Santa Maria Style BBQ Pits

Hey Gang I am originally from Santa Maria, California, home of Santa Maria Style Barbeque. I wanted to send out some pictures of the type of pits we use there. Here are a number of pics and closeups of some of the components, hookups and welds...

 Typical Pit about 3' x 4' grill
(courtesy of Santa Maria BBQ Outfitters)

 Used brick pit with electric trigger to raise and lower grill

Same pit showing wood box full of red oak ready for Q'ing 

Close up of Electric trigger

Back side of lower gear, gear box and chain

Upper gear configuration

Burning the wood down to coals

Another manual gear box configuration of a built in Pit.

Smaller pit with rotisserie

Closer view of same pit

Close up view of how the grill is attached to stainless cable and grill channel

Custom made grill using stainless bars

Closeup view of handle and handle stop

Another double pit, manual raise

Gear box for the pit

Grill cable hookup and grill channel

Closeup of upper cross members between both grill assemblies

Upper cable hookup

Another view of double grill pit

Grill inside Jocko's BBQ in Nipomo, Calif. full of 3 in. Spencer Steaks

Closeup of Jocko's Grill

Though these pictures are were not taken on Guam, we do use a few of these pits here.

For some of you who may be interested in this style of pits, you can see more designs at Santa Maria BBQ Outfitters, http://www.santamariagrills.com/

Until next time....

Lunching at Fire Dispatch

When I was one of the Officers in Charge of Guam's Fire Dispatch Center, once a month we would do a theme type BBQ or other type of luncheon. This was to keep the moral up. Sometimes we would do Mexican or Italian, Thanksgiving, Christmas but our favorite is BBQ whatever. Do we really even need an excuse? I think it worked out OK.

The incoming shift would show up to work a couple of hours early and do all the cooking honors and a lot of the dishes were pot luck.

This is island style.

Of course, with full bellies it was not always easy to keep that concentration up. But the job was always done.

Here are more pictures of some of the lunches that we enjoyed.  https://picasaweb.google.com/rueben.olivas/FireDispatchLunchBBQs?authkey=Gv1sRgCNf38cKCt7bsMQ&feat=directlink

Hoped you enjoyed.

Until next time....

Grilling Fish Island Style - The Non-Stick Method

Just wanted to show everyone how we grill fish on the pit without it sticking to the grill itself. I'm sure you have your variation.

First you locate your favorite coconut or banana tree.

Then you cut off one of the branches or leaves (banana tree).

Then you trim off the leaves and that leaves you with the main stem.

Next you cut the stem into the desired lengths which depends on the width of the fish or the number of fish to be grilled.

Split the thicker stems so that you have about a 1/2 in. thickness. Thicker for larger fish or longer grilling times.

Rinse these cut stems in fresh or salt water, depending where you are grilling at (home or beach).

Place the cut stems on the fire and the fish on top.

The fish will not stick and it will be very easy to turn over.

The moisture in the stems keep them from burning up while the grilling is going on.

That's all there is to it.

Until next time....

Mahi Mahi Rub

Hey gang, I developed this rub just for Mahi Mahi (Dorado, Dolphin-fish). It is actually great on any fish. Try it out.

Guam Mahi Mahi caught on Galvez Bank, 21 miles south of Guam

Here is the recipe:

¼ Tsp Cayenne Pepper

½ Tsp Paprika

½ Tsp Chili Powder

1 Tsp Salt (adjust to taste)

1 Tbsp Onion Powder

1 Tbsp Garlic Powder

1 Tsp Black Pepper (fine grind)

½ Tsp MSG (optional)

Let me know how you like it (hopefully you did).

Until next time....

BBQ'd Beef Short Ribs- Guam Style

One of our favorite BBQ eats on Guam are the BBQ'd Beef Short Ribs. These are actually crosscut beef ribs about 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. They are very tender and meaty. They do not take long to marinade. Here is a photo of the ribs on the BBQ.

Here is the marinade:

Ingredients:

1 cup of Kikkoman Soy Sauce

1 cup of Apple Cider Vinegar

1/2 to 1 onion sliced very thin

6 cloves of garlic minced

black pepper to taste

Beef short ribs depending on the number of persons 1/2 lb per person generally.

Directions:

Mix the ingredients either by hand or in a blender.

Pour the marinade over your ribs in a container and coat ribs well. (the amount of marinade depends on the amount of ribs)

Place the covered container in the refer for at least 2 hours.

If you don't have a refer, any cooler will do.

BBQ or grill as some say, mopping the marinade on the ribs to keep them moist.

Because these ribs are thin, they will not take long to cook.

These are juicy and delicious right off the grill.

Enjoy and let me know what you thought of them. 

Until next time....

Labor Day Island Wide Picnic

Every year on Guam the government and all it's agencies have what is called the Labor Day Picnic. It is held at Ypao Beach Park in Tumon (hotel district like Waikiki Beach in Hawaii), Guam. It is open to all the public.

All the agencies have their own pot luck/BBQ section. Sometimes we have an island-style hut competition.

There are always tons of activities like a volleyball tournament, bands, singers, dancers, etc. But what you will notice most is the amount of smoke in the air from all the BBQs going on.

