David and Chris in front of Hog Island Oyster Co.

On a recent trip to the coast, we found ourselves on Highway 1 along Tomales Bay. Never been there and had no idea we had stumbled into the oyster capital of  the West. I’ve shucked, slurped and grilled oysters but have never given any thought to where they come from. We learned that there is this totally cool cultural experience revolving around oysters.

After passing several oyster farms we just had to stop and check one out. Let the party begin!  Again, we had no idea what we were getting into and were un-prepared  but the good folks at the Hog Island Oyster farm were happy to help at every turn. We were set up with a bag of oysters, a knife and found a picnic table and grill. As the fire started, I shucked the oysters and we chose some different sauces to doctor up our little friends before grilling.

The prep tray.

Starting the fire.

4 minutes over direct heat on the grill. Technically, that’s all there is to it but there is so much more to the experience. Hog Island has about 20 tables and they are packed with fun, freindly people drinking wine and beer and sharing food and stories with new friends on their tables. Many groups came totally prepared with other tasty goodies to grill and others, like us, were all about the oysters.

The picnic site is a big party/cookout.

Food is supposed to be social – bringing friends together and our day at Hog Island oyster farm was a great time. It’s everything we stand for at the BBQ Pro:  Good food, good friends and good times, give it a try soon.

For more info:
http://www.hogislandoysters.com/farm/picnic

David with Juanita and John Mansmith in their San Juan Bautista BBQ Outlet

On our way to the 2011 Eggfest in Santa Clara, we decided to take a small road trip to Mansmith’s Gourmet in San Juan Bautista. We had been using Mansmith’s rubs for years and wanted to pick up our latest order in person. These guys are not only veterans on the BBQ circuit, their family has been BBQing in California’s Central Coast area for generations.

It’s unusual to be a California family with such a rich BBQ history. It’s even more unusual for that family to be in the business of sharing their long history of BBQ spices and recipes and allowing the rest of the world in to experience flavors unique to California. We’re so on board with this.

Tucked away past fruit stands and pastures, we pulled up to the BBQ Outlet Store and met Juanita and John, the owners and spicemasters of Mansmith’s Gourmet. We swapped stories and checked out the store, especially intrigued by their BBQ Paste: a BBQ sauce base that creates a universe of BBQ possibilities when any liquid is added. As Jimmy Buffet says: “It was so simple, it plum evaded me…”

Mansmiths Original Grilling Spice, Poultry Spice and Barbecue Paste

They took the time to answer some of my questions:

Your family has been barbecuing for generations in California. When did the family actually start barbecuing?

About 1960, as a teenager, I started on the pit crew at the San Juan Bautista Mission Fiesta where we grilled 5,000 chicken halves every year.  This was an all night event. We also grilled steaks every year at the Saint Francis Retreat Center for their annual fund raising event. By 1970 I was a member of the California Young Farmers organization where I was recruited to the barbecue committee, cooking Top Sirloins, Pork Chops and Sausages for various events.  In about 1985, by popular demand, we started bottling our seasonings. The catering business evolved from demonstrating our seasonings at street fairs, etc.

I’ve always been intrigued by authentic California barbecue. Since you have such a long history with it, what defines California barbecue for you?

Open pit grilling over an oak wood fire. Seasoned with local traditional herbs like Rosemary, Thyme, Oregano and Garlic.

Tri-tip is prominently featured in your menus and is your specialty in catering. Have you always cooked Tri-tip or is it recent (as in the last 20 years)?

We started cooking Tri-Tip about 1985.  It took me about a year to perfect my technique of slow cooking over an open fire. We only cook untrimmed Tri-Tip with the fat cap still on the meat. We cook it for 2 hours, high above the fire in order to produce a rare and juicy product, seasoned of course with Mansmith’s Original Grilling Spice.

When did you first start competition barbecue?

We did a few competitions in the late 1990′s when the California BBQ Assoc. first started. There were not very many competitions in our area then and we didn’t have the time to travel, so it was not a priority with our business. We just got back into it last year and were surprised at the evolution of the sport. We only participate in 3 or 4 a year now but are having a lot of fun.

You have won an enormous amount of awards for your rubs and sauces. How has this affected the rubs and sauce you offer for sale? Are you constantly changing the formulas, or do you have more of a “don’t fix it and let everyone catch up to you” philosophy?

