Hello BBQ Brethren! Wanted to get your expert opinions on open pit / santa maria grills vs. charcoal with wood chunks. Done a lot of charcoal with wood chunk grilling in kettles and horizontal barrels, no experience with open pit grilling but I have a coworker from southern California who has been talking a lot about santa maria grills and their own style of grilling. My question is, do I "need" to add a santa maria grill to my charcoal grill arsenal or is it six of one, half dozen of the other? I understand the different cooking methods, just wondering if the final product differs that much from one to the other. Thanks in advance for your thoughts!
Open Pit / Santa Maria vs. Charcoal with Wood Chunks?
- Thread starter elm
- Start date
JAKs Q & brew
is one Smokin' Farker
What is your current line up of cookers? I know there are a few places that make santa maria inserts for Weber 22" kettles for like $150.
There are certainly some advantages to being able to easily lift your cooking grates to adjust the heat.
I think the biggest difference is the live fire aspect. Learning how to build and manage an open fire to produce hot coals to cook with is the art of live fire cooking and what makes santa Maria (or Brazilian/argentinean/uruguayan) a different style of Q
There are certainly some advantages to being able to easily lift your cooking grates to adjust the heat.
I think the biggest difference is the live fire aspect. Learning how to build and manage an open fire to produce hot coals to cook with is the art of live fire cooking and what makes santa Maria (or Brazilian/argentinean/uruguayan) a different style of Q
Personally, I think it's similar to what you are doing now. The easy ability to adjust grate height or 'swing' the grate over coals is the main difference. Personally, if I were to do something different, I would do a vertical rotisserie with vertical gas fired bars to make Gyro or Donner Kebab style meats.
tom b
somebody shut me the fark up.
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- Oct 12, 2015
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- Temecula...
^^^this, plus a SM will use more fuel. If I had to do it all over again I'd go 26" kettle with a SM attachment
Free Mr. Tony
is Blowin Smoke!
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- Jul 30, 2015
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- Fort...
You may want to consider the wind factor in your area before going for a true open fire rig. Cooking on an open fire in windy conditions is a pain in the ass.
We get just enough wind here that I opted for a hybrid style that gives you most of the versatility you need to adapt to weather conditions.
We get just enough wind here that I opted for a hybrid style that gives you most of the versatility you need to adapt to weather conditions.
Welcome, and thanks for reaching out to us for feedback! To answer your question, you don't "need" to add another grill to your existing lineup unless you feel you absolutely want to.
A Santa Maria grill used for live fire wood cooking will impart a wonderful flavor to the meat you're cooking, and they are built to withstand the high heat that wood embers will generate in the firebox. They also have a lot of grilling space, and can feed quite a crowd if you have a larger model. And, the ability to raise and lower the cooking grate is a huge plus. If you like tending wood fires, that's another plus.
That said, I can get nearly the same exact flavor profile using oak chunks(Not chips) while cooking indirect in one of my kettle type cookers. This is the reason I sold my Santa Maria grill - i really didn't use it that often as we aren't usually cooking for larger gatherings and I can get the same result from another cooker.
I have owned nearly 20 grills and smokers in the last 15 years. Many are gone, and some have stayed. My perspective on different grills and smokers has evolved over the years, and some cookers I absolutely thought would be life changing, like a kamado and egg were sold because after the novelty wore off, they didn't give me anything I didn't already have. On the flip side, there are many folks here whose eggs and kamados they wouldn't ever be without. It's all completely subjective, and only real-life experience can truly answer your question.
So, if you have the space and the $$ to add another grill to your lineup, you can always buy a Santa Maria and see how you like it. If you love it, you'll keep it. If you don't, you can always sell it. There's only one way to find out!
Wow! Thank you all for your very helpful thoughts! I hadn't even thought about wind, we do have a bit of wind from time to time here in Nampa, Idaho. Also, I was kind of thinking I could achieve more than satisfactory results on my water heater grill/smoker with charcoal and wood chunks, just wanted to reach out and see what folks that had SM experience would have to say. Y'all are awesome. Thanks again!!!
I do the best replication of Santa Maria style on my 26" kettle that I can. But I also have a SM being built. Ability to raise and lower the grate, not.being confined to rounded edges of the kettle because I will use a lot of cast iron on my kettle for vegetables or cheesesteak, and just because I've always wanted one. The last probably being the biggest factor. Just like offsets, I'm drawn to live fire.
So get what you will be satisfied with.
So get what you will be satisfied with.
- Joined
- Jul 26, 2013
- Location
- Denver, CO
Eric - I was in same position as you and went for the Santa Maria. The beauty is that you can grill with a live wood fire when you are in the mood or burn down charcoal & chunks when its suits you. I find myself burning charcoal and chunks more often, which is similar to Argentine-style in which the wood is burned down to embers before sliding it underneath the food. Very little difference in taste IMO.
Sid Post nailed it - the real advantage of the Santa Maria style is not the fuel source, but the ability to adjust on the fly the distance between the coal and the food. So damn fun!
This video sealed the deal for me:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTs0Slq_2Ek
I would highly recommend buying one with a lid though for windy days, keeping out the rain & snow and making the grill more versatile. It ain’t cheap, but its worth it!
Sid Post nailed it - the real advantage of the Santa Maria style is not the fuel source, but the ability to adjust on the fly the distance between the coal and the food. So damn fun!
This video sealed the deal for me:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTs0Slq_2Ek
I would highly recommend buying one with a lid though for windy days, keeping out the rain & snow and making the grill more versatile. It ain’t cheap, but its worth it!
pucksniper17
Wandering around with a bag of matchlight, looking for a match.
