With the summer barbecue season just around the corner, the flavorful secrets of Santa Maria Style Barbecue are being shared for all to savor at a new blog: santamariavalleybbq.com. Created by the Santa Maria Valley Chamber of Commerce, the blog has already been featured as a “best web find” on sunset.com, the website of Sunset Magazine.
As the name implies, the blog celebrates authentic Santa Maria Style Barbecue, and spotlights other local flavors, such as wine and strawberries. It also includes information on visiting and staying in the Santa Maria Valley. It features historical information on the origins of Santa Maria Style Barbecue, where to find it at local restaurants, instructions on how to prepare and grill authentic Santa Maria Style Barbecue, where to buy the seasoning and pinquito beans, and how to order a free booklet featuring recipes and tips.
The Santa Maria Valley Chamber of Commerce copyrighted the official Santa Maria Style Barbecue menu more than 30 years ago, and now that menu has been featured in books like Renewing American’s Food Traditions, and Chile Pepper and California Country magazines. Famed chef Bobby Flay came to the Santa Maria Valley to showcase Santa Maria Style Barbecue on his Food Network show BBQ with Bobby Flay, and later featured it on CBS’s Early Show. Sunset magazine once called Santa Maria Style Barbecue the “best barbecue in the world.”
Arts Briefs is compiled by Arts Editor Shelly Cone. Information should be sent to the Sun via fax, e-mail, or mail.
This article appears in Jun 4-11, 2009.