Hosting a true New England clambake means long hours, hard work and getting your hands very dirty. But there are ways to speed the process and to keep the hard work to a minimum. A few shortcuts will help you enjoy your clambake celebration as much as your guests.

When you go to a real New England clambake be prepared to spend the day on the beach. You will end up doing a lot of digging. You will need to prepare a 2-3 foot deep fire pit with rocks. A wood fire works best. When the rocks are about 400 degrees start lining the rocks with potatoes, seaweed, and delicious clams. Layer these all and top them off with another layer of seaweed. The last step is to cover up the clambake with a tarp and wait for about 3 hours.

If you are not near a beach, or just don't want to get that dirty, you can use your stovetop for steaming. A large steel pot replaces the pit. You will still need the seaweed as well as a few gallons of seawater to bring that real beach flavor to your bake. Line the bottom of your pot with small rocks and layer your clams, corn, potatoes and seaweed as you would in the pit. Bring the seawater to a boil and steam for 20 minutes.

Claims can be grilled without the seaweed and seawater. Potatoes can also be grilled, but you'll probably want to boil them first because they take so much longer to cook than, say, clams or corn. Get the coals hot first in a charcoal grill. Then drop in your half-baked potatoes, corn, and clams.

The best type of clams to use are cherrystone or littleneck. These are clams with soft shells. Quahogs are clams that have hard shells and they are not recommended. It is safer to eat only the clams that open by themselves when you steam them. It is important to not pry open shells. Throw away any clams that do not steam open.

Whether you opt for a day at the beach or plan to stay at your stove, you can add more to your clambake to make it memorable. Throw in a live lobster or two for a special treat, or cook up some sausage for a more hearty meal. What ever you add, be sure to enjoy the unique traditions of a New England clambake by sharing it with friends and family.

Hosting a true New England clambake means long hours, hard work and getting your hands very dirty. A few shortcuts will help you enjoy your clambake celebration as much as your guests. When the rocks are about 400 degrees start lining the rocks with potatoes, seaweed, and delicious clams. Line the bottom of the large pot with small rocks, then layer your clams, corn, potatoes and seaweed the same way you would in a pit. Throw in a live lobster or two to make a special treat, or perhaps a more hearty meal by throwing in some sausage.