Can you post were you got your hybrid Santa Maria / Smoker? and if they have a website?
slider2021
Full Fledged Farker
Here are my 2 cents, for whatever that's worth :becky:
Although a Santa Maria is a very cool rig, for me it simply takes up too much space in my backyard and I don't see the overall benefit of cooking on one versus cooking on my Weber.
I own both a Traeger and a Weber with a rotisserie add-on. One of my fave meats to cook is tri-tip. With the Weber, 99% of the time, I cook over lump charcoal, indirect, and add several chunks of hickory or mesquite wood. The meat comes out absolutely amazing! :thumb: I would post pics but because I have not shelled out $25 to become a member, BBQ Breatherin will not allow me to post any additional pics. Total bull****
But that's a rant for another day.
If you are vacillating between a Santa Maria and a standard Weber-like grill, I would say go with the Weber. The Santa Maria offers very limited options when cooking - no cover, and if the weather is bad (rain, wind), you're screwed.
Hope this helps. :mod:
Peace
Although a Santa Maria is a very cool rig, for me it simply takes up too much space in my backyard and I don't see the overall benefit of cooking on one versus cooking on my Weber.
I own both a Traeger and a Weber with a rotisserie add-on. One of my fave meats to cook is tri-tip. With the Weber, 99% of the time, I cook over lump charcoal, indirect, and add several chunks of hickory or mesquite wood. The meat comes out absolutely amazing! :thumb: I would post pics but because I have not shelled out $25 to become a member, BBQ Breatherin will not allow me to post any additional pics. Total bull****
But that's a rant for another day. If you are vacillating between a Santa Maria and a standard Weber-like grill, I would say go with the Weber. The Santa Maria offers very limited options when cooking - no cover, and if the weather is bad (rain, wind), you're screwed.
Hope this helps. :mod:
Peace
I LOVE my SM grill but unless you have easy access to plenty of wood, I would not go that route as they tend to use more then you´d expect.
SirPorkaLot
somebody shut me the fark up.
Yes. Yes to them all.
When my wife goes to get dressed, she has many, many “outfits” to pick from for the day.
It should be the same when it comes time for you to cook.
My Santa Maria grill is getting the most use right now, but there’s other times it’s one of the Webers or one of my smokers.
When my wife goes to get dressed, she has many, many “outfits” to pick from for the day.
It should be the same when it comes time for you to cook.
My Santa Maria grill is getting the most use right now, but there’s other times it’s one of the Webers or one of my smokers.
chingador
is Blowin Smoke!
- Joined
- Oct 18, 2006
- Location
- Houston, TX
I was going to have a Lone Star Grillz Santa Maria built but it was going to take up too much space. Then switched over to a Weber Kettle 26 + a Gabby's SM attachment
http://gabbysgrills.com/product/gabbys-grill-attachment/
This is perfect for me. I get the open fire cooking that I like. I also get the benefit of the versatility of the Kettle. I also have a slow and sear attachment although I haven't really done a whole lot with that.
The flavor of open fire cooking is a little different. I really like it.
To echo previous comments, you can go through a lot of wood in this style of cooking so if you have limited options on bbq wood in your area you might need to reconsider.
http://gabbysgrills.com/product/gabbys-grill-attachment/
This is perfect for me. I get the open fire cooking that I like. I also get the benefit of the versatility of the Kettle. I also have a slow and sear attachment although I haven't really done a whole lot with that.
The flavor of open fire cooking is a little different. I really like it.
To echo previous comments, you can go through a lot of wood in this style of cooking so if you have limited options on bbq wood in your area you might need to reconsider.
You may want to consider the wind factor in your area before going for a true open fire rig. Cooking on an open fire in windy conditions is a pain in the ass.
We get just enough wind here that I opted for a hybrid style that gives you most of the versatility you need to adapt to weather conditions.
That's an interesting grill. Who makes it or do you have a link? Thanks...
I think I found it....Arizona BBQ Boothill....https://www.azbbqgrills.com/page-7/
cowboyupbbq
is one Smokin' Farker
Pit
This is interesting. What brand is this?
This is interesting. What brand is this?
You may want to consider the wind factor in your area before going for a true open fire rig. Cooking on an open fire in windy conditions is a pain in the ass.
We get just enough wind here that I opted for a hybrid style that gives you most of the versatility you need to adapt to weather conditions.
txsmkmstr
is one Smokin' Farker
I would post pics but because I have not shelled out $25 to become a member, BBQ Breatherin will not allow me to post any additional pics. Total bull****
Dood.... chill a bit and check this thread out.
https://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=297980
Works very well.
eace:Jmgunn
Knows what a fatty is.
The Burch barrel does both. It’s a little clunky at first until you get used to it and I think it’s a little overpriced but I love the versatility and it’s the most fun thing I’ve ever cooked on.
I have one of these and really like it.
https://kudugrills.com/
As the others have mentioned, you have to deal with wind and fuel usage. I typically start with charcoal and then put wood splits on top.
They are also on sale right now, $100 off.
https://kudugrills.com/
As the others have mentioned, you have to deal with wind and fuel usage. I typically start with charcoal and then put wood splits on top.
They are also on sale right now, $100 off.
I have a 22" kettle with a sm attachment- love it for steak and chicken and a 20 x 30 SM. When the cook is done, I can pull the attachment, put the lid on and snuff the fire. That's something I CAN'T do with my 20 x 30 SM with Argentine grates- I love that cooker but it uses a ton of wood and it burns until it burns out.
Necessary? hardly. But when your chicken is on fire and you've got nowhere to go on a regular grill, you can go UP on a SM- and that's very cool- plus you get to use your whole grate.
Necessary? hardly. But when your chicken is on fire and you've got nowhere to go on a regular grill, you can go UP on a SM- and that's very cool- plus you get to use your whole grate.
