Asado/Santa-Maria style grill

[eugenep]

I read in Modernist Cuisine, the Cinnamon Club, and other food writers that when you grill meat directly over charcoal, the fat and drippings will hit the charcoal, ignite, and create steam and smoke that will coat the food giving it an unbelievable smoke flavor that's incredibly delicious. 

 

So I started avoiding grilling the indirect method - i.e., (where meat is placed on the side and not directly over the charcoal) and a cover is placed on so the meat cooks slowly without burning. 

 

 I saw in Mark Wiens videos on youtube that Thai, Japananse, and many East Asians grill directly over the charcoal (not indirectly like Americans for slower cooking meats) so I thought this method has some historical backing etc. 

 

But I did want to control the heat for long cooks over direct fire. So the Argentinian asado style seemed like a good fit - i.e., you just raise the grill grate higher above the fire so the meat doesn't burn while still cooking directly over the charcoal. 

 

Most asado style grills costs like $5k or something but I found this neat Weber atttachment for like $120 or something. I've been using it now for a few months all summer and it's working great. I highly recommend it. I got mine from Titan Outdoors but it looks like there are many sellers of this Weber attachment. 

 

[gfweb]

@eugenep I'm having trouble searching for this.  What would you call it?

[palo]

Not quite the same but close:

 

https://www.amazon.ca/onlyfire-Santa-Maria-Rotisserie-Adjustable-Attachment/dp/B07VRYCPFT

 

p

[eugenep]

22 minutes ago, gfweb said:

@eugenep I'm having trouble searching for this.  What would you call it?

Hmm..I checked out the TItan Outdoors website and it looks like they are out of stock for now at least See https://www.titangreatoutdoors.com/outdoor-cooking/open-fire-cooking/22-inch-adjustable-kettle-style-grill-attachment/899810.html

 

 

 

[heidih]

The ones I see up the coast here are just a grill with charcoal  and the wheel thing allows the grill surface to be raised and lowered. Not super technical.  Sitting in every parking  lot . No handy friend with welding skills who can have fun making it? No idea where you are but if you see a guy just ask source? Of course Santa Maria here means beef tri-tip.

[Porthos]

For an authentic Santa Maria BBQ oak is the wood of choice, and tri-tip is the meat of choice. . The grilling attachment that the OP showed is the correct style. I've long since moved away from S.M. but still have clear memories of that taste. We have come close to being able to recreat it. Finding pinquito beans was near impossible so we used everyday pink beans. Should we elect to do it again Rancho Gordo now sources them.

[heidih]

Yes nice thing about the Central Coast - the beans are in every supermarket

[eugenep]

Here in the East Cost  - the NJ-NYC area - I have read about the tri-tip but neve saw it in our super markets. 

 

So here in the summer, I did see a triangle shaped beef and I thought it might be the tri-tip at Costco. 

 

BUT ALAS!!! 😪  it was not the tri-tip but some meat called the Picanha?? I googled it and it was sirloin. I remember having this cut in this fancy Brazilian steak house which was overpriced (as with all NYC restaurants) 

 

I tried it myself owing to the $6 price tag. And - damn - it was super good over the Santa Maria style grill. It did have the smoke flavor bc it was cooked directly over the charcoal (as the Cinnamon Club and Modernist Cuisine stated) 

 

Ummm..I am also glad for Costo's $6 lb oxtail - very high quality. I think it's at that price bc it is out of season (as a soup making cut - which is unlikely in a hot summer). Maybe I'll find a recipe of smoking or grilling oxtail for the summer. I have tried Jamaican oxtail recipe but it doesn't taste on the same level as West Indies restaurants/stores for oxtail dishes

Edited August 17, 2022 by eugenep (log)

[Duvel]

On 8/15/2022 at 5:00 AM, eugenep said:

Hmm..I checked out the TItan Outdoors website and it looks like they are out of stock for now at least See https://www.titangreatoutdoors.com/outdoor-cooking/open-fire-cooking/22-inch-adjustable-kettle-style-grill-attachment/899810.html

 

 

 

If it is available, please have a look at a Schwenkgrill/Schwenker … same principle, much leaner design and thus a cheap(er) invest to try.