Santa Maria, CA

In 1931, the Santa Maria Club started a “Stag Barbecue,” which was held on the second Wednesday of every month, with up to 700 patrons attending each event.  By the late 1950s, three local restaurants—The Far Western Tavern, Hitching Post, and Jocko’s were on their way to becoming landmarks of this style of barbecue. The Elks Lodge #1538 has huge indoor BBQ pits, and host what is called ‘Cook Your Own’ (CYO) every Friday evening. The original cut was top sirloin. Then, as today, the meat was rolled in a mixture of salt, pepper, and garlic salt before being barbecued over the red oak coals, which contribute a smoky, hearty flavor. In the 1950s, a local butcher named Bob Schutz (Santa Maria Market) perfected the tri-tip, a triangular bottom sirloin cut that quickly joined top sirloin as a staple of Santa Maria-style barbecue.
Wikipedia

 

 

I was intrigued by Santa Maria bbq the first time I spent a day here.  I came back to learn and eat more of the bbq.  Luckily I saw smoke while driving through town.  Following the smoke I found Santa Maria bbq where meat is grilled over burning red oak. I drew closer and the scent of bbq made me hungry.  They never have outdoor bbq like this where I live.  Turns out it was a fundraiser.  I contributed by buying a bbq chicken combo. Chicken was tender and juicy.  Nice smoky flavor from the red oak and the dry rub.

I found out from a local that they had a lot more of these outdoor bbq’s in the old days but the city started cracking down.  It’s too bad as the city has that small town feel and this bbq sure brought a bunch of locals together.  

The drive to Santa Maria up on Highway 1 was very scenic.  We saw the scenic beaches of Santa Monica, Malibu, and Point Magu.  Past Point Magu the beaches gave way to farmland.  It was beautiful seeing rows and greenery on the side of the highway. 

There were a few produce stands by the side of the road.  I spotted one selling strawberries and stopped.  Scent of sweet strawberries was amazing!  The strawberries being sold were grown behind the stand.  I stopped to take a few photos.  The plants were growing over a tarp I’m guessing to keep the strawberries from getting into the dirt…  I bought a 3 pack.  Strawberries were ripe and full of juicy sweetness.  Nothing beats fresh strawberries that ripen on the vine.  I don’t buy supermarket strawberries anymore as they don’t have much aroma or flavor due to being picked before they are ripe.