Posts filed under ‘Santa Maria Style BBQ’
Aloha from California’s BBQ Capital
Talk about a win-win situation! Residents of the Central Coast can now fly directly to beautiful Hawaii via the Santa Maria Public Airport…And now residents of Hawaii have a straight shot to California’s BBQ Capital!
Indeed, as reported in the Santa Maria Times, “Visitors to the Santa Maria Public Airport will be noticing a little more ‘island style’ starting today after Allegiant Air announces it will begin flights to Honolulu, Hawaii on Nov. 17…Andrew Levy, president of Allegiant Travel Co., said Santa Maria’s location and its already active service to Las Vegas played a big role in securing the Hawaiian service…’We believe we’ll be able to pull people from all over the area. We think it will be a good route.’”
Like the Santa Maria Valley, Hawaii boasts a rich culinary heritage, one that today incorporates a fusion of multiethnic influences along with local ingredients. Not surprisingly, fine regional dining abounds on the islands.
Meanwhile, out here in the Santa Maria Valley…Well, we don’t need to belabor the point. But let’s just say that after a comfortable direct flight via Allegiant Airlines, our friends in Hawaii will no doubt enjoy experiencing what Sunset Magazine once called “the world’s best barbecue” right at the source.
To Hawaii, we say: Just fly on over and follow the red oak smoke, we look forward to serving you, and to visiting you, too!
Zac Efron Sings Praises of Santa Maria BBQ
Actor Zac Efron may have become an international celebrity in recent years, but his taste in barbecue remains distinctly local.
Indeed, in the April 29 issue of nationally syndicated Parade magazine, the Central Coast native and local theater alum shares his love for Santa Maria Style Barbecue. As with many families across the Santa Maria Valley and the Central Coast, Santa Maria Style Barbecue was apparently a staple at the Efron household in Arroyo Grande, which is located 20 minutes north of the city of Santa Maria.
Parade is a weekly magazine that is bundled with more than 600 newspapers nationwide each Sunday. It has a circulation of 32.2 million and a readership of nearly 69 million.
In the article titled, “Sunday Dinner,” Efron shares his own riff on Santa Maria BBQ, which, with its salsa marinade and pinto beans, differs from what local purists would call authentic Santa Maria Style Barbecue. Of course, he wouldn’t be the first person to put their own personal spin on the local tradition, and he was kind enough to include locally produced Susie Q’s Seasoning in his recipe.
And, of course, if you want access to the traditional recipe—the real deal—you need look no further than this blog, the authoritative and official source for Santa Maria Style Barbecue!
Also, we remind you that the Santa Maria Valley Visitor & Convention Bureau offers a complimentary Santa Maria Style Barbecue brochure containing recipes, the history of Santa Maria Style Barbecue and information on local restaurants that specialize in the traditional meal.
Brochures may be obtained at the Santa Maria Valley Chamber of Commerce & Visitor and Convention Bureau located at 614 S. Broadway in Santa Maria or by calling (805) 925-2403.
Three Questions with The Hitching Post and BBQ2YOU
No time to cook? No problem!
Indeed, the Santa Maria Valley’s famed Hitching Post restaurant continues to turn heads with its BBQ2YOU line of ready-to-heat authentic Santa Maria BBQ (and other offerings such as seasonings) shipped right to your doorstep.
Among the favorites is the Four Pack “Fully Prepared” Grilled Tri-Tip (approx. eight pounds, shipped frozen, California only, $69.95) which will feed an army, and which is perfectly seasoned and grilled over red oak. Also popular is the Six Pack “Fully Prepared” Grilled Artichoke (shipped frozen, California only, $65.95).
Restaurant General Manager Terri Stricklin says that there’s no grilling or thaw time necessary. She says that from freezer to plate in less than 20 minutes, these are fully prepared meals, and all you have to do is boil water, drop the boil-in-bag meal in, and dinner is served.
