Fork & Embers Recipe
Authentic Santa Maria Tri-Tip
The Story
Long before tri-tip became backyard cookout currency at warehouse stores across America, this cut was mostly ignored by butchers. It sat tucked into the bottom sirloin, often ground into hamburger meat or cut into stew cubes because nobody really saw much value in it.
That changed in California’s Santa Maria cattle country.
In the mid-1900s, ranch communities throughout California’s Central Coast were known for massive outdoor feasts called Spanish-style barbecues, where large cuts of beef were cooked over native red oak coals. These gatherings were tied to ranch culture, branding events, fiestas, and community celebrations that blended Mexican vaquero traditions with California cattle ranching.
Then in the 1950s, butcher Bob Schutz from Santa Maria began promoting the triangular bottom sirloin cut as its own steak rather than grinding it into burger meat. Locals quickly realized it was flavorful, affordable, and perfect over red oak.
The rest is barbecue history.
Traditional Santa Maria tri-tip is seasoned simply with salt, pepper, garlic, and parsley before being grilled over red oak. It’s usually served alongside pinquito beans, salsa, garlic bread, and a fresh salad.
This version stays true to those roots while making it approachable for your backyard setup whether you’re cooking on a kettle grill, offset smoker, pellet grill, or Santa Maria grill.
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