History

• The California style of BBQ dates back to the mid-19th century when local vaqueros -- cattle or horse herders -- would celebrate the end of a cattle drive with a Spanish-style open-air feast. They used apple and walnut wood and grilled their meat over open barbeque pits. The spices they used were influenced by Spanish, Native American and Mexican cuisines. California BBQ grew out of this tradition. In the 1950s the tri-tip cut of beef was perfected in the region and became the mainstay of the menu. According to Margo True of "Sunset" magazine, the menu is rooted so deeply, and stirs such pride in the area, that the Santa Maria Valley Chamber of Commerce copyrighted it in 1978, thus officially making barbecue a part of California’s culinary heritage.

The Meat

• Santa Maria uses a 2- to 3-inch cut of top sirloin or tri-tip steak. More popular is the whole cut of the tri-tip rump, which resembles a roast. The meat is rolled in garlic, parsley, salt and pepper just prior to grilling over red oak wood or coals. The steaks are strung on flat steel rods and cooked over a pit-style BBQ. Alternately the food is placed onto a heavy iron grill outfitted with a hand crank that can be turned to lower the grill grates over the fire. The meat is cooked for about 45 minutes and then sliced, ready to serve. Along the central coast, there are slight variations with some people grilling chorizo or linguica along with the meat. The sausages are either served whole or sliced and mixed into fragrant cooked beans.

The Beans

• The most important traditional accompaniment are pinquito beans. Small pink beans that have been grown in the Santa Maria Valley since the 1930s, pinquito beans are thought to have originated in Mexico. The beans are combined with bacon, onions, brown sugar, tomato puree and a spicy red chili sauce. They are slow cooked in a pan usually placed directly onto the grill.

The Sides

• Crusty loaves of French bread are also a Santa Maria BBQ staple. The loaves are sliced in half, placed directly onto the grates and grilled until slightly charred, then served with warm sweet butter. A fresh green tossed salad is also served with the meal. This can be made up of simple dressed greens, or more elaborately fashioned with a variety of chopped vegetables mixed into micro or baby lettuces. Macaroni and cheese was part of the original copyrighted menu and continues to be a California BBQ mainstay. A plate of fresh ripe strawberries completes the meal.

Salsa and the Sauce

• Another characteristic of California BBQ is that salsa is served with the meal. Diced tomatoes are blended with finely chopped celery, green onions, diced green chilies, chopped fresh cilantro and a splash of vinegar, and seasoned with salt and pepper. The salsa should sit in the refrigerator for at least an hour so that the flavors merge. The BBQ sauce from this region is tomato-based and flavored with red wine vinegar, olive oil, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, butter, brown sugar, salt and cayenne pepper. This can be used to marinate the meat before grilling or to slather on once cooked.