Quote:
Originally Posted by Porch Dweller
Thanks for the explanation. I've used one once, about a decade ago, that a friend had built while we were in Germany. I'd not heard it called a "Santa Maria", though. It was great for the steaks we were cooking, I remember that.
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Yeah, the concept of cooking over a live fire with the meat on giant skewers or grates that can be moved up and down is certainly nothing new and goes back centuries. The story behind the name "Santa Maria grill" and "Santa Maria tri-tip" or "Santa Maria BBQ" goes back to the 50's when it was popularized in CA by a local butcher in Santa Maria CA and then by a few restaurants.
Here's some more history on it
http://santamariavalleybbq.com/2009/...tyle-barbecue/
http://www.tmbbq.com/santa-maria-style-bbq/
From a dumb pedantic point of view, my grill was actually built by "Santa Maria BBQ Grill Outfitters" so calling it a Santa Maria grill is actually it's proper name - kind of like Pit Barrel Cookers / PBC which is really just a upright drum smoker. I know, lame.
http://www.santamariagrills.com/index.htm