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Indoor Cues

In Civil War times all the belles and cavaliers for miles around agreed with Scarlett O'Hara when she said, "I hope it doesn' rain tomorrow.

There's nothing worse than a barbecue turned into an indoor picnic."

But in this respect we have gone soft, for at least in winter we do a lot of so-called barbecues indoors; and whether outdoors or in, when you compare a small modern cue to a pioneer or frontier feed, it's a lead pipe cinch. As a matter of fact, it doesn't take much more time or trouble than spitchcocking an eel or throwing an impromptu clambake on the beach, if not in the living room fireplace. As for the outdoors kind-almost anybody can dig a trench or pit in camp, vacant lot or backyard and rustle up some kind of sweet smelling hardwood-hickory and beech are the best. Even where there's no firewood, a couple of pounds of charcoal briquets can be lugged along. Better still, in public parks and places where fire risk is great, there's that nifty new gadget called Prest-O-Grill that eats its own coals and ashes down to the last spark, so there's no danger of setting woods afire, leaving scorched spots on the lawn or blisters on the finger-tips. For it's outfitted with a spiffy spit that fits into a rack with slits, so the roast can be painlessly handled without a pitchfork and regulated to the heat while it's being dutifully basted.