The Fourth of July is upon us. Celebrations will be taking place
this weekend and right into next week.
The Fourth of July is upon us. Celebrations will be taking place this weekend and right into next week. It is very important to remember the meaning of the holiday and take time to celebrate the birth of our nation, our freedoms and rights. We may attend a parade, watch a fireworks show or just enjoy the summer weather. The Fourth of July barbecue is probably the most popular activity to host or attend. Since the Fourth of July is such a special day in our nation’s history, my fellow columnists Elizabeth Gage and David Cox and I have collaborated on a special menu for this day.
I will be sharing some ideas for entrees, Elizabeth Gage will share some fantastic items to accompany them, and David Cox will round out the menu with some wonderful adult beverages. My contribution features two grilled items with distinctly American identities and that are specifically Californian in origin. The first item is a tri-tip recipe with influence from the Central Coast region, and the second is a chicken recipe with homegrown roots in Morgan Hill.
In other parts of the country, tri-tip is commonly known as bottom sirloin butt or triangle roast. It is one of my absolute favorite pieces of beef from the grill. It has a very tender texture and compared to some other cuts of beef, tri-tip has a substantially robust beef flavor. Whenever I think of tri-tip, one of the styles that come to my mind is Santa Maria. Famous for a high-profile criminal trial in recent years, Santa Maria is a town known for its rich agricultural heritage.
The tradition of barbecuing Santa Maria-style started on the cattle ranches in and around Santa Maria. After a long day of work, the ranch owner hosted a barbecue to thank the friends, family and neighbors for their time. The tradition continued on the cattle ranches for many years, and Santa Maria-style barbecue became widely popular by the 1960’s. By then, it had spread to the non-cattle ranching population of the area and the community embraced it as their own.
According to the Santa Maria Chamber of Commerce Web site, the organization chose to copyright the “Santa Maria Style recipe and menu” in 1978. This was to prevent businesses from serving Santa Maria-style barbecue and misrepresenting the product.
The technique is simple. Tri-tip is seasoned with salt, pepper and garlic salt and then grilled over red oak. Red oak is the fuel of choice as it is abundant on the ranch lands where the recipe originated. The recipe may seem very simple, but the red oak is the true secret to the flavor. I have my own version of this style, but I can’t refer to the recipe as “Santa Maria Style” since it is a copyright recipe. Since red oak may be difficult to find in this area, you may also use oak wood chips added to your charcoal or smoker box on a gas grill. I usually use a fruitwood such as cherry or apricot when I prepare tri-tip in this style.
Chicken is another great dish to serve on Fourth of July. When a whole chicken has been pre-cut and available in one package, it can be relatively inexpensive for a crowd. Unless you know that everyone eats breast or wing portions exclusively, a cut chicken will also satisfy a variety of tastes.
When searching for something that would make a chicken recipe exclusively American, I looked towards the nation’s enjoyment of beer. My family has marinated chicken in beer for many years, but I wanted to give it a local twist. A local microbrew can make a recipe unique to the region or city in which it is brewed. To do a little research, I tasted six different beers at the El Toro Brewery in Morgan Hill last weekend. When tasting, I kept in mind how each would taste with chicken. My favorite was their classic Poppy Jasper Amber Ale. Its flavor isn’t too overwhelming, and it complements the natural flavor of the chicken very well. The beer not only flavors the chicken, but it also tenderizes it a little.
Just as a quick note, you don’t have to worry about alcohol content from the beer for the younger set as alcohol evaporates or “cooks off” at a low temperature.
Since it is the Fourth of July, don’t forget to serve your meal with a little flair. Many stores offer patriotic platters, plates and bowls in red, white and blue as well as patriotic patterns. These items go a long way in making the holiday just a little more festive. If you use the suggestions from Elizabeth Gage and David Cox and I, your Fourth of July gathering will be a huge success.
Central Coast Style Tri-Tip
From Mitch Mariani. Serves 8-10
2 tri-tip roasts
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons pepper
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 tablespoons olive oil
Step 1: Mix the dry seasonings. Rub the olive oil over the tri-tip and evenly distribute the seasoning mix over the tri-tip. Allow the seasoned tri-tip to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Step 2: Over medium heat, grill tri-tip on each side for about 15 minutes. This will yield a good medium rare tri-tip, depending upon size. The internal temperature should be about 120 to 125 degrees.
Step 3: Rest the tri-tip for about 10 minutes. The temperature will rise a little, and it will allow the juices to absorb back into the meat.
Step 4: Slice the tri-tip against the grain.
Beer-Marinated Chicken
From Ardizzone Family. Serves 6-8
2 cut chickens
2 bottles El Toro Poppy Jasper Amber Ale
2 lemons, juiced
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon salt
4 cloves of garlic, crushed
2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
Step 1: Wash and dry the chicken pieces. In a non-reactive container, mix the remaining ingredients.
Step 2: Add the chicken to the beer marinade and refrigerate overnight to marinade.
Step 3: Grill chicken over medium high heat while watching for flare-ups from the juices. If smaller pieces are finished cooking before larger pieces, move them from the heat into a covered pot. This will allow them to keep warm, but not overcook. The chicken will be done in 25 to 45 minutes depending upon heat and the type and thickness of each piece.
