Santa maria–style barbecue is a regional culinary tradition rooted in the santa maria valley in santa barbara county on the central coast of california. this method of barbecuing dates back to the mid-19th century and is today regarded as a "mainstay of california's culinary heritage." the traditional santa maria–style barbecue menu was copyrighted by the santa maria valley chamber of commerce in 1978.santa maria–style barbecue centers on beef tri-tip, seasoned with black pepper, salt, and garlic before grilling over coals of native coast live oak, often referred to as "red oak" wood. the grill is made of iron and usually has a hand crank that lifts or lowers the grill over the coals to t...

Source: Wikipedia