Thanks to his locally inspired spin on a traditional cheesesteak sandwich, Santa Maria chef Jesse Carlon’s tribute to the Philadelphia staple is a frequent standout during pop-up barbecue events.
“We replicate the Philly, but it’s made with barbecue tri-tip,” said Carlon, the owner and founder of Oakie Smokie BBQ.
A lifelong Central Coast resident, Carlon grew up with the Santa Maria-style barbecue tradition. The idea of fiddling around with tri-tip sandwiches by adding mozzarella or anything other than barbecue sauce or salsa initially seemed like taboo territory, Carlon explained.
“I didn’t grow up with it. I grew up with the opposite: You don’t do nothing to your tri-tip,” the chef said. “I wanted to bend the rules a little bit and thought, let’s try this out—and it was good, so I ran with it.”
Carlon started dishing out his tri-tip version of the Philly cheesesteak in 2022, two years after starting Oakie Smokie as a microenterprise home kitchen operation (MEHKO) in 2020. Over the past four years, the barbecue vendor has grilled for public and private events in Santa Maria, Nipomo, Oceano, and other cities across the Central Coast.
The Santa Maria-style cheesesteak sandwich idea came about around the same time Carlon started incorporating tri-tip-centric quesadillas and nachos into his menu as well, about two years ago.
In a nutshell, Carlon described his cheesesteak nachos as “the same thing as the sandwich except … in a nacho form.”
Both the cheesesteak sandwiches and nacho platters come with thinly sliced tri-tip; sautéed bell peppers, onions, and jalapeños; and chipotle aioli sauce, all blanketed together with mozzarella cheese. The cheesesteak quesadilla shares these ingredients as well.
All of Oakie Smokie BBQ’s nacho selections come with fresh pinto beans, made from scratch, and tortilla chips sourced from Taco Works, based in San Luis Obispo. Aside from the cheesesteak nachos, which has mozzarella, Carlon’s nacho plates of other varieties usually come with cheddar jack cheese.
There’s a lot of room for customization throughout Carlon’s menu, which also features chicken and pork ribs. Tri-tip strikes again as one of the meat options for his tacos, prepared like traditional Mexican street tacos with onions and cilantro, along with salsa and lime slices on the side.
When Carlon is catering an event or hosting a pop-up barbecue, his combo plates often come with a choice of meat and sides, such as pinto beans, potato salad, and a slice of garlic bread. These three sides in particular will adorn the barbecue plates set to be served during Carlon’s new pop-up series at his home in Santa Maria.
The weekly series kicks off on June 14 and will continue every Friday throughout the summer. Each week, Carlon will alternate between two menu options. The aforementioned barbecue plate selection with multiple meat options takes up one menu, while the second menu focuses on tri-tip with sandwiches, quesadillas, and nacho platters.
Each meal comes with a complimentary drink too. Beverage options include water, soda, lemonade, and tea. Hopeful patrons of the pop-ups can stay updated on the new Friday series by following Oakie Smokie on Instagram or Facebook, where Carlon enjoys posting reels regularly, he said with a laugh.
Carlon promotes the business’s upcoming whereabouts via social media as well. Oakie Smokie’s next big gig is in Los Olivos, where Carlon will be stationed at Zaca Mesa Winery’s Summer Barbecue Open House on June 15.
Along with upcoming events, Carlon said he’s also stoked to announce that he’s in the production phase of getting his specialty tri-tip and pork rib seasonings available for purchase on their own at certain storefronts. Before first embarking on his Oakie Smokie adventure as a home kitchen operation during the pandemic, Carlon toyed with the idea of starting a business of this kind for a while.
“Between 2014 and 2020, the idea floated there,” Carlon said. “I’ve definitely always been a food guy. I’ve been barbecuing since the early 2000s, since my teenage years. It was a struggle [at first] but I finally got it down.”
Carlon said his biggest influences at the time were his dad, uncles, and others “who barbecued around me when I was younger, so I took on that hobby as a teenager.”
“When I bought a home in 2014, I was able to barbecue all the time. … I kind of mastered the Santa Maria-style pit,” Carlon said. “I just practiced the craft and mastered the meats I was working with.”
Arts Editor Caleb Wiseblood loves dipping tri-tip in chunky salsa. Send hoagie rolls to cwiseblood@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Jun 13-23, 2024.