Santa Maria Style Barbecue Cookbook

The Official Santa Maria Style Barbecue Cookbook

There’s no denying that locals and visitors alike love Santa Maria Style Barbecue. It’s a culinary tradition that proves good taste never goes out of style. Now, you can dig into Santa Maria Style barbecue at home. Our cookbook provides authentic, comprehensive recipes and plenty of tips and tricks from Santa Maria Style grill masters. Inside, you’ll find the recipes for Tangy Santa Maria Style Salsa, Pinquito Beans, Simple Santa Maria Green Salad, Buttery Garlic Bread, and Santa Maria Style Tri-Tip.

Santa Maria Style Barbecue is California’s Cut, with a rich history and roots that date back to the 1800s. After cattle round-ups, local ranchers would thank their neighbors and vaqueros (cowboys) by preparing a Spanish-style feast that consisted of meat slow-roasted over the flames of a red oak fire, served with a side of pinquito beans and fresh green salad. Santa Maria Style started as top-block but has since evolved to include tri-tip, a small, triangular cut from the sirloin that our Valley popularized in the 1950s.

One defining feature has remained the same all these years: to be considered Santa Maria Style barbecue, it has to have been cooked over red oak, and preferably rubbed with Santa Maria seasoning—a simple-yet-flavorful blend of salt, pepper, and garlic salt. Today’s classic Santa Maria Style barbecue plate typically includes a few staple side dishes, including garlic bread dipped in butter, chunky salsa and a simple green salad. We also serve tri-tip with pinquito beans, a small pink bean that natively grow on the Central Coast.

Want to stay up-to-date on Santa Maria’s latest barbecue tips and tricks? Sign up for our newsletter!