BBQ Etiquette for 1968

According to Elizabeth Post in 1968, fine “meals carefully planned, well-prepared, and attractively served are an essential element of etiquette.”

Barbecuing Out of Doors 

Fine meals carefully planned, well-prepared, and attractively served are an essential element of etiquette. Those of you who plan to give outdoor parties, barbecues or picnics this summer would do well to chock your knowledge in the following quiz, and to get some suggestions to make your menus better.

1. The best choice of meat for a barbecue is a big thick steak. True or False?

2. Only dishes that can be prepared on the grill are correct for a barbecue. True or False?

3. Lamb or beef “kabobs” should be prepared in advance. True or False?

4. Corn on the cob may be cooked on the grill as well as boiled. True or False?

5. Hamburgers and hot dogs are not considered “fancy” enough for adult picnics. True or False?

6. Anyone can easily prepare a clambake. True or False? 

7. A keg of beer is a good way of serving a beverage at a cook-out. True or False?

8. Potatoes must be cooked in the kitchen and brought out when the barbecue is ready. True or False?

The correct answers contain some hints for you:

1. False. Steak is the most "common” choice, but there are many equally good or better. Try kabobs, spareribs swordfish, lamb steak, or whole stuffed bass or bluefish for variety. 

2. False. Vegetable or potato casseroles may be cooked in the kitchen and taken out when the meat is ready —or kept warm near the edge of the grill. 

3. True. The actual cooking is quick and easy but the preparation of the ingredients takes some time. Some hostesses put the various items out in bowls and let the guests olad their own skewers. Messy, but fun for an informal group. 

4. True. But it must be well wrapped in foil or it will char. Some people leave the husks on instead, but I find this risky. 

5. False. “Doctored up” with cheese, herbs and seasoning, they can be real gourmet fare. 

6. False. Except for the variety prepared in a huge pot, a clambake is an all-day affair for the bakemaster. The pit must be dug and lined with rocks and the fire kept going in it for at least four hours. 

7. True. But always have soft drinks available, too. Coffee, cither iced or hot, is almost a “must.” 

8. False. Potatoes, like com on the cob, may be wrapped in foil and cooked in the coals or one the grill. – By Elizabeth Post in the Herald, 1968

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