Santa Maria Tri-Tip is California’s own barbeque style, originating on the central coast.
A rare medium, well done.
California doesn’t really have a defining barbeque style, like Texas, Georgia and the Carolinas, but we do have this Santa Maria Tri-tip. Our method is open pit cooking, because California weather. Some purists will argue that’s grilling, not barbeque, but I will counter fire + smoke + meat = legit. Fight me.
The Santa Maria style originated in the mid 1800s when large cattle ranches spanned the hills of the Santa Maria Valley. Local ranchers hosted traditional Spanish-style feasts each spring for their vaqueros (cowboys), family and friends. Beef is cooked on open pits over red oak, a native species to the valley. The meal is served with a chunky pico de gallo and a helping of pinquito beans, a small, also indigenous, pink variety.
The tradition grew into a full-blown style as local residents got in on the action. In the 1930s, the Santa Maria Club started a monthly “Stag Barbecue” that drew hundreds each month. Santa Maria Elks Lodge 1538, the 5th largest in the US, is world-famous for hosting their Friday Night “Cook your own”. Restaurants showcasing the style also popped up in the 1950s. The Hitching Post, The Far Western Tavern and Jocko’s have become landmarks.
Innovations
In the 1950s, a local butcher perfected the tri-tip, a triangular, boomerang-shaped bottom sirloin cut.
The grill itself is also a Santa Maria invention. The grill grate is raised or lowered using a chain crank to maintain the right amount of heat and smoke to the meat.
Santa Maria Tri-Tip Method
Roll the meat in a simple mixture of salt, pepper, and garlic powder before grilling over red oak wood, which contributes a smoky, hearty flavor. Commercial brands of Santa Maria seasoning are available, like Susie Q’s, but it’s easy enough to make your own.
Apply a mop of garlicky vinegar and oil before and during cooking to keep the meat moist and flavorful.
We use the 2-zone grill method because we don’t have a Santa Maria grill. We keep a small amount of coals on one side for slow, semi-reverse-sear cooking, and a larger amount on the other side for high-heat finishing with a nice outer crust. Cook to medium rare.
Slicing the tri-tip correctly is crucial for maximizing tenderness. Inspect the grain. You will notice it goes two different directions. Locate where the two grains intersect and cut vertically, splitting the roast roughly in half. One side may be longer than the other. Inspect the grain of each piece and with an angled knife, make thin ‘on the bias’ slices perpendicular to the grain of each half. The thinner the better. Done right, and it is like eating filet mignon. Done wrong, you will end up with a sore jaw.
Serve with pico de gallo spooned on top and a generous scoop of pinquitos on the side. Round out the meal with a green salad and garlic bread.
Santa Maria Tri-Tip
Equipment
- 2-Zone Grill
- Red oak wood or oak wood chips if using charcoal
Mise en place
- 2 ea Tri-tip steaks, approximately 3 pounds each
Rub
- 3 Tbsp salt Kosher
- 1 1/2 tsp black pepper cracked
- 1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 1/2 tsp dried parsley
- 1 tsp sugar
Mop
- 1/2 C red wine vinegar
- 1/2 C vegetable or grapeseed oil
- 4 ea garlic cloves minced
Method
Prep
- Make garlic infused oil for the mop. Combine, set aside if using immediately, but it is better if you make this a day or two before.
- Make the rub.
- Place tri-tip into a metal bowl, baste with 1/4 C of the basting liquid, and sprinkle the rub all over. Refrigerate uncovered for 2 hours.
Tri Tip
- Prepare 2-Zone grill, so you can grill over low, then high heat.
- While the wood or charcoal is burning down to coals, remove tri-tip from the refrigerator and let come to room temperature. If using oak wood chips, soak them in a bowl of water.
- Grill tri-tip over low heat zone about 20 minutes each side, mopping every 10 minutes, until and instant read thermometer reaches 120° F internal. Toss wood chips onto the coals, if using.
- Flip the steak over to the hot zone and sear 4 – 5 minutes on each side, until your meat thermometer hits 130° F (medium-rare). Mop some more, tent with tin foil, then let rest on your cutting board at least 10 minutes.
Serve
- Slice the tri-tip. It is a trianglular cut, first cut in half from top tip to bottom, then slice against the grain.
- Serve plates of sliced smoky tri-tip topped with Pico de Gallo, and Pinquito beans, garlic bread and a simple salad on the side.
Grew up in Santa Maria, 50’s, 60’s, and 70’s. Lose the mop and lose the parsley and sugar. Santa Marian’s only used salt, pepper, and garlic powder (granulated garlic is acceptable) Keep the rest of that stuff off of it.
The pinquito beans are a must as is the french bread sliced in half lengthwise and then cut into 2″ pieces. Dip them in melted garlic butter and put on the grill to crisp up while your meat is cooking. Fresh Garden salad is a good choice as is potato salad.
The method of slicing that you mention is a good one that gives you very nice looking pieces. However, You can just cut across the bottom of the small bottom triangle and continue cutting all the way up. The pieces will get longer and longer as you cut until you finally cut into the upper right corner. That method also cuts against the grain for the entire way even though the grain comes in from two sides.
Although the Vaqueros in the 1800’s working the cattle ranches in the Santa Maria area always did have some Pico de Gallo with Tri-tip (and about everything else they cooked), our families never did. I was surprised in the 70’s when folks started setting up stands on the sidewalks on the weekends to sell Tri-Tip, that they sliced it really thin and included Pico de Gallo with it. I personally don’t like to slice it that thinly. Done right it’s delicious and tender. But that was the first time I saw Pico de Gallo served with it.