Santa Maria Club Barbecue

If you've ever had Santa Maria Style Barbecue you know it gets in your blood. On our frequent trips between Southern California and the family property near King City, my sons and I made it a point to leave Hwy 101 and get our fill. With one son living in Arizona, the other in Northern California, and me in Oklahoma, Santa Maria BBQ became just another fond memory.

Then, a couple of years ago, I decided to do what I've always done when I miss something not locally available; I started making my own.

Thank Goodness for the internet, not only for it's bottomless well of information, but also its instant access to books, videos, and other materials. I immediately located some of the titles I wanted but lucked into a buy on Ebay: Favorite Recipes From the Heart of Santa Maria. "Featuring Famous Recipes of Local Restaurants". I was immediately drawn to the "Santa Maria Club" chapter.

The introduction reads as follows:

The barbecuing of beef "Santa Maria style" is not only a tradition but a way of life in this serene little valley located in the Central Coastal area of California. It is closely associated with the Santa Maria Club, a private institution unique in its own right.

The preparation of a Santa Maria Club barbecue is noteworthy for its simplicity. The meat must be the best (either top sirloin or rib, cut about three inches thick) and must have been aged for about twenty days.

The only flavoring is salt, pepper and garlic salt, liberally applied before the meat is put "on the fire."

Red oak wood, native to the Santa Maria Valley, is utilized, and the cooking is never begun until the fire has burned down to a white-hot bed of coals.

The steaks are strung on flat steel rods which are suspended over the glowing heat. The rods of meat are lowered closer to the coals as the meat cooks; the cooking time is usually 45 minutes to an hour. To serve, the meat is sliced into chunks about half an inch to an inch thick.

Visitors to Santa Maria are instantly impressed with several things; among them, the wonderful weather and the rich fragrance in the air. The fragrance could be the flower fields of the area, but it's more likely the barbecue, Santa Maria style.