Ready. On your mark. Get set. Barbecue.

While the horses compete at Pimlico May 18, many of us will be preparing for another Maryland tradition -- the annual celebrate-the-Preakness-at-home barbecue.

But this year forget the hot dogs and hamburgers. It's time to bring your basic barbecuing into the '90s. These days you can grill everything from exotic ethnic dishes to fancy desserts like the kind you get in trendy brick-oven restaurants.

"Barbecuing has become a lot more sophisticated in the past couple of years," says Betty A. Hughes, consumer affairs director for Weber, the grill manufacturer.

"People are venturing out and doing all sorts of wonderful things on their barbecue grills," she says. Those "wonderful things" include everything from smoking whole turkeys to grilling tropical fruit kabobs and baking New Zealand-style shortcake.

Not only are barbecuers expanding their menus, they're also expanding their cooking skills. These days, Ms. Hughes says, the smart barbecuer actually builds the fire to match the kind of food he's cooking.

The old-fashioned direct grilling method with coals spread along the base of the grill is fine for flat foods such as burgers, steaks and chops.

8( But for foods that require more than 25 minutes grilling time or those that normally would be baked or roasted, the best answer is the indirect method. Coals are piled on the sides rather than directly underneath and when the lid of the cooker is closed the grill works like a convection oven. (See sidebar.)

Ms. Hughes says the indirect method is one of her favorite ways to cook because the food doesn't need a lot of attention. Constant turning and manning the fire isn't necessary, making this a perfect answer for care-free entertaining. In fact, if you peek, you pay. Every time you uncover the grill, heat escapes and you add as much as 15 minutes to the cooking time. Foods should cook the minimum time suggested in the recipe before you check for doneness.

"Barbecuing is fun," she says. "It makes your guests feel relaxed and they are more prone to having a good time."

"Plan a few things that can be prepared ahead," Ms. Hughes advises. "An entree doesn't require a lot of work when it's being done by the indirect method.

"Just because it's a casual affair doesn't mean you don't need planning. I plan what I want to serve and go backward. I write down a schedule of cooking and everything I am going to serve. Then you can make sure that it will all get done at the same time and hopefully there will be no surprises."

So, get ready for Preakness with this menu from Weber's recently published guide "Grill Out!" (Meredith Publishing Co., $14.95; to order a copy, call toll-free (800) 446-1071.) and another recently published book, "The Random House Barbecue and Summer Foods Cookbook" (Random House, $19.95).

PREAKNESS PARTY MENU

Chilled avocado soup with shrimp

Green salad

Lemon-rosemary grilled chicken

Seasonal vegetable potpourri

New Zealand-style shortcake

One day before:

* Prepare the soup and refrigerate.

* Prepare dough for dessert and refrigerate.

Three hours before company comes:

* Marinate chicken.

* Cut up ingredients for salad and refrigerate.

* Make salad dressing.

30 minutes before you want to grill (and 2 hours before you want to eat):

* Build the fire. For indirect cooking, you will need 30 briquettes on each side of a 26 3/4 -inch diameter grill, 25 briquettes on each side of a 22 1/2 -inch grill and 16 on each side of a 18 1/2 -inch grill.

* Take chicken out of refrigerator and keep at room temperature for 30 minutes.

1 hour to 1 1/2 hours before you want to eat:

* Put chicken on grill.

* Cut up vegetables.

40 minutes before you want to eat main course:

* Put vegetables on grill.

* Garnish soup and serve to guests.

After meal is cooking for one hour (or 45 minutes for direct):

* Check chicken for doneness.

* Add additional coals. You will need 9 more coals on each side for the large grill, 8 on each side for the medium grill and 5 on each side for the small grill.

When chicken is ready:

* Get pastry ready.

* Put shortcake on grill to cook while you are eating your main course.

Chilled avocado soup with shrimp

Makes 6 servings.

2 ripe avocados, about 1 1/2 pounds

2 1/2 cups chicken stock

1/2 cup buttermilk

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind

1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper

1 clove garlic, minced

GARNISH:

1/4 pound cooked, peeled baby shrimp

Parsley sprigs

lemon wedges

Peel, pit and cube the avocados; puree in food processor or blender. Add stock, buttermilk, lemon juice and rind, salt, pepper and garlic; process until smooth. Cover and refrigerate until chilled. Taste and adjust seasoning.

To garnish: Ladle into soup bowls and garnish with shrimp and parsley. Serve with lemon. From "The Random House Barbecue and Summer Foods Cookbook."

Lemon-rosemary grilled chicken

Makes 4 servings.

1/3 cup lemon juice

1/4 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary

1 large clove garlic, minced

1 (2 1/2 pound) chicken

2 tablespoons liquid honey

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

salt and pepper

Set up grill for indirect cooking.

