It’s good to be back! After nearly a month on the road due to work, I’ve got a great rub review for you. And the best part about it (at least for me): I didn’t have to cook it! From Oroville, CA, let’s check out Wagon Wheel Market Santa Maria Style Seasoning.
The Story
For those not familiar with Santa Maria Style Barbecue, it’s based in the Santa Maria Valley in California’s Central Coast. Santa Maria Style Barbecue is centered around tri-tip that has been seasoned with black pepper, salt, and garlic salt and grilled over red oak.
Wagon Wheel Market was purchased by Dick and Dona Butler in 1981 after the couple ran the meat department for the previous three years. They added a smokehouse soon after the purchase to provide customers with the highest quality smoked meats. Along with this, they developed their Santa Maria Style seasoning to enhance the flavors in their smoked meats.
The Rub
The ingredient list in this seasoning is short: salt, garlic, pepper, sugar, parsley. That’s it. Short and simple.
As you can see from the picture below, it has a pretty diverse look. The components of the rub are all distinguishable. And the naked taste of the rub is about what one would expect — salty with hints of garlic.
The Results
I owe a huge thank you to my good friend John Shepard (@SirPorkalot on Twitter)! While I was in San Francisco for work, he and his wife invited me to their house for lunch and football. Being that he is quite the BBQ pitmaster, he decided to cook up a California specialty — tri-tip. He had already seasoned the meat prior to my arrival, and I got a peek at it just before it went on the cooker.
The tri-tip (appx. 3 lbs in weight) was cooked using a combination of charcoal and red oak. First, it was cooked indirectly until the internal temperature reached close to 110 degrees. At that point, the tri-tip was placed over the direct heat to char and crust up the outside.
In the end, the rub produced a beautiful char and crust on the tri-tip, and the meat was cooked to a medium-rare perfection!
So while you may or may not see this rub on the competition circuit, this is a rub you should keep in your arsenal for those cuts of beef you plan to cook. This would work great on roasts and steaks as well!
Wagon Wheel Market Website: http://www.wagonwheelmarket.com/ (the seasoning is available for purchase online)
Thanks!!
Wayne Brown
http://www.bigwaynerbbq.com
@brownkw
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