Santa Maria Style Barbecue

The present-day Santa Maria Style Barbecue grew out of this tradition, when, some 60 years ago, locals began to string their beef on skewers and cook it over the hot coals of a red-oak fire. The meat, either top-block sirloin or tri-tip, is rolled in a mixture of salt, pepper, and garlic salt and slow roasted over red-oak coals—giving it a hearty, smoky, irresistible flavor. Served with salsa, French bread dipped in melted sweet butter, Pinquito beans, and a fresh green salad, Sunset Magazine, named our Valley’s classic feast the “best barbecue in the world,” and California’s Visitor’s Guide dubbed it the “number one food not to miss while visiting California.”