Santa Maria Tri-Tip

Barbecue from central California can be a touch controversial. In Santa Maria, beef is cooked in a cloud of red oak wood smoke. Despite the wood fire, many BBQ purists from elsewhere in the country think that the Santa Maria style is closer to grilling than true barbecuing because of an elevated cooking temperature and use of an open rather than closed smoker. Besides, the meat is declared done when it’s still medium-rare, which might incline a Texas pitmas