​A History of 4th of July Traditions With History-Making Ideas for Your Family's Independence Day

by
Marilyn Roy

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Photo of Family Picnic Courtesy of Image by Hebi B. from Pixabay

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​When you celebrate Independence Day with a BBQ this year, you'll be continuing Fourth of July traditions that go back to 1777.

​A Brief History of Independence Day Celebrations

The first shot in the American Revolution occurred in Concord, Massachusetts, on April 19, 1775. On the Fourth of July in 1776, the Second Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence. Then, in 1777, Philadelphia commemorated Independence Day with celebrations although the Revolutionary War didn't end until 1783.

After the war ended, celebrations became more widespread with parades, military events, fireworks, and political speeches. Families brought picnics, and some communities had ox and pig roasts. These celebrations were what John Adams suggested to his wife, Abigail, in a letter written in July, 1776. He said the Fourth of July should be "celebrated by pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations from one end of this continent to the other..."
 
Lots of communities still celebrate the Fourth of July in the manner John Adams suggested. When my sister and I were growing up, our hometown had an afternoon parade, activities at the high school football stadium, an ox roast, and fireworks. The ox roast was sponsored by the Jaycees. They dug pits on the Third of July and roasted the beef all night. Instead of the ox roast, they now have concession stands. A morning marathon has been added to the Fourth of July activities.
 
However, after the introduction of charcoal and gas grills, some hold smaller family gatherings with backyard cookouts instead of attending all-day community events. Charcoal grills and charcoal briquettes actually were created before WWII, but it wasn't until after WWII that backyard barbecues with burgers and hot dogs became popular. Then, families started their own Fourth of July traditions. Some families have small intimate cookouts, other families invite guests, and others pack the family in the car and take their cookout on the road.
 
Fourth of July Menu Suggestions
 
For July 4th cookouts, hamburgers, hot dogs, bratwurst, sausages, pulled pork, steaks, chicken, bacon, and seafood frequently appear on grills and picnic tables. Low-country boil is a regional favorite from the Southeastern United States that those in other areas might want to try.

Complement your meat selection with cheeses, vegetables, fruit, condiments, and buns.

For side dishes, include potato salad, macaroni salad, baked beans, three-bean salad, roasted corn on the cob, your signature side dish, chips, or a variety of items from your store's deli.

Dessert options can include cakes, pies, cupcakes, brownies, cookies, another signature specialty, watermelon, or homemade ice cream.

Beverage choices can include iced tea, lemonade, powdered or prepared fruit drinks, soft drinks, coffee, and water. You could offer adults a choice of beers or other alcoholic beverages, but you'll want to keep an eye on consumption for the safety of your guests after your cookout. You wouldn't want any of them to get into an accident. In addition, some local laws hold the host responsible if a party guest drinks, drives, and causes an accident.
 
How Much Food Do I Need for Each Guest?
 
Of course, your budget will be the main factor.

The type of cookout your having is another factor. If your cookout is a potluck with others contributing to the menu, you can increase the amount you spend on meat and use some of your budget on paper products and condiments.
 
Your guest list will also influence what you buy. Kids eat about half of what adults eat. So if you are inviting families, you'll need less food than you will if all your guests are adults. You also should be aware of how many of your guests are vegetarians and vegans. Including more  vegetarian and vegan dishes means that you'll need less meat.
 
Surprisingly, the time that you schedule your cookout can affect the amount of food you need. If you plan your cookout later in the afternoon, there will be less grazing, but people will eat more for supper than lunch.
 
The size of your grill and the dining areas can also limit the amount of food you can serve.
 
Quantity of Meat per Person
 
You'll need:

• One-fourth pound of meat per person if you are serving hearty sides such as potato salad.
• One-third pound per person if you have three sides. 
• One-half pound per person if you have light sides such as salad.

If you are cutting steaks or other meat into individual servings, cut it before cooking it. Then, the edges will be uniform.
 
Hamburgers and Hot Dogs
 
Hamburgers and hot dogs are budget-friendly and provide more servings per pound than other meats. Two hamburgers or hot dogs per person are usually enough.

For hamburgers, the fat content on the label will help you calculate how much you need to buy.

If the hamburger is 85-percent lean, then you need to buy 15-percent more.  

As an example, if you serving quarter-pound hamburgers, you'll use about four and one-half ounces of meat in each hamburger to end up with quarter-pound hamburgers after cooking.

That means, for 20 people, you'll need five and three-quarter pounds of meat doubled so everyone can have two hamburgers. That's a total of 11 and one-quarter pounds of meat.

