Santa Maria Style
Well as you all may of gathered I have been having a great time in California visiting family eating and cooking up a storm up in San Jose. I went south to the area of my origin, Santa Maria, home of Santa Maria Style BBQ. I went to visit my folks for about 10 days. It had been a year since my last visit. If you don't know, I live on Guam and Santa Maria is not just around the corner. Anyway it is always great to visit my folks and the rest of my family. As has been the past custom, so to speak, a big BBQ bash was in order.
The menu was simple....cook alot to feed alot. Here was my menu...
6 racks of baby backs (rubbed and let sit overnight), 20 pounds of chicken thighs and legs (marinated in a soy based sauce overnight), 6 pounds of of pork country style ribs cut for kabobs which were marinaded in Worcestershire sauce and rib rub, 6 pounds of medium sized shrimp, skewered and coated with olive oil and sprinkled with a little dry rub. Same went for the two medium sized red snappers and grilled asparagus, brown button mushrooms, baby bok choy and spanish onions. Of course others made fried rice, bbq'd beans, broccoli salad, and an assortment of desserts and yes, there was plenty of ice cold refreshments and harder drinks as well.
Enough talk, here are some of the pics that I took....
My mother, Connie and sister, Cynthia prepping one of the tables.
Sister Cynthia cutting up the Bok Choy for grilling.
Brother-In-Law, Bones (short for Bonejangles), supervising and keeping hydrated, but it doesn't mean he's a bad person....
Sister Cynthia cutting flowers for the table decorations.
Bones lending one helping hand. One must pace ones self.
Banana leaves under the table settings.
Cynthia dressing up the tables.
Getting the bar table ready for action. More to come.
Bones and my Step-Father Fred. Fred is the fire master.
Fred's red oak burning down.
Red oak coals ready for grilling.
Marinated chicken and dry rubbed baby backs ready to go down.
Aunt Ginni and Uncle Bob just chilaxing.
Bones preaching to Aunt Bobbie and Uncle Johnny "Tripod" Centeno. If his lips are moving, he's lying!!!
Uncle Bob with grand daughter La Bubba.
Time to chow down with Bob Royster and Aunt Sylvia.
Attacking the table from all sides!!
More food being served up.
Hey, no pushing!!
Aunt Sylvia and Elaine talking story.
Mike and Pat picking on the grilled mushrooms, spanish onions, asparagus and baby bok choy.
Grilled baby backs and chicken.
Grilled shrimp and pork kabobs.
Grilled red snapper.
Ray Bonilla and Chincha (Cynthia) at the bar doing what they do best....oh yeah!!
Cousin Tina and the Aunties taking care of business.
La Bubba entertaining all her Aunties.
Table of Honor, just don't get in between them and their plates.
Chincha says the food and drink doesn't get any better than this.
La Bubba going over her song list. She has one beautiful voice. Great Country & Western.
Gotta have music at any BBQ. Bones is getting into it.
Uncle Johnny, aka Tripod, the eldest of the family, still dishing out lessons.
La Bubba throwing down her set. What a voice!!
Elaine and Mom showing some love.
The "Tripod" and Auntie Bobbie.
Sister and Brother, Mom and Uncle Johnny.
The BBQ and party was so much fun even the dog (Rollie) "tapped out".
It was a great time with great people and everyone had plenty to eat. Everyone chipped in to make this gathering a major success.
If you're wondering what happened to the photos of the grilling action, well all I can say was that I had my hands full being the only one on the grill. No time for photos. But that's OK because that's "What I Do!!!".
I actually gained about 10 lbs on this trip. And that was with me putting in some miles on my bike. Oh well, it was worth it. I hope to lose it all back on Guam.
Santa Maria BBQ is alive and well in Santa Maria, California.
Until next time....
