Feasting on Agriculture: Santa Maria Style Barbecue
We’re mixing things up in this episode of Feasting on Agriculture— both in location and weather! Last week, the Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation traveled to Santa Barbara, California to tour their diverse agricultural operations. Santa Barbara boasts some of the best growing conditions and weather of anywhere I have ever visited. In fact, humor me, and google their 7 day weather forecast… I would bet good money, that forecast likely predicts highs in the 70s with lows in the 50s under mostly sunny skies each day. The weather is nothing short of perfection most days of the year. Which is why this area is home to some of the most diverse and impressive agricultural operations in the country.
The Louisiana Farm Bureau visits Santa Barbara every few years as part of our membership incentive program. And each time we visit, we are welcomed by Kevin Merrill at Mesa Vineyard with a Santa Maria Style barbecue lunch. The event always offers a warm dose of California hospitality and a phenomenal meal. On this trip, Kevin was gracious enough to share the history of this traditional culinary experience.
The roots of Santa Maria Style barbecue date back to the mid-1800s, when large ranches occupied the hills of the Santa Maria Valley. Local ranchers would host Spanish-style feasts each spring for their vaqueros, or cowboys, as well as family and friends—barbecuing meat over earthen pits filled with hot coals of red oak, which is native to the valley. The meal would be served with a generous helping of pinquitos, small pink beans that are considered indigenous to the Santa Maria Valley.
In those early days, the favored cut was top-block sirloin. Then, as today, the meat was rolled in a mixture of salt, pepper and garlic before being barbecued over the red oak coals, which contribute a smoky, hearty flavor. In the 1950s, a local butcher named Bob Schutz perfected the tri-tip, a triangular bottom sirloin cut that quickly joined top-block sirloin as a staple of Santa Maria Style barbecue.
The meal is usually served with Santa Maria style salsa, pinquito beans, and salad.
Special thanks to Kevin Merrill for welcoming us to his vineyard and sharing the history of the Santa Maria Style barbecue. And thank you to Santa Barbara County Farm Bureau and Teri Bontrager for organizing a wonderful trip and offering such warm hospitality to our group!
Santa Maria Style Barbecue Recipe:
Ingredients
2 cups red oak chips soaked in water for 2 hours (don't skip this, it's what gives the tri-tip its authentic flavor)
Santa Maria Style Barbecue seasoning- salt, pepper, minced garlic
2.5 lb beef tri-tip or top sirloin block
Rub your prepared Santa Maria Style seasoning into the meat and let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before grilling.
Prepare your grill for direct and indirect medium-high heat. Add red oak chips to 30 minutes before you begin grilling.
Set your tri-tip over the direct heat, fattiest-side up, and sear about 10 minutes, or until browned. Flip the meat over and sear the other side the same way.
Move your tri-tip to the indirect-heat. Cover your grill and let the tri-tip cook 20 to 30 minutes, until a thermometer reads 130 degrees F in the thickest area of the meat.
Take the tri-tip off the grill and move to a cutting board. Let the meat rest for 15 minutes. Slice the meat against the grain to serve.
LINKS
Visit Mesa Vineyard
Learn more about Santa Barbara County Farm Bureau
Learn more about Louisiana beef from Louisiana Beef Industry Council