1991 – Mansmith’s Low Sodium Grilling Spice won “Best on the Planet” at the American Royal International BBQ competition in Kansas City.

1993 – Mansmith’s Original Grilling Spice won “Best on the Planet” at the American Royal International BBQ competition in Kansas City.

At these same competitions Mansmith’s BBQ Paste gathered numerous awards in the sauce categories. It was diluted with various liquids and entered into all 14 sauce flavor categories that were in the competition. We have since been banned from future competitions with this product due to a change in the rules.

1998 – Mansmith’s Original Grilling Spice, Low Sodium Grilling Spice, and Dry Fire each win first place medals in all 3 of the dry rub categories at the National Barbecue Conventions “Awards of Excellence” in Arlington, Texas.

Nothing needs to be fixed here!  Nothing is offered until they are perfected. All new products come from the evolution of flavor profiles. Mansmith’s has the best customer loyalty in the business.

What’s next for Mansmith? Any events coming up that you want to share?

Two more Street Festival events this year: San Juan Bautista Flea Market on August 14, 2011, and the Taste Of Morgan Hill, in Morgan Hill, CA on Sept. 24 and 25, 2011 where we will be cooking our world famous Tri-Tip sandwiches.

Check their website at www.mansmith.com for all their weekly BBQ locations.

We thoroughly enjoyed the Mansmiths and have always enjoyed Mansmith’s rubs and taste profile. If I were going to name a BBQ rub business, “Mansmith” would cross my mind. As it turns out, it really is their name – it reflects the absolute authenticity in everything they do.

Jennifer Hill

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Learn from a BBQ pro to make authentic Santa Maria Style Tri-tip and all the fixings at our Santa Maria style Tri-tip BBQ Class

David and Chris in front of the Far Western Tavern

The Far Western Tavern is a restaurant that grew out of a ranch and serves the best beef I have ever eaten. Now I may be a bit biased as I am a fifth generation Californian and this Central Coast area is where my family is from. We are still doing some digging, but it may be that the Manetti family that runs the Far Western may have got their start on my great, great grandpa Hardie’s ranch in Cayucos, just up the coast.

Chris’ eyes must be closed in meat-induced bliss. That is cow hide on the door.

Even if we aren’t related, this is truly the best beef in the west. Nothing fancy, but great aged beef with the right seasonings for each particular cut. I spent a fair amount of time going over recipes and beef cuts with Chef Barbara Abernathy and soon realized that she had forgotten more about cooking and beef than I will ever know. The combination of great quality beef and an amazing chef turns out spectacular results.

If you can’t make it down to Santa Maria to have some delicious eats don’t worry. The family recipes have all been handed down and put into seasoning rubs and sauces by daughter Susan and marketed as Susie Q’s. Straight up Santa Maria style rubs, glaze and especially the famous Pinquito beans and bean seasoning.

Pinquito beans are grown only in the Nipomo Valley and are a cross between a “little pink” bean and a pinto bean and are absolutely essential to a true Santa Maria BBQ meal. Chef Barbara gave me a secret lesson on how to cook these beans the way they do at the Far Western and  I would be happy to pass that along to all that come by our store. Did I mention that we are the only ones in Northern California to carry the full line of Susie Q’s BBQ products? We are honored to share the absolutely best of the true California BBQ culture. Come on by and look into it.

Learn to cook authentic Santa Maria style BBQ: Eggnation July Santa Maria Tri-tip Class

Far Western Tavern: www.farwesterntavern.com

Susie Q’s Brand: www.susieqbrand.com

David Hill
The BBQ Pro

Store Location: 10140 Fair Oaks Blvd., Fair Oaks, CA (in Fair Oaks Village next to Oaks Hardware.) Map it!

New Hours: Wednesday through Sunday, 10am to 5pm.

Hours by appointment only on Monday,Tuesday and Wednesday.

Upcoming BBQ Classes: Urban Cowboy: Cast Iron on the Grill (Sunday, October 9) please check our BBQ Classes page for more information. (Please note: The booking aspect of this new website is still in progress.)

Please email: eggnation@bbqproonline.com to book a class.)

For more information, email us: david@bbqproonline.com
or call 916-595-7444

Thanks for hanging with us during our transition!
David Hill
the BBQ Pro