What Makes A Santa Maria Grill A Santa Maria Grill?

K-JUN · May 27, 2013

I am trying to figure out if I can use my Cajun Grill to cook "Santa Maria Style". The space between the charcoal and grill grate is 9". With 8" dampers on both sides. The cooking grate is easy for one person to remove to add coals.

Anyone want to set the over/under on how many posts before the "Try it and find out" comment is made.:laugh:
I do plan on trying it and I will report back on the results but in the mean time anyone have thoughts on this.
I have searched here and the web for info and I would welcome some of your opinions. I think it is an open top design with an adjustable grill grate for hot and fast cooking. Other than that are there any essential elements that make up a Santa Maria Grill. I have read comments by fellow Brethren that the cooking grate should have the ability to be lowered below the side walls. Is that a deal breaker or just a nice feature? Do you think the open lid would capture enough smoke to make a difference? Is the flavor profile the most important thing or the cooking style?
I would appreciate your thoughts.

rick51 · May 27, 2013

I won't say it. :wink:

Question is, how will you know if you succeed unless you have cooked on a Santa Maria grill?

K-JUN · May 27, 2013

rick51 said:
I won't say it. :wink:

Question is, how will you know if you succeed unless you have cooked on a Santa Maria grill?

Good point.:doh: I guess I won't.:mmph: Maybe I will get opinions as to the chances of my set up duplicating the environment necessary to cook something Santa Maria Style.

K-JUN · May 27, 2013

The other side of the coin is I know there are lots of people who say they like Cajun food but have never really had it.:wink:

el_matt · May 27, 2013

Looks like you'll have a "reverse" Santa Maria style grill. I mean the charcoal moves, instead of the food. I see no reason that you won't get the same basic results. However, for true Santa Maria style flavor, you need to cook over red oak.

I say go for it. I'm sure you'll get different opinions, but for my money that's pretty close to a SM grill.

Matt

landarc · May 27, 2013

Beef, cooked over red oak embers, simple rub, that is what defines the style. If you go to the Central Coast, you will see all kinds of cookers. Some adjustable, some not. In truth, there never was one type of cooker.

K-JUN · May 27, 2013

Thanks Matt & landarc I knew cooking on wood was the thing to do but I didn't know about the red oak. That may be a challenge we have tons of live oak but no red oak.

el_matt · May 27, 2013

Red oak is preferred, but really, any oak or hard wood will work. I've seen people use almond or mesquite in their SM grill, with great success. But that was all local, where those trees are prevalent. Central California doesn't have red oak (at least not that I know of), so we make due with what we have.

I'm sure whatever wood you use will produce fantastic results. Make sure you post pr0n.

Matt

landarc · May 27, 2013

Okay, to clarify, Red Oak is actually not Red Oak, it is the California Live Oak, called Red Oak by settlers who moved here from the southeast, who saw a live oak with reddish coloring under the leaves and assumed it was Red Oak. It does have a distinct aroma and burn characteristic, it is also useless as lumber. Since you are cooking over embers, and not wood, it really doesn't matter. But, red oak in traditional.

dwfisk · May 27, 2013

I'm new to SM cooking with only 3 cooks, but I don't see why not. One caution, I built my new grill to have 4ft of adjustment and so far I've averaged needing 2-3ft of that on my 3 cooks but I'm starting with a pretty big oak fire that yeilds 4-6 inches of glowing hot coals. I guess my point is with only 9 inches of adjustment on your Cajun Grill I suppose you will need to mind your fire pretty closely. Good luck & let us know how it works.

jonmhenderson · May 27, 2013

Live Oak is a red oak. Red Oaks are any oaks that have the little "sticker" out on the end of the leaves.

K-JUN · May 27, 2013

Thanks Dave, I thought that would be a limitation. My plan is to start with a smallish bed of coals and have another fire going with coals to replenish with. It's a small cooker so it's not hard to remove the cooking grate to add fuel as needed. I'm going to start with beef that I can do hot and fast.

landarc · May 27, 2013

Several of the cooks I was a part of (hey kid, get more coals!) used a kiln to burn down the wood into coals, and a cooker, that the coals were shoveled in to, this was a way of keeping the cooker cooking, while new coals were added along the way. It worked great.

jonmhenderson · May 27, 2013

Yep, we had a 55 gallon drum with a rebar lattice in the bottom and a hole cut out.

mbshop · May 27, 2013

most santa maria style cookers are so a lot of meat can be slowly grilled over oak but othe wood can be used. those cookers got that name and its here to stay. but you can use just about anything that gets the coals further away from the meat than usual . usually started high above the coals and then finished near the coals. to be honest almost anyway you want to do it is fine.

What Makes A Santa Maria Grill A Santa Maria Grill?

K-JUN

is one Smokin' Farker

rick51

Knows what a fatty is.

K-JUN

is one Smokin' Farker

K-JUN

is one Smokin' Farker

el_matt

Babbling Farker

landarc

somebody shut me the fark up.

K-JUN

is one Smokin' Farker

el_matt

Babbling Farker

landarc

somebody shut me the fark up.

dwfisk

Quintessential Chatty Farker

jonmhenderson

Full Fledged Farker

K-JUN

is one Smokin' Farker

landarc

somebody shut me the fark up.

jonmhenderson

Full Fledged Farker

mbshop

Babbling Farker

Similar threads