Sizzle Central is back as Santa Maria Valley kicks off Barbecue Month

April 29, 2025 (Santa Maria, Calif.) –  Throughout the month of May (aka National Barbecue Month), Santa Maria Valley is unleashing a tastebud takeover and "steaking" its claim as Sizzle Central. From a can't-miss barbecue bash to a bold social media campaign that’s raising the temperature online, Santa Maria Valley is igniting National Barbecue Month with more than just great taste. It's setting a new standard for how destinations turn up the heat on travel-worthy flavor.

California Barbecue Culture

Santa Maria Valley is the California Central Coast destination that put West Coast barbecue on the map. It started 150 years ago and has a rich history beginning in the mid-1800s when local ranchers would host Spanish-style feasts to show gratitude towards their fellow vaqueros (America’s first cowboys). After cattle round-ups, local ranchers would prepare a Spanish-style feast that consisted of meat slow-roasted over the flames of a red oak fire, served with a side of pinquito beans and a fresh green salad. Santa Maria Style started as top-block but has since evolved to include tri-tip, a small, triangular cut from the sirloin that our region popularized in the 1950s.

In honor of that tradition, the Santa Maria Barbecue Festival attracts hundreds of people each year to celebrate this delicious pillar of Central Coast culture. Judges decide on the Best Barbecue in Santa Maria Valley as businesses and culinary professionals compete for the first-place Branding Iron award. There is also a separate competition for “best backyard cook.” Now in its seventh year, the Barbecue Festival will take place Saturday, May 10 at Pioneer Park, with attendees 21 and over lining up to sample THE California barbecue: Santa Maria Style.

Santa Maria Style barbecue isn’t just a dish—it’s our heritage, slow-roasted over generations,” said Jennifer Harrison, vice president of marketing and communications for the Santa Maria Chamber of Commerce and director of tourism for Visit Santa Maria Valley. “The Santa Maria Barbecue Festival is our way of honoring that legacy and serving up a true taste of who we are as a community.”

Santa Maria Style Unhinged

Can’t make it to this year’s Barbecue Festival? Sizzle Central will be taking over Santa Maria Valley’s TikTok with content that will deliver big belly laughs and Santa Maria Valley’s famous spice—literally.

“Our followers won’t know what hit them,” said Harrison. “Santa Maria Valley has never played by the travel rulebook—and this time, we’re throwing it straight on the fire. We’re trading ‘surprise and delight’ for full-on shock and awe. Let’s just say… people are in for a smokin’ good time.”

Follow along on TikTok and Instagram (@SantaMariaValley) to see how this slice of California’s Central Coast is serving up Barbecue Month, Santa Maria Style. Still dreaming of red-oak smoke and tri-tip magic from afar? Make it from home with this free, online Official Santa Maria Style Barbecue Cookbook. For those new to the scene, don’t worry—Santa Maria Valley even has a crash course for getting up to speed with Missing: A True Crime Barbecue Podcast.

A Santa Maria Valley experience is about being comfortable, having fun, and being yourself. This is a place where everyone is welcomed like old-time friends and fed like family. With 15 beaches and 34 wine tasting rooms all within a 30-minute drive, Santa Maria Valley is the perfect home base to taste award-winning wine and real Santa Maria Style barbecue at an unpretentious price. For more information, visit santamariavalley.com.