What inspired you to develop fully prepared Santa Maria BBQ tri-tip?
The business venture began with my niece, Stacey Mosti. When she moved away from the area, she missed her dad’s famous barbecue at the Casmalia Hitching Post restaurant. She wanted a way to enjoy it more than the once or twice a year when she visits the Central Coast. After about 18 months of testing, we mastered the steps for barbecuing and flash freezing our tri-tip, and we developed reliable reheating instructions for the end customer.
How far and wide have you shipped your prepared tri-tip?
We have shipped to as far away as Alaska and have had many requests to ship overseas. However, we are currently only shipping in California.
What is some of the feedback you’ve received?
We have received tremendous feedback from our customers. Many of them are local folks sending packages to kids while they’re away at college, or to family who’ve moved out of the area. People love our product!
Thank you, Terri! For more information on The Hitching Post and BBQ2YOU, visit www.hitchingpost1.com and click on the BBQ2YOU link.
Instant Santa Maria BBQ Fire?
Over at Forbes.com, Larry Olmstead, author of an earlier feature story on Santa Maria Style Barbecue, turns the spotlight on a new invention that is sure to delight campers, tailgaters and other grillers on the go: the BIC FlameDisk.
Writes Olmstead, “The FlameDisk is a single use alternative to charcoal - ready to cook pretty much as soon as you light it, which requires simply touching a match to it. No muss, no fuss, several pros and few cons.”
He adds, “One nice touch in addition to the convenience is that the cover is specifically designed so that dripping meat juices flare briefly and crate the same great smoky taste you get cooking over a wood fire but lose with some propane grills. This feature worked great. Cons? Not too many. It cooked just a tad slower than perfectly prepared charcoal, but then charcoal is constantly changing as it burns, whereas this flame was very constant throughout.”
This is pretty high praise coming from a BBQ aficionado like Mr. Olmstead, who describes his backyard as “a bit of a smoky fantasy: I have a Weber gas grill I love, a large smoker for doing authentic slow cooked barbecue, and a large homemade Argentinean parillada grill for traditional open wood fire cooking, as well as authentic Santa Maria-style barbecue.”
But while the BIC FlameDisk sounds great for grilling on the go, how can it be relevant to authentic Santa Maria BBQ, which requires red oak for fuel?
Well, there’s a little trick that you can use on gas grills and presumably the BIC FlameDisk that can give you a bit of true Santa Maria BBQ red oak flavor without actually burning wood…
The first step is to find some red oak chips (the Santa Maria Valley’s own Susie Q’s Brand is one source for affordable red oak chips). Next, you create pouch of heavy-duty foil and place a heaping of chips into the pouch. You then seal the pouch and pierce the foil with a fork to create little outlets for the smoke to escape. Place the pouch on the grill next to your food, close the cover and let ‘er smoke! Your meat is now going to get a bit of that classic Santa Maria Valley red oak flavor.
Red oak chips are even easier to use over charcoal. You just sprinkle the chips directly over the hot coals and they work their magic as they burn.
Try red oak chips at your next tailgate or campsite as an easy way to enjoy Santa Maria-style flavor on the go. Just be prepared for the aromas to attract a crowd!
Napa Valley Meets Santa Maria BBQ
As we reported earlier, the Santa Maria Valley wine country is quickly emerging as one of California’s finest wine regions, creating a local flavor powerhouse when combined with the regional culinary tradition of Santa Maria Style Barbecue.
Now we find out that the Santa Maria Valley foodie train is rolling right into the heart of Napa Valley. Indeed, a new mobile food purveyor is now traveling around Napa Valley, serving a sizzling taste of Santa Maria BBQ.
In the words of FoodTruckTalk.com: “Hey Napa, it’s time for a change! You’ve been known for wine and wineries for a long, long time. Starting now it’s a new era in Napa. From now on you’ll be known for your BBQ, the SFC BBQ Food Truck is on the road! SFC BBQ features great tasting barbecue using traditional Californian recipes from the mid 1800s that is filled with Spanish influences and indigenous ingredients from the Santa Maria Valley. Using red oak in their bbq pit and smoker SFC BBQ turns out some mighty fine bbq!”
