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 in the mid-1800s. Today, many people see it as a very important part of California's food history. The official menu for Santa Maria-style barbecue was even copyrighted in 1978.
This barbecue style mainly uses beef tri-tip. This is a triangular cut of meat from the bottom sirloin. Cooks season the meat with black pepper, salt, and garlic. Then, they grill it over hot coals made from coast live oak wood. This wood is often called "red oak."
The grill used for this barbecue is usually made of iron. It has a hand crank that lets you move the grill up or down. This helps control how close the meat is to the heat. The Santa Maria Valley can be quite windy. Because of this, the cooking uses an "oxidative fire." This is different from the "reductive fire" used in many covered barbecues.
Traditional side dishes include pinquito beans, fresh salsa, a green salad, and grilled French bread. The bread is often dipped in sweet melted butter. Sometimes, people add sausage like linguiça or chorizo. They might also grill venison or serve fresh strawberries.
The History of Santa Maria Barbecue
Santa Maria-style barbecue began in the mid-1800s. Local ranchers, called Californios, would host big Spanish-style parties. These parties happened every spring for their cowboys, known as vaqueros. They cooked meat over hot coals in earthen pits. These coals came from local coast live oak trees. The meal always included pinquitos, which are small pink beans. These beans are native to the Santa Maria Valley.
A local historian named R. H. Tesene explained how the style grew. He said people started putting cuts of beef on skewers or rods. They cooked the meat over hot red oak coals. This is how the unique "style" of Santa Maria barbecue developed.
In 1931, the Santa Maria Club started a "Stag Barbecue." This event happened every second Wednesday of the month. Up to 700 people would come to each barbecue.
By the late 1950s, four restaurants became famous for this barbecue style. These were The Far Western Tavern, The Valley Steakhouse, Hitching Post, and Jocko's. The Elks Lodge #1538 also has large indoor barbecue pits. They host a "Cook Your Own" event every Friday evening.
The original cut of meat 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. The red oak gives the meat a smoky, rich flavor.
In the 1950s, a local butcher named Bob Schutz helped make the tri-tip popular. The tri-tip is a triangular cut from the bottom sirloin. It 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 chef named Bob Herdman and his Los Compadres Barbecue Crew cooked for President Reagan many times. They even held five barbecue feasts on the South Lawn of the White House.
Pinquito Beans
Pinquito beans are a very important part of the traditional Santa Maria-style barbecue meal. These beans are a mix between a pink bean and a small white bean. They 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. Susie Q's Brand is another company that sells pinquito beans. They also offer other foods used in Santa Maria-style barbecue.
