Santa Maria Style Grilling brings authentic California barbecue to Idaho
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IDAHO FALLS – A mother-son duo is bringing authentic California barbecue to Idaho Falls.
Gabriel Huitron and his mother, Nancy Santos, are co-owners of Santa Maria Style Grilling. The Santa Maria, California, natives began their barbecue business in Idaho as a food truck.
The duo opened the brick-and-mortar location in April. Their dedication to crafting authentic Santa Maria barbecue has drawn customers from around the country to get a taste.
EastIdahoNews.com tried the Peanut Butter Bacon Burger, the Famous Tri-tip Sandwich, and the Super Chili Tri-tip Nachos during our visit.
The Peanut Butter Bacon Burger is complete with a gourmet bun, peanut butter, havarti cheese, bacon, and caramel.
The Famous Tri-tip Sandwich is a must-have for Santa Maria barbecue. The tri-tip is slow-cooked for an hour and a half over red oak wood to bring the authentic smokey flavor.
If you are extra hungry, the Super Chili Tri-tip Nachos will fill you up. The homemade chili beans recipe goes back three generations, with chorizo and ground beef. For meat, customers have a choice of tri-tip or chicken. To top it off, the nachos have a light drizzle of sour cream.
Santa Maria-style barbecue dates back to the 1850s when the Spanish began settling on the central coast. They encountered Chumash natives, who cooked their food in a large open hole in the ground. The Spanish introduced metal rods to the cooking style, which eventually evolved into the barbecue pit Santa Maria locals swear by.
Santa Maria Style Grilling is at 7953 25th East in Idaho Falls. Visit its website and see a menu here.
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