This California-Born BBQ Style Features A Signature Cut More People Should Know About

The common list of American barbecue styles is familiar to most people at this point: Texas, Carolina, and Kansas City. But in coastal California, one of the country's lesser-known regional barbecue styles has perfected a cut of meat quite different from the rest. While Memphis may have its dry rubs and Kansas City its sweet molasses sauce, most other American styles focus on similar meat offerings like ribs, pulled pork, or brisket. Then you have Santa Maria-style barbecue, which utilizes one star meat that was once rarely seen outside its home state: tri-tip.

Born from the Spanish ranching tradition around its namesake town on California's Central Coast, Santa Maria barbecue is known for a simple live-fire style of cooking meat on skewers, usually over hot coals of local red oak. That high-heat technique makes it stand out against the usually low-and-slow methods of other brands of American barbecue. But the main event is the tri-tip, which comes from the bottom of the sirloin area of the cow, known for producing tender and flavorful cuts of beef.

This roast gets its name from the distinct shape of the cut, which forms an almost cone-like triangle shape. It is a large cut that is usually sold as a whole roast of around two pounds, which in Santa Maria barbecue is then grilled and sliced. But no matter how you plan to cook it, tri-tip is a wonderfully tasty cut that should find its way into your dinner rotation.

Despite coming from the sirloin, which usually produces lean beef, tri-tip is quite well marbled. This provides it with a great mixture of sirloin's beefy flavor and an added richness from the fat. Still, tri-tip is not as forgiving as the more fatty cuts, like ribeye, so you need to be careful not to overcook it. In the Santa Maria barbecue style, tri-tip is prepared with a simple rub of salt, pepper, and garlic powder, then cooked over a unique Santa Maria grill called a parilla, which uses a grate that can be adjusted above the flame so cooks can get a mix of high and low heat.

Mimicking this style is the best way to cook tri-tip so that it can be brought up to temperature, ideally rare or slightly medium-rare, and then finished with a good high-heat char. This can be done on charcoal grills using the two-zone method, but you can also do it in your oven using a broiler to finish, or sear your tri-tip on the stovetop before finishing it in the oven. No matter which way you choose, it shouldn't take long to cook, only around 20 to 30 minutes. In California, tri-tip is traditionally served with a side of beans and a fresh tomato salsa that complements its rich, savory taste, but you can also try other bright toppings like chimichurri. Just don't go overboard; let the tri-tip truly shine.