I appreciate all the ideas - thanks everyone. One of my cookbooks, has a recipe for "All-Day Crock Dogs in Smoky Beer Broth". which involves grilling the hot dogs first, then submerging them in a beer - bottled smoke - onion - bay leaf solution in a crockpot. The authors say this method will keep the hot dogs in good shape for an afternoon. I am going to do a trial run to see how it tastes.
And thanks for the suggestion about the burgers in beef broth. I've had them at catered functions before. They never looked very appetizing coming out of a pan of juice, but once I got done loading them up with condiments, the taste was OK. Not great, but OK. Hot off the grill is probably the only way to get appetizing results with burgers. But now, with the weather forecast predicting sun, 87 degrees, and high humidity for conditions that will feel like 94 degrees, I am going to drop the idea of serving burgers. A former co-worker, who had a side business of making and selling food at summer festivals, said once temperatures went much past the low 80's, people's appetites shut down. This is not a profit making event, but I would like to offer people something they will feel like eating in hot humid weather. That's why I am thinking pulled chicken sandwiches which would be lighter than burgers, and hot dogs or sloppy joes for those who want red meat. And there will be a full sheet cake from a grocery store bakery trying to survive in this heat, too. Fortunately, the food will be under cover and shaded. Should be fun!
