Sing it from the mountaintops, fellow residents. Santa Maria finally has its very own barbecue festival.
On the weekend of April 22, visitors filled Pioneer Park for the first ever Santa Maria Barbecue Festival and Brews and Cue. Started by the Santa Maria Kiwanis Club as a fundraiser for Kiwanis for Kids, the event featured 15 competitors—eight professional and seven “backyard” grillers—competing for top prizes. Woody’s Butcher Block in Santa Maria provided the meat for all the competitors, and the event also included nearly a dozen local breweries.
Jaime Flores, festival organizer with the Kiwanis Club, said the idea for the festival came to him when he realized there were no food festival options to celebrate the famous Santa Maria style.
“I felt it was a necessity since we don’t have one,” Flores said. “Santa Maria is famous regionally. We needed this.”
Here’s the thing about great tri-tip barbecue in Santa Maria, or anywhere for that matter: No matter how many times you have it, no matter how many different places you go to, it never tastes exactly the same. Even when two cooks work with the same basic ingredients (meat, garlic, salt and pepper, etc.), there is always a faintly detectable difference. Whether it’s the way a grill master turns the meat over the flame or the subtle difference in the time he or she lets it marinate, there’s always something that makes one flavor profile stand out from the next.
I sampled as many local backyard barbecuers’ offerings as I could before suffering from what I believe doctors technically term “meatoverdoseitis.” The event brought out competitors with decades of catering and barbecue experience and some who were just there to represent their family tradition.
You don’t just wake up one day, get out of the shower, brush your teeth, and then decide, willy-nilly, to crown yourself The Barbecue Queen. But with more than 25 years of grilling experience in her back pocket, Kathy Patton wears the label proudly. She said her father was the one who first taught her how to find her way around a grill and a pile of red oak.
The Barbecue Queen’s tri-tip was one of my favorite bites of the day, mostly owing to the fact that it was a very understated seasoning that let the meat shine.
“That’s my specialty, and I like to stick to that—nice and slow on the grill,” she said. “I have my own seasoning but that’s a secret. It’s not heat, it’s not spicy.”
But when I pressed her for details on the rub and how she gets it so subtle, she politely declined to share the secret. The Barbecue Queen wasn’t alone in the protectiveness of her special methods and ingredients. With so much competition on the landscape, most grillers were careful not to reveal too much of their trade secrets.
Grandpa Luis Barbecue out of Oceano offered a tri-tip that was sweet but with a punch of heat that didn’t mask the flavor of the meat. Sergio Miranda, grandson of the eponymous Luis, gave me a few details on their marinade.
“It’s a little soy sauce, and a little bit of peppers, but that’s about all I can say,” Miranda said, adding that the secret recipe has been in his family for more than 15 years.
For the Miranda family, barbecue is all about backyard good times, not flashy displays of culinary prowess.
“This is our tradition,” he said. “Saturdays, in our backyard. This is who we are.”
Santa Maria natives Eric Diaz and Eddie Beas of Gettin’ Smokey With It were serving up a lot of dance moves along with their barbecue.
Beas said the secret to their entry was a “dry rub and a lot of love,” along with a little cayenne and paprika for a kick of heat that wasn’t too overwhelming. But it was their ribs that had me.
“Barbecuing is my passion,” Diaz said. “If I get off of work and I can do this, I’m in my happy place. This is Santa Maria. This is us.”
Flores echoed the sentiment of many competitors, noting that tradition and passion for the region’s unique contribution to barbecue is an important cause for many longtime residents.
“I think a lot of it is about a tradition,” he said. “We have a lot of influential people in the community that have helped keep that tradition going. You always hear about Texas and Memphis barbecue and places like that. [Barbecue] is as important to them as it is to us, and it’s important we preserve the way it’s cooked.”
As for the big winners of the day, Grandpa Luis walked off with the coveted top prize for backyard chef. I wasn’t surprised; in addition to being seasoned perfectly, the meat was tender and juicy, not overdone, yet seared perfectly on the outside. There are a million tiny details in one perfect bite of food, and the family from Oceano knows how to get each one just right.
In the professional category, the Orcutt Lion’s Club took top honors for best chicken dish, while Whiskey Bent Barbecue out of Buellton nabbed three top prizes for best ribs, best pop block barbecue, and best overall.
More than 800 people attended the event, which Flores said helped cement the decision to move forward with plans for another festival next year.
“As a kid I remember that’s what Sundays were, barbecue at grandpa’s house,” Flores said. “It’s a way for all of us to get together. If this were my backyard, this is how I’d want it to be.”
For local grillers, it’s ultimately one more opportunity to celebrate their food and culture.
“Word is getting around about Santa Maria barbecue,” Beas said, as he served another helping of ribs. “We love that.”
Arts and Lifestyle Writer Rebecca Rose prefers a garlic-heavy dry rub, no sauce. Contact her at rrose@santamariasun.com.
• If you’re still hungry for more tri-tip after the big festival, Santa Maria Brewing Company is now offering a $12.95 tri-tip (or chicken) plate on Sundays at their Nipomo taproom. Please, like we could ever get enough barbecue. Visit the Nipomo taproom at 115 Cuyama Lane.
• Ready to get your drink on? S.Y. Kitchen mixologist Alberto Battaglini has created new cocktails inspired by spring and the fresh new produce, herbs, and botanicals of the season. For only $14 each, you can have your choice of the Chamomile Sour (pictured), Spring Negroni, Rio Nexpal Rustic, or the Pear and Honey Bramble. Take a designated driver to 1110 Faraday St., Santa Ynez, for this deal.
• I visited La Picosita Restaurant for the first time with a coworker this week and I have to say, I love their chimichanga. If you want anything other than meat and rice, you have to specifically ask for it, FYI. Other highlights include tortas and street tacos for $2. Get down to 923 N. Broadway, Santa Maria to give their food a try.
This article appears in May 4-11, 2017.
