The Diaz family grew up eating Santa Maria Style Barbecue and has brought the 150-year-old California tradition to Kauai. Art Diaz, his wife, Joanne, and their three children lived in Santa Maria, California. Art Jr. and Jared helped their father
The Diaz family grew up eating Santa Maria Style Barbecue and has brought the 150-year-old California tradition to Kauai. Art Diaz, his wife, Joanne, and their three children lived in Santa Maria, California. Art Jr. and Jared helped their father with his construction business. On Friday nights, the family went to Central City Farmers Market in the town center and danced to music, looked at art and ate legendary barbecue.
The roots for the barbecue began in the Santa Maria Valley on the Central Coast of California. Vaqueros, or Mexican cowboys, worked on cattle ranches in the valley and were given tri-tip by ranch owners. The ranch hands slow-cooked the off-cut beef directly over wood coals, transforming the tough meat into smoky succulence and creating a cult following.
Art and Joanne moved to Kauai in the early 1990s. Jared moved here in 2002, where he met and married Lenney. When the economy tanked in 2008, Art Jr. joined his family on Kauai. Missing the food of their home, the Diazes were inspired to open Recessions Original Santa Maria Style BBQ. The name is a nod toward the economic downturn and the family keeps prices low so people can enjoy filling meals.
“It’s our own style and something you can’t find anywhere else on Kauai,” Art Jr. explains. “We’re not Texas barbecue. We’re not Memphis barbecue. We have our own sweet style.”
There is no restaurant. It’s not even a food truck. It’s a $10,000 custom made grill with wheels. For now, Recessions Original Santa Maria Style BBQ is only available at special events such as Old Town Kapaa Art Walk on the first Saturday of every month and the Annual Coconut Festival held this year on Oct. 4-5.
I caught up with them Aug. 2 at Heiva I Kauai.
Oak and hickory coals smoldered under the grill, which was topped with about 10 marinated tri-tip roasts. They have been cooking for about 45 minutes. Chicken breasts, boneless pork ribs, hot dogs, French bread and a tray of sliced onions also fill the grill, along with corn, which is in season and rows of shucked ears blister from the grill’s heat.
Jared turns a hand-cranked wheel, which is attached to a heavy gauge chain, and raises one of the grill tops. There is one on each side of the trailer and this enables him to control how much heat reaches the meat. Sliced open, the tri-tip and ribs have a nice, pink smoke ring around their edges.
Art Jr. makes fresh salsa and chili con carne, which are traditional side dishes. Tri-tip Plates ($10) and Pork Plates ($10) are served with chili over steamed rice, salsa and a green salad with tomatoes, feta cheese, dried cranberries and Italian dressing. For the sandwiches ($8), caramelized onions are put into French bread, the meat is piled on and it’s topped with salsa.
Jared grabs an ear of corn from the grill with a pair of tongs. Just before serving, he dips it in a pot of melted butter and sprinkles it with their Magic Dust spice blend. I take a bite of the sweet corn with charred bits and butter gets all over my face. Warm kernels pop in my mouth. The corn, combined with tender meat that is smoky and juicy, is the best of summertime.
•••
Marta Lane, a food writer on Kauai since 2010, offers farm to fork food tours and is the author of Tasting Kauai: Restaurants – From Food Trucks to Fine Dining, A Guide to Eating Well on the Garden Island. For more information, visit TastingKauai.com.
