Santa Maria barbecue

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 original Santa Maria style bar-b-que was large chunks of top sirloin seasoned with garlic, salt and pepper, then slow cooked over red oak coals. When Tri-tip was introduced back in the 50's, it became the meat of choice for the world-famous Santa Maria-style barbecue. It centers on beef tri-tip, seasoned with black pepper, salt, and garlic before grilling slowly 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 to adjust the height of the grill over the coals.

Source: Wikipedia