Santa Maria highlight
Santa Maria-style barbecue tradition
A tradition dating back 150 years on Santa Maria Valley ranches, featuring grilled tri-tip, pinquito beans, and a distinctive regional style preserved by the Santa Maria Style Barbecue Association.
Santa Maria's barbecue tradition arose on the cattle ranches of the Santa Maria Valley beginning around the 1870s, where workers and owners gathered around open fires to cook meat and share meals. The Santa Maria Style Barbecue Association now operates to define and preserve the style within a thirty-mile radius of the city center, teaching the traditional methods of cooking over red oak coals and using the specific ingredients—tri-tip beef, pinquito beans, Santa Maria green salad, garlic bread, and salsa—that distinguish the regional cuisine.
The tradition has grown into a signature part of Santa Maria's identity, with annual festivals drawing visitors and community members who gather to celebrate the shared food and the skill required to cook it well. The Association trains new practitioners, organizes public events, and coordinates educational programs to ensure the tradition passes to the next generation. For many Santa Maria families, these gatherings have become the backdrop of their own histories—the outdoor meal that brings relatives home, the event a child remembers.
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