Best food for a REAL summer cookout?!

fried chicken and potato salad, very traditional real food many people eat during summer cookouts.

Pork tenderloin is awesome on the grill. Or ranch chicken. For the pork just cook it on the grill with a rub and then use cover with a sweet and sour sauce before serving(jelly, mustard, spices). For the ranch chicken, marinate the chicken in beer and spices overnight and then before you cook put a healthy coating of Ranch dry rub. Do not use the dressing as it doesn't let the chicken get toasted on the outside. Slaw or pasta salads are good sides as well as vegetable skewers. Drinks should probably be light sweet stuff like Sangria. Hope this helps.

Cookout? Grilled chicken breast would be lovely over a real charcoal fire.

Ribs would also be a real hit. Parboil them first so they'll be really tender, of course.

Burgers with interesting toppings cooked on (try something like blue cheese & mushrooms or a slice of ham with pineapple or anything that is unusual to put on burgers but would be tasty to you.)

Bring good hotdogs for the kids, with chili and cheese.

Baked beans are a staple, of course. Potato salad is good, too, though some folks prefer cole slaw.

I know. It's above 50 degrees where I live today and it's already got me thinking I should dust off my grill! When you say cookout, I think of grilling up some good food. Here are my menu suggestions:
For the grill:
Portobello Mushroom Caps <- brush with olive oil, salt and pepper. They're a great vegetarian menu option but even for non-veg's they're so meaty and delicious when you eat them on your burgers!
Burgers <- Have a couple of cheese and bun (wheat, potato, white) options available along with mustard, ketchup, mayo, sliced onions, tomatos, pickle chips & lettuce.
If you want more food options, marinate some chicken breasts and throw them on the grill. People can put them on buns with all the same burger fixings.

Side dishes:
Potato or pasta salad and/or cole slaw. I have recipe's for homemade versions of all three. Some people will scoop the cole slaw onto their burger or grilled chicken.
Baked beans ,- can be prepared in a saucepan on the grill.

Appetizers:
Grilled Bacon wrapped, cream cheese stuffed Jalapenos <- if they're large jalapenos, cut them in half lengthwise and fill each half with the cream cheese. The bacon will keep the cream cheese in. If they're small, slice them in half lengthwise, add the cream cheese, sandwich them back together, wrap in bacon and grill until they're well charred on the outside but not burnt!
Grilled Bacon wrapped Shrimp is also a crowd pleaser!
Chips & Salsa and/or chips & hummus to please the crowd while they smell the bacon on the grill!

Dessert:
Peach cobbler!!! It's summertime and cobbler is synonymous with cookouts. I prefer peach but blueberry cobbler is also good. My grandmother had the easiest way of making peach cobbler.
If blanching and de-skinning, pitting and slicing fresh peaches is not your thing, buy two cans of peaches. Dump them into a buttered baking dish, add a 1/4 teaspoon of almond extract and 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon to the peaches and stir them around. Sprinkle half a box of yellow cake mix on top of the peaches. Melt one stick of butter and pour over the top. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about an hour until bubbly. Serve with vanilla ice cream. You'll thank me.