This may be one of the best lines ever uttered about Santa Maria tri-tip: “East of the Rockies, the tri-tip roast is like the Sasquatch of meat.”
Best of all, this line comes from the venerable New York Times!
Indeed, in a recent story about tri-tip and the elusiveness of certain cuts of meat from region to region, the Times’ Kim Severson details her futile quest to track down tri-tip east of the Rockies. She writes, “Back in Northern California, where my tri-tip courtship began, you couldn’t swing a piece of red oak without hitting one…I have asked for tri-tip in grocery stores from Chicago to Tampa, only to be met with the pleasant stare that comes when the inherently helpful are completely baffled.”
She concludes, “Perhaps the tri-tip is simply suffering from a branding problem in the East. Or maybe the people in California are eating more than their share.“
Here’s how Severson describes tri-tip: “The tri-tip roast, beefy and juicy beyond its price, which rarely tops $8 a pound, is California patio food made for grilling. Seasoned with garlic, salt and pepper, cooked over red oak in a style that has come to be called Santa Maria barbecue and sliced against the grain, tri-tip is essential to Central California biker bar sandwiches and community fund-raisers.”
That is true. Of course, we’d like to remind everyone that you can enjoy tri-tip at numerous establishments besides biker bars and fundraisers, but we’re not going to get pretentious about it!
And for those of you who are wondering what tri-tip is, and how it became synonymous with Santa Maria Style Barbecue, check out our short history on this distinctive homegrown cut.
Thanks to Kim Severson and the New York Times for turning the spotlight on tri-tip and Santa Maria BBQ.