Sounds like Napa Valley is about to get a delicious dose of local flavor…Santa Maria Style!
Tri-Tip: The Next Big Thing in BBQ?
While the stars were gathered in Hollywood last week, another awards show was taking place down the road in San Diego: the “Oscars of BBQ,” as the Washington Post called it.
Indeed, the National Barbecue Association’s National Conference and Trade Show was a “who’s who” of American BBQ. According to Washington Post barbecue writer Jim Shahin, “Barbecue bigshots were on hand to assess the state of the industry and give awards to what they believe are some of their best.”
What happily caught our attention in Shahin’s story is a rather bullish mention of tri-tip, as NBBQA executive director Jeff Allen is quoted as saying, “The world is getting smaller and people are opening up to other styles. That is one of the reasons we came to California — to expose people to Santa Maria-style [beef tri-tips]. The regional styles are starting to pop up in regions all across the country. Tri-tips might be the next big thing.”
Tri-tip might be the next big thing? Those are some pretty amazing words coming from the national barbecue association. Of course, tri-tip has always been a big thing around here, and we’ve noted before that its reach is spreading. If you’re not familiar with tri-tip, check out our post on how this signature local cut originated in the Santa Maria Valley.
The NBBQA also noted that the barbecue restaurant industry is growing, but added a word of caution: “Barbecue restaurants are showing some pretty robust growth, despite the economy,” Allen said. “The question is, what is the quality of those restaurants and how long will they be around?”
Which brings us to another attribute of the Santa Maria Style Barbecue experience: staying power. Indeed, local barbecue landmark restaurants such as Shaw’s, The Hitching Post and the Far Western Tavern have all being going strong for more than 50 consecutive years. You know what they say, good taste never goes out of “style!”
Tip of The (Cowboy) Hat to Santa Maria BBQ
As Santa Maria Style Barbecue fanatics, we’re always thrilled to discover someone who smells the red oak and sees the light when it comes to “Santa Maria style.”
So needless to say, we were delighted to stumble upon this recent post by Food Blogga (a.k.a. Susan Russo), who shares her path to barbecue enlightenment.
She first comes clean with the admission that, “Having grown up in Rhode Island I always thought a ‘barbecue’ referred to an outdoor cookout featuring grilled hot dogs and hamburgers.”
She then pays her penance: “It wasn’t until we moved to North Carolina that we discovered ‘barbecue’ had nothing to do with hot dogs and hamburgers and everything to do with slowly cooking a whole hog over some flames.”
Finally, Food Blogga finds the truth: “Now that we live in Southern California, I’ve fallen for Santa Maria-style barbecue made from tri-tip, a flavorful, triangular cut of beef from the bottom sirloin.”
Her story continues with a wonderfully detailed recipe for Santa Maria Style Barbecue by Joe at SteakPerfection. Food Blogga wraps with this tip: “And just in case you’re wondering, tri-tip tastes better if it you eat it while wearing a cowboy hat.”
Keep the faith Food Blogga!
Santa Maria BBQ Flies High in US Airways Magazine
Santa Maria Style Barbecue is in the bright spotlight once again as US Airways Magazine showcases our regional culinary tradition in a four-page feature story titled “The Other Barbecue.”
In the words of contributing writer Larry Olmstead, “Although every U.S. city offers barbecue in some form, you’ll expecially find one or more of the four well-known regional styles: Carolina, Memphis, Kansas City and Texas…If you’re a fan of any of these barbecues, expand your palate with an up-and-coming taste–a fifth style that’s edging into the carnivore stable. Santa Maria barbecue may be a newcomer, but it has a long and storied history.”
We couldn’t have said it any better!
