WHO: everyone, anyone

WHAT: barbecue

WHEN: summer

WHERE: backyard

WHY: great food, good times

HOW: keep it easy by preparing some dishes ahead, buying some and grilling only quick-cooking meats such as hot dogs, bratwurst and other sausages.

MENU

Assorted dips and casual appetizers

Barbecue beef sandwiches

Grilled sausages

Potato salad

Corn pudding, corn on the cob or baked beans

Cole slaw

Sliced watermelon

Brownies, cookies and cupcakes

BARBECUE BEEF BRISKET

Yield: 10 to 12 servings.

1 (5 to 6 pounds) beef brisket, well trimmed

1-1/2 cups chili sauce

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

1/4 cup ketchup

1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce

2 teaspoons hot-pepper sauce

2 (12 ounces each) beers

2 tablespoons liquid smoke

1 cup barbecue sauce (optional)

Hamburger buns

Put brisket in a roasting pan. Combine chili sauce, sugar, ketchup, Worcestershire, hot-pepper sauce, beer and liquid smoke in a medium-size mixing bowl; stir until sugar dissolves. Pour mixture over beef. Cover pan, refrigerate and let beef marinate several hours to overnight, turning occasionally. Set pan in a preheated 300°F oven and roast until beef easily pulls apart in shreds, about 4 hours.

Remove pan from oven. Remove beef from pan. Drain sauce in pan into a 3-quart saucepan. Skim fat from sauce. Set saucepan over high heat and bring sauce to a boil. Boil until sauce is reduced to 3 cups. Taste sauce and, if desired, add 1 cup commercial barbecue sauce.

While sauce reduces, cut all fat from beef (discard fat). Pull beef into shreds with a fork.

Mix beef shreds and with sauce.

You can serve the beef immediately, or you can cool the beef at room temperature and refrigerated it in a covered container for several days. It also freezes well (thaw before reheating).

Re-heat in covered roasting pan, in a 350°F oven until hot.

Serve beef hot on hamburger buns.