Here are some pictures of the Guam Fire Department's BBQ.

Pork spare rib racks

The Boyz 

Porkchop showing off his grilling techniques 

Dan and Big Al tending to their grill

Here is a link to the rest of the photo album:   https://picasaweb.google.com/rueben.olivas/LaborDay07?authkey=Gv1sRgCIXeu9fp2taUbA&feat=directlink

Hope you enjoyed these pics.

Until next time....

Firefighter BBQ at Ypao Beach, Tumon, Guam

Firefighters on Guam love to cook and BBQ. We never fall short of reasons to get together.

We had a BBQ at Ypao Beach in Tumon here on Guam. This is a world class beach right here in our backyard. Here are just a few photos from that event.

Ypao Beach looking towards Two Lovers Point 

Ypao Beach looking south towards Hilton Hotel 

Ypao Beach looking north 

Grilling beef short ribs 

The crew grilling chicken and Mahi Mahi 

The crew always makes sure they are hydrated

Andrew Palomo, Mike Concepcion and Hank Fergurgur grilling and chillin'

Always a lot of activity around the coolers for some reason

Needless to say, everyone had a great time this day. 

Until next time....

BBQ'd Rainbow Runner

If you are in the mood for a fish BBQ, you've gotta try BBQ'd Rainbow Runner. They are a saltwater pelagic species. They run in large schools and once you are into them, they will continue to hit just about any small trolling lure you have.

Once you have them on the grill, you won't forget the experience.

Here is my recipe:

BBQ'd Rainbow Runner

BBQing is an everyday thing here on Guam.  Try out this BBQ on a good 3 lb. Rainbow Runner or Red Snapper.

Prep Time: approx. 20 Minutes.

Cook Time: approx. 50 Minutes.

Ready in: approx. 1 Hour 10 Minutes.

Serving: Depends on your appetite
   

Ingredients:

Rainbow Runner Medium Size (3 lbs)

1 Medium Onion diced

6 cloves fresh minced

2 tbsp paprika

Mayonnaise

1 cube butter

Olive oil

Santa Maria-Type Seasoning:

1 tablespoons non-iodized table salt or sea salt
1 tablespoons granulated garlic powder (fine grind)
1 tablespoon of Kosher Salt (Morton’s Box @ Payless)

1/2 teaspoon dried parsley (optional)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper, medium grind
1/4 teaspoon Accent (MSG), optional

Directions:

1 Clean and scale fish and trim fins and tail. Slice both sides of the fish down the lateral lines. This will allow the seasoning to soak in and also will cook faster. 

2 Rub fish with olive oil. Sprinkle and rub the Santa Maria seasoning and paprika all over the fish, including the inside.

3 Stuff the stomach cavity with the diced cherry tomatoes, onions, minced garlic and one stick of butter.  Then rub the entire fish with mayonnaise and sprinkle with diced green onions.

4 Wrap the fish in heavy-duty tin foil and place on the BBQ pit, direct heat, for about 30 min.

5 Open the tin foil up and allow the smoke to penetrate the fish and cook for another 20 minutes. This really gets that BBQ smoke-flavor into the flesh.

6 Remove from the pit and let it rest (sit) for about 10 min. before serving.

Make sure you have some good, fresh lemon finadene' (Guam lemon-based hot pepper sauce).

If there is not enough fish, catch a bigger one or more next time.

I know you will enjoy this one.

Until next time....

Easy BBQ Pit- 55-Gal. Drum

Here is an easy BBQ Pit that everyone likes to use on Guam. A 55-gal drum comes in handy and makes a great pit. Of course this idea is not unique to Guam. But because we have such a corrosive atmosphere here other pits do not usually last long.

These drums are readily available on Guam just about everywhere and the price is right, free or very cheap ($5).

Get the drum with the removable lid, that way you don't have to cut it and you can put a handle on it and use the drum as a smoker. The grill and lid from the Weber 21" Kettle BBQ pit fits perfect on a drum.

All you really need to do is cut a rectangular hole on the bottom of the drum for air flow and to insert your choice of fuel. The stand-up model allows for a hot fire but a lot of distance from the meat. Adjust the fire by adding or removing your fuel on the bottom. Here are a few pics of drums in use.

Until next time....

Island-wide Mayor's BBQ, Ypao Beach, Guam 2005

All the Mayor's of Guam got together for this BBQ for the people of Guam. Everyone was invited and welcomed to a free BBQ complete with activities and entertainment. It was a great event with great food.




Just view the pictures to experience this event.
https://picasaweb.google.com/rueben.olivas/BBQMayorsMay2005YpaoBeach?authkey=Gv1sRgCJ2GoOa19qGutAE&feat=directlink

Until next time....

BBQ at Joe's, Santa Rita, Guam

We held a small birthday party at Joe's a few years back. We grilled, cooked a whole pig in La Caja China, and cooked all the other side dishes. Had a great time. Here are some of the pictures from that event.

https://picasaweb.google.com/rueben.olivas/BBQAtJoeS?authkey=Gv1sRgCOv2oPyI-Jvk9AE&feat=directlink

Until next time....