In the story, Olmstead elaborates on the history and ingredients of Santa Maria Style Barbecue and raves about the food and wines at the Hitching Post II, and also recommends dining at the original Hitching Post in Casmalia, the Far Western Tavern and Shaw’s Steakhouse & Tavern. He also kindly turns readers onto this blog!
Olmstead concludes, “As more visitors discover this local staple, word about Santa Maria barbecue is sure to spread.
A quote in the story sums it up: “Between the unique regional food and the wines, you get a flavor that is entirely and authentically local. People are actively seeking regional authenticity in their food today, and you’ll find it here in California’s barbecue capital.”
Thanks to US Airways Magazine and writer Larry Olmstead for spreading the sizzling good news about Santa Maria Barbecue!
Santa Maria BBQ Makes the Cut in Forbes’ Top 10
In a cool story on regional American cuisine, Forbes.com recommends Santa Maria Style Barbecue as one of the top 10 culinary traditions for its readers to experience in 2012.
The Forbes piece pursues the premise that while many regional culinary styles have become popular nationwide, there are still foods that are best eaten in their place of origin.
Contributing writer Larry Olmsted notes, “While it (Santa Maria style barbecue) has been around for a century and a half, it has never made national inroads like the other styles, and remains limited to California’s Central Coast, namely the Santa Maria Valley and Santa Barbara County, but here it is ubiquitous, found in restaurants every day, and on weekends at outdoor charity fundraising barbecues.”
Olmsted does a fine job of explaining the difference between Santa Maria Style Barbecue and its more recognized cousins , such as the barbecue styles of the Carolinas, Memphis, Kansas City and Texas. “Unlike the other regional styles,” Olmsted says, “Santa Maria barbecue is always cooked over an open flame, not in a closed smoker, always burning locally native California red oak.”
He goes on to praise the The Hitching Post restaurant with a nod to the local wine country. Thanks to Larry Olmstead and Forbes.com for naming Santa Maria BBQ as one of the nation’s top regional food experiences!
P.S. In no particular order, following is a list of the top 10 regional cuisines mentioned in the Forbes piece. Santa Maria Valley is delighted to be in such company!
-New Orleans: Muffeletta Sandwich
-Salt Lake City: Crown Burger
-Kansas City: Burnt Ends
-St. Louis, MO: St. Louis Pizza
-Coastal South Carolina: Shrimp & Grits
-Rhode Island: Clam Cakes
-Iowa: Loose Meat Sandwich
-Santa Maria, CA: Santa Maria Style Barbecue (Hear, hear!)
-Miami Beach: Stone Crab Claws -Chesapeake Bay: Blue Crabs
SeriousEats.com Savors Santa Maria BBQ
We are always delighted to discover new stories and travelogues that turn the spotlight on Santa Maria Style Barbecue, and the latest is a post by James Boo on SeriousEats.com.
Writes Mr. Boo, “Santa Maria’s claim to culinary fame is a type of open-flame grilling that dates back to the 19th century. Despite its association with colonial Spain’s vaquero culture, this approach was not too different from most American barbecue of the time—a process with three general steps: ‘Dig hole. Light coals. Apply carcass.’”
He adds, “Santa Maria barbecue, like Maryland Pit Beef, doesn’t adhere to contemporary rules but after spending a day at the region’s taverns and steakhouses, I could taste about a century of tradition distilled into the craft of seriously delicious wood-smoke grilling.”
Hear, hear! He also makes a cool cultural observation: “When I pulled up to the steakhouses of Santa Maria, California, I found pickup trucks next to pickup trucks. That’s what you get for a farmtown near the Central Coast.”
Along the way, Mr. Boo specifically praises the food at two local Santa Maria BBQ landmarks: The Hitching Post and Shaw’s Steakhouse. If you’d like to follow in his footsteps, a great place to start is our roundup of Santa Maria Valley barbecue specialists.
Thanks to James Boo and SeriousEats.com for sharing the good news about Santa Maria Style Barbecue!
