by Vicki Phipps

Created on: June 19, 2008

Some say the 4th of July is a time to celebrate the awakening of summer, but where I come from, summer has been around a very long time by the 4th of July. My husband and I are planning our annual cookout barbeque and everyone knows where I come from, it's hot and dry in July. Still, there's nothing better than to barbeque in the heat of the Texas sun, where everyone has fun in spite of the sun. I'll share a few tips with you so that you can hold a cookout like my husband and I do in the hot Texas sun. If you follow my tips, you might even convince everyone that you come from Texas too. After all, Texas is the king of barbequing. Besides, we know how to survive by having fun, and even when it's hot and dry outside, because in Texas, it's always hot and dry.

COOKOUT TIPS: WHAT TO DO AND WHAT NOT TO DO AT A TEXAS STYLE BARBEQUE

1. Prepare for the heat.

Don't assume it won't be too hot, and especially if you live in Texas. You'll need to provide a shady place or some way to cut the temperature down, at least to warm. To do this, you'll need to find a Redneck attitude somewhere inside your mind. It may seem strange to put it that way, but it's true. Redneck minds hold the best and coolest barbeques. Down here where I come from, a Redneck is anyone both born and raised in The Lone Star State, but you can pretend to be a Redneck too if you'll dig deep inside, because you see, we all have a Redneck attitude somewhere in the back of our minds. Use your ingenuity to beat the heat, like any Redneck would do every day of the week, or at least in the Lone Star State.

Find an old, antique metal bath-tub, like the ones they used out on the range in the wild west days. You can still find them all over my state, if you go to a yard sale or two. They are portable, so you can fill them up with ice for drinks, and then when the drinks are all drunk, so to speak, you can sit in the cold water to cool off. The ice will be melted by then, and it also helps to sober up your family version of my Uncle Billy Bob. We call them, "Redneck hot tubs," where I come from.

If you can't find a Redneck tub, you can use another Redneck technique to keep cool. Just haul you refrigerator outside, or even your washing machine, filled with ice. You'd be surprised how long everything stays cool inside. Otherwise, make sure you're set up for shade under a big Mesquit tree, but watch out for those gosh darn thorns. Have plenty of fans to make up for the fact that there will be no breeze in July. This brings

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