7144 Edinger Ave.
Huntington Beach, CA 92647
I've been working on a quest to find the best chocolate chip cookie in OC. It's what has brought me to Huntington Beach this early afternoon. Man cannot live on chocolate chip cookies alone; believe me, I've tried, so I needed to get some lunch nearby. A quick Yelp search steered me toward Santa Maria BBQ.
This intersection of Goldenwest and Edinger is one of my favorite unassuming food destinations in all of OC. Not only is John's Philly Grill serving up what I consider to be the best cheesesteaks around, but one of my favorite sandwich spots, DeSimone's, is also located here. I hoped this trend of finding good food in this area would continue when I visited Santa Maria BBQ.
I do not know a lot about this spot. Their Yelp page dates from 2011 when this location was known as BT's Southern BBQ, and then in early 2018, they changed their name to Santa Maria BBQ. I wonder if that's because there was an ownership change or if they just wanted to rebrand. Also, the former OC Register restaurant critic, Brad Johnson, visited their Buena Park location and gave a glowing review of their tri-tip and brisket. That location is now catering only, FYI.
Santa Maria BBQ is not a big restaurant. As you enter, a small bar runs alongside the right-hand side of the restaurant, and there are probably six or so tables for people choosing to dine-in. Ordering is done at the counter. I was taking my food home with me and was met with a wait of five minutes for my order to be all packaged up.
They offer tri-tip, brisket, pulled pork, sausage, chicken, pork ribs, and a beef short rib. Most of these are available as a plate or sandwich, with the lone exception being the short rib. For the three of you who are not a fan of barbecue, they also serve burgers and wings. There are also ten sides to choose from to accentuate your barbecue. I might have been driving a little above the speed limit back home because I was so excited to try this place, so let's see if the food here is worth a potential speeding ticket.
As is my custom when eating barbecue, I get the biggest combo plate on the menu. At Santa Maria BBQ, that means the 3 Meat Combo ($31). I chose tri-tip, brisket, and pulled pork for my three types of meat. I would usually add a sausage, but the guy who took my order told me they do not sell their sausage ala carte. No worries, I felt I had enough food to keep me full until dinner. For sides, I selected Mac and Cheese and Potato Salad. Let's take a closer look at each item.
Out of the three types of meat that I got, my favorite was the brisket. It was nice and tender and spiced very well. I would have liked a little more fat, which adds flavor, but a top-notch brisket. The pulled pork was also stellar. It was moist but without being too mushy. I liked the different textures that I got with this. The skin had a little crunch to it, while other pieces were a little more what you'd expect from a typical pulled pork but with a little more flavor. I was surprised that the tri-tip was not as good as the other two, mainly because Santa Maria is most known for tri-tip. While the tri-tip had a nice pinkish smoke ring, it lacked the flavor of the brisket and pork and was a tad on the dry side. Not awful, but a little disappointing.
Yes, two starches. Please don't judge me. I love my carbs. The Mac and Cheese held up wonderfully on the thirty-minute car ride home. Santa Maria BBQ uses elbow pasta which the cheese sauce clings to perfectly. The cheese sauce had a good flavor and was enhanced by adding some bacon crumbled on top. A delicious mac and cheese. The mustard-based potato salad was good, but I was hoping for a bit more of flavor to come through, but the texture I liked was there. A little chunky, but with some tender potatoes.
I have to admit that I visited Santa Maria BBQ with a bit of apprehension. I was not expecting it to be as good as it was. They surprised me. Yes, this is different from what you'd get from Heritage BBQ in San Juan, but for those who do not want to drive that far or wait in line, Santa Maria BBQ will fill in nicely. The brisket, pulled pork, and the two sides I had were all delicious and will satisfy your barbecue cravings. This spot belongs in the top ten barbecue restaurants in OC. This area of Huntington Beach continues to be a hotbed of some of my favorite food purveyors.
Out of five swords (because Zorro was based on a murderous bandit who hid out in the Santa Maria hills, and he often used a sword to make his distinctive Z mark), five being best to zero being worst, Santa Maria BBQ gets 3 swords.
For more information about Santa Maria BBQ, head to their website by clicking here: https://www.santamariabbqshack.com/
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