The Official Santa Maria Style Barbecue Site

In the latest edition of its food section, the Sacramento Bee turns the spotlight on tri-tip, the cut of meat that was popularized in the Santa Maria Valley and that is considered a signature cut (along with top block sirloin) of traditional Santa Maria Style Barbecue.

Senior writer Allen Pierleoni begins his story with the following observation: “When it comes to beef, tri-tip rules as the king of the California grill. Now this humble, easy-to-cook cut is gaining a toehold in other parts of the nation and is even wowing diners in the Big Apple.”

Later in the story, he delves into the origins of tri-tip, revealing how this once-overlooked cut found its mojo in the Santa Maria Valley: “Fast-forward to the late 1950s, when Santa Maria butcher Bob Schutz experimented with the cut, which is one of the three muscles in the bottom sirloin of the steer. Meat cutters routinely diced it into stew meat or ground it into hamburger, but not Schutz on that day. Instead, he seasoned it Santa Maria-style and cooked it on a rotisserie. His ‘creation’ was surprisingly delicious. He named it ‘tri-tip’ because of its shape and promoted it locally. Its popularity spread statewide.”

As the story notes, tri-tip’s recognition is beginning to spread beyond California, but we still hear from people in other parts of the nation who say that even their butcher doesn’t know about it.

In the Santa Maria Valley and across the Central Coast, however, tri-tip is ubiquitous, not only in the form of classic Santa Maria BBQ, but also in the tri-tip sandwiches that you will find in delis, markets and restaurants all over the region. Visit the valley soon for a taste of this sensational local cut.

KSBY Televison recently featured the Santa Maria Valley’s Far Western Tavern in its popular news series titled “No Place Like Home,” which focuses on the unique flavors and experiences of the Central Coast.

Founded in 1958, the Far Western Tavern is a local landmark of Santa Maria Style Barbecue, and joins the Hitching Post, Shaw’s and Jocko’s as Santa Maria BBQ bastions that have been going strong for more than half of a century. Click here for more information on local restaurants that specialize in this regional culinary tradition.

The Far Western Tavern, which was recently named as one of the West’s top 10 barbecue restaurants by Sunset Magazine, is located on Highway 1 in the town of Guadalupe.

In the story produced by KSBY, anchor Jeanette Trompeter observes, “Generations of families, farmers and ranchers have come to the Far Western when they wanted a good meal, and a connection to the agricultural community it calls home. And even as times changed, cities around here grew up and chain restaurants moved in, the Far Western has held it’s ground.”

This is an apt description of not only the Far Western Tavern, but of several local barbecue establishments and even the phenomenon of Santa Maria barbecue itself. Just more proof that good taste never goes out of style!

When someone mentions Santa Maria Style Barbecue, a few things come immediately to mind. The tri-tip cut, the signature local seasoning, the accompanying pinquito beans…But there is one other crucial ingredient that is sometimes overlooked, and that is red oak wood.

Indeed, the traditional and authentic Santa Maria Style Barbecue is cooked over coals of native red oak. And trust us, red oak isn’t mere fuel for the fire. It’s an integral part of the flavor profile of classic Santa Maria barbecue. The aromas and flavors that red oak imparts are both sweet and smoky, rich yet mellow, and utterly distinctive.

Red oak is indigenous to the foothills of California’s Central Coast, making it the go-to wood for the original Santa Maria barbecues in the mid 1800s, long before commercial charcoal was a retail staple. Over time, red oak’s aromas and flavors become synonymous with the local barbecue tradition.

Several purveyors offer red oak products for barbecuing, including Susie Q’s Brand of the Santa Maria Valley, which offers red oak barbecue chips. Just a handful of red oak chips will transform your barbecue and give you an authentically natural taste of how it’s done here in the Santa Maria Valley.

“Wow!”

That’s all we could say when we received the new July 2010 issue of the Wine Enthusiast and discovered a two-page feature spread on Santa Maria Style Barbecue. Thanks to article author (and famed wine critic) Steve Heimoff and the Wine Enthusiast for turning the spotlight on California’s BBB capital!

The article is titled “Santa Maria Style Barbecue,” with a subhead that declares: “Steak is the sizzle in the Central Coast’s oldest culinary tradition, and the region’s wines match perfectly.”

The story delves into the history and traditions of Santa Maria Style BBQ, with quotes from Frank Ostini of The Hitching Post, Rick Manson of Chef Rick’s Ultimately Fine Foods and Kevin Plemmons of Plemmons Catering. It also features Susie Q’s Brand and other local purveyors of Santa Maria Style Barbecue.

Of course, wine is also a big part of the local culinary story. Writes Heimoff, “Such a huge spectrum of flavors calls for a variety of wines to match. Steakhous reds of course—Santa Barbara produces some outstanding Cabernet Sauvignons and Syrahs. A rich, oaky Santa Barbara County Chardonnay goes surprisingly well with everything.”

He concludes, “But this isn’t the time to be fussy. Santa Maria-style BBQ is all about relaxation with family and friends…As Eli Parker puts it, ‘This was all about feeding a bunch of hungry cowboys. In a way, it still is.’”

We couldn’t have said it better ourselves!

In the Santa Maria Valley, barbecue is never out of season. Nevertheless, we must celebrate the advent of National Barbecue Month this May, which always reminds us that the nation’s weather and barbecues are both beginning to heat up in earnest as we turn the corner toward summertime.

Naturally, this is also a perfect time of year to visit and experience the wondrous flavors of our bountiful valley. The temperatures are reaching a perfect pitch, the grapevines are bursting with fresh green growth, the strawberries are in season, and the Santa Maria Style Barbecue is, as always, sizzling.

And no visit to the valley is complete without a meal at one of our landmark Santa Maria BBQ restaurants. Click here for a list of restaurants that showcase this local culinary tradition.

Of course, if you can’t visit right now, you can still become a barbecue hero at home by adopting the methods and ingredients of Santa Maria barbecue. Click here for tips and recipes, and here for a how-to video. Enjoy!

Let’s face it, everyone loves a shout-out, which is why we were thrilled to have this blog linked to a story in San Francisco’s SF Weekly newspaper.

In the story, food critic Jonathan Kauffman answers the following question from a recent Houston transplant: Where can I find Tex-Mex food?

Later in the piece, he encourages his readers to seek out “Cal-Mex” food, and kindly suggests that people “take a weekend road trip to the Santa Maria Valley to gorge on tri-tip steaks grilled over red oak and long-braised pinquito beans.”

Great idea! They don’t call the Santa Maria Valley “California’s Sweet Spot” for nothing, as the valley is located nearly dead center between San Francisco and Los Angeles, making it an relatively easy jaunt from the big metro areas to the north and the south.

So come on down, or up, and bring your appetite for Santa Maria BBQ.