For your condiments bar, include  salt, pepper, ketchup, and a variety of mustards, and sauces. Also offer several different cheeses from standards like cheddar, Swiss, and American to more adventurous choices.

Other Meats
 
If you're serving more than one meat, choose different types such as chicken and ribs. You also need to allow for how much the raw meat will shrink during cooking.

• Brisket -- You'll need one-half pound per person plus about 50-percent for shrinkage. So for 20 guests, you need 15 pounds of raw brisket.  

• Ribs -- You can choose spare ribs, beef back ribs, or baby back ribs. If the ribs are your primary meat, you will need six baby back ribs per person, four or five spare ribs per person, or two or three beef back ribs. A rack of ribs provides 12 ribs. So you can divide the number of ribs you need by 12 to determine how many racks of ribs you need. If you are serving another meat, then you can reduce the number of ribs you need.

• Pulled Pork -- If you are serving pulled pork on buns, then four ounces per sandwich should be plenty. Without buns, you will need one-third to one-half pound per person. However, like hamburgers, you should calculate two sandwiches per person. You also should calculate about 50-percent shrinkage. So for 20 people, you need to buy 15 pounds of pork.
• Steak -- If steak is your only meat, then buy a whole 12-ounce steak per person. If you are making kebabs, fajitas, or tacos, use one-third to one-half pound per person.
• Chicken -- A whole chicken will serve four people yielding two breast servings and two servings containing a wing, leg, and thigh. You also can choose just breast, leg, or wing pieces. Calculate one breast, two boneless breasts, three legs, or five wings per person.

 
Low-Country Boil

For low-country boil, you should have:

• One and a half pounds of crab for adults
• One-half pound of crab for children
• One-fourth pound of shrimp per person
• At least one sausage link per person
• At least one potato per person
• One ear of corn per person

You'll find other recipes that include potatoes and other ingredients.

Try this low-country crab recipe from MamaLovesFood.com.
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Or, watch this YouTube video entitled "How to Make Low-Country Boil | Frogmore Stew | South Carolina Traditional Foods" from Southern Food Junkie.

Side Dishes
 
For side dishes, provide:

• Two ears of corn per person
• One-half cup of baked beans or potato salad per person
• One-fourth cup of coleslaw per person
• A one pound vegetable plate for ten people or about eight to ten pieces of uncooked vegetables such as celery and carrot sticks each
• One-half cup of salad per person, or
• One pint of dip and one pound of potato chips for ten guests.

 
Desserts
 
Provide: 

• One slice of pie or cake per person
• One or two cupcakes or brownies per person
• Two or three cookies per person
• One piece of watermelon per person, or
• One-half cup of ice cream per person

 
Beverages
 
In two to three hours, guests may drink three to four glasses of beverages. You should start with two pounds of ice per person.

• For soft drinks, two-liter bottles provide about nine eight-ounce glasses, so you should have one-half bottle per person. Buy a selection of the name brands in regular and diet flavors.  
• One gallon containers of iced tea, lemonade, or fruit drinks yield about16 glasses. So you need one gallon for four people.
• If you are serving beer, you should have five six-packs per 10 people.

​A mixture of drinks will reduce these amounts.

Paper Products:
 
Your guests will need:

• At least two paper plates per person -- one for the main meal and one for dessert
• At least two glasses per person, and
• At least four paper napkins or two cloth napkins per person
• Add more napkins for messy foods such as  barbecued ribs or fried chicken

More Info on Shopping for Your Cookout
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For more information about planning how much food to buy for a barbecue, along with some recipe ideas, check out this article from Grilla Grills entitled "How Much Food to Make Per Person at a BBQ".
 
Tips for Your Cookout
 
Prep as much as you can ahead of your cookout, and double-check your pantry before going to the store.
 
Consider how long each menu item cooks and start them at times that assure that all the food is done at the same time ahead of your planned serving time.

You can hold the food in your oven at a low temperature or in a quality cooler. To use a cooler:

• Fill the cooler with three gallons of hot tap water for and leave the hot water for 30 minutes
• Empty the water
• Insert a meat thermometer in the meat so that you can check to make sure it stays at a safe temperature
• Wrap your meat in foil
• Set the meat in an aluminum tray on a towel on the bottom of the cooler
• Cover the meat with another towel and seal the cooler.
• Wear an apron and have gloves to handle raw meat
• Have heat-proof gloves for handling hot, just-off-the-grill or just-out-of-the-oven dishes
• Have extra sets for volunteer assistants
• Have containers to share leftovers 

If you enjoyed this article and found it to be informative, please share it. If you have any menu suggestions or other Fourth of July events to recommend, please tell us about them with a comment. 
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