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1
Before you leave the house, put the potatoes and a few large pinches of salt in a very large pot and add water to cover; bring to a boil and cook until they are about half done, 10 to 15 minutes.
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2
Drain and transfer to a container to take with you to beach.
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3
Take all the ingredients to the beach, along with a shovel, a tarp, a few garbage bags, a bucket, some cheesecloth, a box of matches, lots of newspaper, firewood and kindling.
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4
Find a spot above the high-water mark and dig a 4-by-2-by-2-foot hole.
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5
Build a fire in the hole with newspaper, kindling and some wood.
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6
(Keep everything else upwind of the fire.)
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7
Feed the fire quickly and steadily with more kindling and wood.
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8
Find about 30 rocks, each 6 by 4 inches or bigger.
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9
Start adding the rocks to the fire, a few at a time, slowly over the course of about an hour, while continuing to feed the fire with wood.
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10
While the rocks are heating, gather enough seaweed to half-fill 2 or 3 garbage bags.
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11
When the rocks are white hot (this should take about an hour), stop adding wood but let the fire continue to burn.
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12
Meanwhile, make 8 to 12 cheesecloth packages, each containing a few of the clams, mussels and potatoes.
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13
Peel back the husks of the corn but dont remove them; remove as much of the silk as you can, then fold the husks back into place.
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14
Remove any remaining wood from the fire with a shovel; a bed of coals topped by a layer of white-hot rocks should remain.
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15
Immediately dump the seaweed over the rocks, creating a layer at least 2 to 3 inches thick; no rocks should remain exposed or you will burn the food (and maybe the tarp).
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16
Sprinkle the seaweed with about a gallon of seawater.
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17
Put the cheesecloth packages, corn and lobsters in a single layer on top of the seaweed.
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18
Cover the food in an additional layer of seaweed and cover the entire pit with a tarp, weighing the edges of the tarp down with rocks.
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19
Cook undisturbed for 30 to 40 minutes.
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20
Put the butter in a heatproof saucepan.
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21
When the seafood is ready, peel back the tarp and put the pan of butter on the fire until it melts.
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22
Remove the tarp entirely, transfer the food to serving platters and serve everything with the melted butter, lemon wedges and more salt.
