Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Little Chef's Corner



If you really want to knock someone’s socks off, may I recommend using our Santa Maria Seasoning on some Tri Tip. I am sure my beautiful wife Carrianne told you what inspired us to make our own version, but did she tell you what a great hit it will be at dinner tonight? The great thing about the Santa Maria Seasoning is that it is so flavorful that you don’t have to season your meat ahead of time. Your Tri Tip will still come out as juicy and moist as if it were marinating for days!
Now that you have your Tri Tip rinsed, generously coat the Tri Tip with our Santa Maria Seasoning. If you like, allow the Tri Tip to rest for at least one hour in the fridge. When you are ready, get your grill nice and hot and sear both sides of the Tri Tip. Then continue to cook your Tri Tip over low heat for about 30 minutes, constantly turning or until the internal temperature reaches 130 degrees. Remove the Tri Tip from the grill onto the cutting board and let it rest for about 10 minutes. Thinly slice and serve.

Handy Dandy Tip:  Any time you take a piece of meat off the grill no matter what cut it is, you want it to rest for a few minutes before you cut into it. Let me tell you why! If you cut into the meat before the juices can settle, all the moisture will leave the meat and you will be left with a dry, tough piece of meat! So be sure to let your meat rest and let the juices settle to ensure maximum juiciness.

Carrianne's Kitchen


The day that inspired Tony and I to come up with our best seller, Santa Maria Seasoning was the day that Sister Carol Smith celebrated her 25th Silver Jubilee. Sister Carol is from Santa Maria, so her entire family drove down to Redondo Beach to set up for this very special day.
Santa Maria is located in Santa Barbara County. It is most famous for their wine and delicious BBQ style. It is commonly known that the Tri Tip was born in Santa Maria. The Tri Tip is a cut of beef that comes from the bottom of the sirloin. In the 1950’s it became a specialty that was only available in Santa Maria.
Everyone wanted to try the Tri Tip with Santa Maria style seasoning. In true Santa Maria fashion, Sister Carol’s family made the most delicious BBQ we had ever had. In fact, it was the first time we had ever tried a Tri Tip! Tony and I were blown away, by all that deliciousness that engulfed our taste buds. So we decided that we had to make our version of that seasoning, and we did!