made the wise peddler of spiced sausage-meat come upon a compromise.
He had a bakery make buns sized to fit his franks.
Years later, franks-in-buns were accepted as the "first to go" at the New York Polo Grounds.

The nation's number one picnic treat is the skinless frankfurter -- toasted over a bonfire on the beach or, more sedately, charcoal broiled on a portable grill.
Either way it's hard to beat in flavor as well as ease of preparation.
To make the picnic frank come close to perfection, remember these tips:

-- Score each frankfurter in four or five places about a third of the way through.
This permits the juices to permeate the meat during cooking.

-- Relishes are as vital to the success of the frank as are buns.
Bring along the conventional ones -- catsup, pickle relish, mustard, mayonnaise -- plus a few extras, such as tangy barbecue sauce, chive cream cheese, or horse-radish for the brave ones in the crowd.

-- Using a portable grill permits you to toast the buns, too.
Watch closely while browning them, as it doesn't take long.

-- An unusual flavor can be achieved by marinating the franks in French dressing or a mixture of honey, lemon juice and brown sugar prior to the picnic.
Broil or toast as usual.

Contrary to popular opinion, "a la mode" doesn't mean "with ice cream" -- it just means, in the latest style.
Here are a couple of the latest, highly styled ways to fix skinless franks in your own back yard!
You'll have the neighbor's eyes popping as well as their mouths watering!
Jiffy barbecues

1 cup chili sauce 1/3 cup water 1 tablespoon barbecue sauce 2 teaspoons prepared mustard 1/2 pound chipped, spiced ham 6 sandwich buns, heated

.
Combine first 4 ingredients in saucepan;
heat thoroughly.
Add ham;
heat.
Serve on buns.
Makes 6 barbecues.
Hot hibachi franks

You'll never hear "sayonara", the Japanese word for goodbye, from your guests when you give a hibachi party.
The fun of toasting their own sausages over the small Oriental charcoal burners and dipping them in tasty sauces will keep your group busy -- try it and see!
Canned cocktail frankfurters

sweet-sour sauce

1 large onion, chopped fine 2 tablespoons salad oil 1 8-oz. can crushed pineapple and 1/2 cup of the juice 1/4 cup brown sugar 2 tablespoons vinegar 1 tablespoon prepared mustard 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce pineapple chunks

.

Mustard cream

2 tablespoons dry mustard Water 1/2 cup heavy cream, whipped Salt Paprika

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Spear canned cocktail franks with picks.
Also spear pineapple chunks and place in separate bowl.

Make sauces ahead.
Sweet-sour sauce can be kept warm over a second hibachi or chafing dish while charcoal in broiler is reaching glowing coal stage.
Mustard cream, used as alternate dip for franks and pineapple tidbits, tastes best when served at room temperature.

For sweet-sour sauce, cook onion in oil until soft.
Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil.
Simmer about 10 minutes, and keep warm for serving.

To prepare mustard cream, blend mustard with enough water to make a thin paste.
Fold into whipped cream and add a dash of salt and sprinkling of paprika.
Trim-your-own-franks

A back-yard picnic with grilled frankfurters and a selection of frankfurter trimmings is a fine way to entertain guests this summer.
Be sure to have plenty of frankfurters and buns on hand.
Some tasty frank toppings are chili con carne, Coney Island sauce and savory sauerkraut.
Serve the chili and kraut hot with the franks.

Here are suggestions for the frankfurter trimmings: 1.

Chili con carne: use canned chili con carne.
2.

Coney Island sauce: finely chop several onions and add enough catsup to moisten well;
add prepared mustard to suit taste.
3.

Savory sauerkraut: add several tablespoons of brown sugar to a can of sauerkraut.
Add a few caraway seeds, too, if you'd like.
Barbecued frankfurters

1/2 cup minced celery 1/4 cup minced onion 1/2 cup tomato ketchup 1/2 cup water 1/4 cup vinegar 2 tablespoons brown sugar 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce 1 tablespoon prepared mustard 1/2 teaspoon salt 8 frankfurters

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Combine first 9 ingredients in skillet.
Simmer 15 minutes.
Prick frankfurters with fork;
place in sauce.
Cover;
simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until sauce is of desired consistency.
Serve in frankfurter buns or as a meat dish.
Makes 8 sandwiches or 4 servings.
Pretend ham

Make criss-cross gashes on one side of skinless frankfurters.
Stick 4 or 5 cloves in each frank, ham fashion.
Make a paste of brown sugar and mustard and spread lightly over scored surface.
If desired, sprinkle with 1 teaspoon drained crushed pineapple.
Place on rectangle of foil and pinch edges together tightly.
Roast on grill over coals 15-20 minutes.
Frankfurter twists

Blend 2 cups biscuit mix with 2/3 cup milk to make a soft dough.
Knead on lightly floured board and roll out to form a Af-inch rectangle.
Spread dough with a mixture of 3 tablespoons chili sauce, 1 teaspoon horse-radish and 2 teaspoons mustard.
Cut dough carefully into 12 strips, about 3/4 inch by a foot long.
Twist one strip diagonally around each skinless frankfurter, pinching dough at ends to seal it.
Brush frankfurter twists with about 1/2 cup melted butter and toast slowly over glowing coals until dough is golden brown.
Serves 12.
Hamburger patties with nuts

1 pound ground beef 2 teaspoons grated onion Dash of pepper 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup chopped walnuts 1/4 cup ice cold bourbon

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Combine ingredients;
form into patties and barbecue 5 minutes on each side.