Santa Maria-style barbecue facts for kids
Santa Maria-style barbecue is a special way of cooking meat that comes from the Santa Maria Valley in California. This cooking style started way back in the mid-1800s. Today, many people see it as a very important part of California's food history. The exact menu for this barbecue was even officially protected in 1978.
This barbecue style mainly uses a cut of beef called tri-tip. The meat is seasoned simply with black pepper, salt, and garlic. Then, it's cooked over hot coals made from native coast live oak wood. People often call this "red oak" wood. The grill used is usually made of iron. It has a hand crank that lets you move the grill up or down. This helps you get the meat the perfect distance from the heat.
The Santa Maria Valley can be quite windy. Because of this, the cooking uses an "oxidative fire." This means there's lots of air, which makes the fire burn hotter and cleaner. This is different from the "reductive fire" used in many covered barbecues.
Traditional side dishes are very important. These include pinquito beans, fresh salsa, a green salad, and grilled French bread. The bread is often dipped in sweet melted butter. Sometimes, people in the Central Coast area add other meats. These might be linguica or chorizo sausage, or even venison. These can be grilled with the tri-tip or added to the beans. Fresh strawberries are also a popular addition.
How Santa Maria Barbecue Started
Santa Maria-style barbecue began in the mid-1800s. Local ranchers would hold big Spanish-style parties each spring. They cooked for their vaqueros, who were like cowboys. They barbecued meat in earthen pits filled with hot coals. These coals came from local coast live oak trees. The meal always included pinquitos. These are small pink beans that grow naturally in the Santa Maria Valley.
A local food historian, R. H. Tesene, explained how the style grew. He said that people started putting cuts of beef on skewers or rods. Then they cooked the meat over the hot red oak coals. This is how the unique "style" of Santa Maria barbecue developed.
In 1931, the Santa Maria Club started a special "Stag Barbecue." This event happened every second Wednesday of the month. Sometimes, as many as 700 people would come to eat!
By the late 1950s, three local restaurants became famous for this barbecue. These were The Far Western Tavern, Hitching Post, and Jocko's. The Elks Lodge #1538 also has huge indoor barbecue pits. They host a "Cook Your Own" event every Friday evening.
The first cut of beef used was top sirloin. Back then, just like today, the meat was covered in salt, pepper, and garlic salt. Then it was barbecued over red oak coals. These coals give the meat a delicious, smoky flavor.
In the 1950s, a local butcher named Bob Schutz made a new cut popular. He perfected the tri-tip, which is a triangular piece of bottom sirloin. The tri-tip quickly became a main part of Santa Maria-style barbecue, just like top sirloin.
President Ronald Reagan really loved Santa Maria-style barbecue. A local barbecue chef, Bob Herdman, and his team cooked for President Reagan many times. They even cooked five feasts on the White House lawn!
Special Pinquito Beans
Pinquito beans are a super important part of a traditional Santa Maria-style barbecue meal. They are a mix between a pink bean and a small white bean. These beans grow very well in the rich soil and mild weather of the Santa Maria Valley. Betteravia Farms started growing pinquito beans to sell in 1972. Another company, Susie Q's Brand, also sells pinquito beans and other Santa Maria-style barbecue foods.