In a small bowl, combine lemon juice, oil, rosemary and garlic. Transfer to shallow glass dish large enough to hold chicken in a single layer and set aside.

Using a sharp knife, remove wing tips from chicken. Place bird, breast side down, on a cutting board. Using poultry shears or sharp knife, cut along one side of backbone. Spread chicken apart to lie flat. Using poultry shears or knife, cut along each side of breastbone. Trim off all fat and excess skin.

Place chicken halves between 2 sheets of plastic wrap. Using smooth mallet, flatten halves for more even cooking.

Place halves in a shallow dish with marinade, turning to coat. Cover and marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes or in refrigerator for 2 hours, turning occasionally. (If marinated in refrigerator, let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before grilling.)

Remove halves from marinade; drain well, reserving marinade.

Place chicken, bone side down on center of grill, place cover down and grill for 1 to 1 1/4 hours.

During the last 10 minutes of grilling, stir honey and mustard into reserved marinade and brush over chicken, cooking until juices run clear when the chicken is pierced.

To prepare this particular menu, you'll need to cook everything by the indirect method, because that's how the grill has to be set up for the vegetables and dessert. However, if you want to prepare the chicken for a weekday family meal, you can speed up the cooking process by using the direct method. For this method, place chicken, bone side down, on grill over medium-hot coals or gas grill on medium setting; cook, covered 10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown, watching carefully to avoid flare-ups.

Turn halves over; cook for 10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Stir honey and mustard into reserved marinade; brush over chicken and cook, turning and brushing with marinade for 10 to 15 minutes longer or until juices run clear when the chicken is pierced.

Whichever method you use, when the chicken is done, season with salt and pepper to taste. Cut halves into quarters to serve.

Adapted from "The Random House Barbecue and Summer Foods Cookbook."

Seasonal vegetable potpourri

Makes 6 servings.

8 ounces large whole fresh mushrooms, halved

2 small yellow squash, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/2 -inch slices (about 2 cups)

1 cup pearl onions or 1 large onion, cut into chunks

L 1 large stalk celery, bias-sliced into 1/2 -inch pieces (1 cup)

2 tablespoons sliced pimiento

1 tablespoon white wine Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon snipped fresh tarragon or 3/4 teaspoon dried tarragon, crushed

1/2 teaspoon finely shredded lemon peel

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon margarine or butter

Cut an 18-inch square of heavy foil. Combine mushrooms, squash, onions, celery and pimiento. Place in the center of the foil.

Drizzle vegetable with white wine Worcestershire sauce. Sprinkle with tarragon, lemon peel and salt. Dot with margarine.

Bring up 2 opposite edges of foil and, leaving a little space for expansion of steam, tightly seal top, then each end.

Place foil packet in center of the cooking grill. Indirect grill on charcoal or indirect grill on medium heat for gas grill for 40 to 45 minutes until vegetables are crisp tender. Spoon juices over vegetables before serving. From "Grill Out!"

New Zealand-style shortcake

Makes 9 servings.

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon julienned lemon peel

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup cold butter or margarine

2 beaten egg yolks

1/4 cup cold water

4 cups fresh or frozen berries, raspberries, strawberries, etc.

1 1/4 cups sifted powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Combine flour, lemon peel and teaspoon salt. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Make well in center. Combine yolks and cold water. Add to flour mixture. Using a fork, stir till dough begins to cling together. Divide in half. Shape each portion into a ball and roll between waxed paper into a 9-inch square.

Place 1 pastry square in a 9-by-9-by-2-inch baking pan. Top with berries. Combine the 1 1/4 cups powdered sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle over top. Top with remaining pastry. Place pan in center of cooking grill. Grill on indirect gril on charcoal grill on indirect grill on medium heat on gas grill for 35 to 40 minutes or until golden. Let stand for 20 minutes. Serve warm and dusted with additional powdered sugar. From "Grill Out!"

Grilling the indirect way

"Grill Out!" the new barbecuing book from the Weber grill people, gives the following directions for indirect grilling. Use this method to grill hams, meat loaves, ribs, roasts, turkeys and whole fish.

*Open all vents of your covered grill before starting the fire.

*Position charcoal rails as near the outside edge on the lower grill as possible. This allows the large area in the center for placement of a drip pan.

*Place an equal number of briquettes on the left and right sides.

*Ignite the briquettes and allow them to burn for 25 or 30 minutes or until they have a light coating of gray ash. Make sure the coals are burning evenly on each side. If one side is burning hotter than the other, move the coals with long-handled tongs.

*Center a drip pan on the lower part of the grill.

*Insert a cooking grill and position the handles so additional coals can be added through the handles.

*Place the food in the center of the cooking grill directly above the drip pan.

*Cover the grill, leaving all vents open, and follow recipe directions.