for our chicken and tri-tip,” Kleinfeldt explains. “We go low and slow for pork ribs and brisket.” In the California style, meat sits on a grill over a pit of oak coals. A system of gears or pulleys allows the pitmaster to raise or lower the grill, adjusting the temperature. This form of cooking has been common in the state since the mid-1800s. It’s origins are similar to the technique witnessed by Christopher Columbus. Adherents of the offset method, where coals burn in a box and the resulting smoke is drawn over the meat, rarely allowed Santa Maria into the barbecue conversation. Alabama, with its curious white sauce—yes. But California was on more uncertain ground. Recently, however, some purists have been warming to the idea of inclusivity. Steven Raichlen, author of The Barbecue Bible, told Texas Monthly that “live fire cooking” constitutes barbecue, whether that’s on a grill, a spit or coursed with smoke. Meanwhile barbecue hall of famer Meathead Goldwyn honed in on a theme. “Ultimately, it is smoke that differentiates barbecue from other types of cooking,” he noted in a blog post. “The fact is that there are many forms of barbecue around the world, and it is the presence of smoke that unifies them all.” That smoke could rise directly from a pit or grill, or seep through taro leaves at a Hawaiian gathering. Kansas City burnt ends, which generally sell out before 4pm at Crossroads BBQ in Carmel, are put through the smoker twice. But for some, that definition is too broad. “I would defend barbecue a little more,” says Chef Todd Fisher of The Meatery, a specialty butcher and deli in Seaside, following with a laugh. “Are you saying smoked salmon is barbecue?” Pinning down barbecue remains a bit messy. While all barbecue involves smoke—and where there’s smoke, there is (or was) fire—not all smoked items count as barbecue. At the Little Chicken House in Pacific Grove, a grill out front belching smoke handles other meats. Inside, the birds brown on spits in a brick chimney, with a wood fire stoked at the back. Barbecue started like this—racks or spits over flame or glowing coals. Sometimes the pit was a hole dug into the earth. On more settled properties, a brick pit became the norm. Kleinfeldt shakes his head at the notion that barbecue purists scoff at such methods. “To say it’s not barbecue because it’s over an open flame, I think that’s just silly,” he says. “We go off of how we prefer it. Treat it right.” For brisket, Kleinfeldt agrees with Texas—low and slow, allowing smoke to do the cooking. At The Meatery, Fisher treats the cut to 18 hours in heat. A burger, on the other hand, generally belongs on a grill or flattop. Even in assigning live-fire cooking to the barbecue realm, Raichlen hedges when it comes to items like burgers, which are flamed quickly. He told Texas Monthly it becomes grilling when “You can watch it being cooked.” In general, those in the barbecue world agree that meat can be barbecued, fish can be smoked and vegetables are sides. Yet Matthew Register of Southern Smoke BBQ in North Carolina once served smoked shrimp ceviche at the Carolina Barbecue Festival. And while classified as meats, burgers and hot dogs can only be grilled—although sausages are part of many barbecue traditions. At the very least, the style of cooking starts with flame and produces smoke. Many accept that the location of that heat source can vary. “I can get down with that,” Fisher says. “It’s nice to know they are finally accepting Santa Maria-style as an actual form of barbecue.” 24 THE BEST OF MONTEREY BAY ® EAT + DRINK 2025-2026
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