With May Day and Cinco de Mayo behind us, the festivities of Memorial Day and the Elk’s Rodeo can’t be far away. And although Santa Marians take advantage of fine weather by rolling out their grills pretty much all year ’round, barbecue season has officially begun.
A social magnet capable of drawing diners from near and far, invited or not, a barbecue can start taste buds quivering even when detected from blocks away. The flames and aromatic smoke stimulate the senses, triggering ancestral memories of ancient feasts, while the promise of succulent food fires up appetites.
The word “barbecue” describes a method of cooking over glowing embers of wood or charcoal. (Despite its name, a propane-fueled device is more stove-top than barbecue.) While purists consider “barbecue” to entail a slow process designed to moisten and tenderize tough cuts, and “grilling” a hot, fast technique for quickly cooking steaks, burgers, and fresh veggies, the two terms are often used interchangeably.
What most people do agree upon is that barbecue requires meat: beef brisket in Texas, pork roast in the South, ribs in Kansas, and a juicy hunk of sirloin here on the Central Coast. Devotees of Santa Maria-style barbecue dicker over the best cut of meat for our eponymous regional spread, with some swearing by tri-tip (a triangular piece taken from the bottom edge of a top sirloin), while others, especially the Elks, use only the more tender top-block.
Here in Santa Maria, often hailed as the “Barbecue Capital of the World,” pitmasters roll slabs of beef in a mixture of salt, pepper, and garlic powder, and then thread them onto square steel rods and cook them over a bed of red oak coals. Diehards declare that, regardless of the cut, only meat bearing a square hole from the grilling rod qualifies as the genuine article.
Few backyard chefs cook for the masses the threaded technique was designed to serve, however, so they simply lay the seasoned beef atop a piping hot grill. Most everyone, purists and revisionists alike, accompanies the beef with traditional sides of tomato salsa, spicy pinquito beans, fresh green salad, and grilled garlic bread.
For those looking to perfect their barbecue skills, the Santa Maria Valley Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Bureau has created an entire website devoted to Santa Maria-style recipes and techniques. It includes ingredients lists, historical tidbits, barbecue facts, and even a video in which native Santa Marian and barbecue wizard Billy Ruiz walks do-it-yourselfers through the steps of preparing a regional feast.
While Santa Maria-style barbecue features beef as its centerpiece, contemporary diners often like a little roughage on the side. To cook fresh vegetables as an accompaniment, simply toss them onto the grill after the meat is nearly done, letting them sizzle over medium-hot coals, a few minutes on each side or just until tender.
It may seem unlikely, but asparagus grills well, if quickly. Coat the spears with vegetable oil and a little salt, lay them crosswise on the barbecue so they won’t fall through, and roll each one about 1/4 inch every minute or so until they are barely tender, about five minutes total.
Employed to add juicy flavor, dipping sauces are not brushed on the food during cooking, but served at the table. They include Ranch-like dressings for grilled zucchini, teriyaki baths for mushrooms, and fiery tomato-based concoctions slathered on ribs.
Cooks who’d like to invent their own version might want to stop by Riverbench Winery on May 15, when David Maislen offers samples of his Blue Ribbon Honey. Among his products is a unique, garlic-flavored honey just right for dishing up with barbecued chicken.
[image-3] Coming on June 26, the Wild West BBQ Bash gives avid grillers a chance to compare styles and learn from the best. An epic Santa Maria-style barbecue feast, the event takes place at Preisker Park and is hosted by the Family Care Network to benefit foster and high-needs children and families on the Central Coast.
The bash features dozens of expert barbecue teams from Santa Maria and across California, all vying for the Wild West BBQ Crown. The teams will compete in six categories: chicken, beef brisket, pork ribs, pork shoulder, “People’s Choice,” and, of course, Santa Maria-style tri-tip.
Admission is free to this event, which is sanctioned by the International Barbecue Cookers Association, with barbecue sampling tickets available for $2. Activities include live music, cultural displays, children’s games, and family-friendly entertainment.
In the United States, Californians began barbecuing nearly 200 years ago, turning out delectable fare with a unique twist. After a long day of wrangling cattle, as they dug into a meal of hearty side dishes and beef cooked over a red oak fire, they launched a lasting culinary tradition that continues to scent the air and tantalize the tastebuds.
To learn more about Santa Maria-style barbecue and download the recipe booklet, visit santamariavalleybbq.com.
K. Reka Badger loves digging into a hearty meal after wrangling words for one of her columns. Pass the garlic bread to rekabadger@hotmail.com.
This article appears in May 13-20, 2010.