They are live fire grills, you basically fuel them with firewood logs (ideally oak, although almond and walnut work well too). Very simple design, big open top steel boxes and because there is no intake or exhaust air control they run hot, real hot. To control temps the grate that food sits on can be cranked up or down. They are basically just for direct cooking, they have no lids, indirect can be faked by having the grate really high up.
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AGREE! Tasty treat, everyone loved 'um.
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Thanks for the explanation. I've used one once, about a decade ago, that a friend had built while we were in Germany. I'd not heard it called a "Santa Maria", though. It was great for the steaks we were cooking, I remember that.
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Trying my first ever brisket on the pit barrel. Not a full packer - didn't want to invest the dough only to screw it up.

We'll see ...
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Nice! Look forward to the update.
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Yeah, the concept of cooking over a live fire with the meat on giant skewers or grates that can be moved up and down is certainly nothing new and goes back centuries. The story behind the name "Santa Maria grill" and "Santa Maria tri-tip" or "Santa Maria BBQ" goes back to the 50's when it was popularized in CA by a local butcher in Santa Maria CA and then by a few restaurants.

Here's some more history on it
http://santamariavalleybbq.com/2009/...tyle-barbecue/
http://www.tmbbq.com/santa-maria-style-bbq/


From a dumb pedantic point of view, my grill was actually built by "Santa Maria BBQ Grill Outfitters" so calling it a Santa Maria grill is actually it's proper name - kind of like Pit Barrel Cookers / PBC which is really just a upright drum smoker. I know, lame. :-)
http://www.santamariagrills.com/index.htm
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:-) Thanks for the info! My local grocery just started carrying tri-tip so I'm going to have to pick one up and have a go at it.
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Cool. One word of advice, when you take tri-tip above medium-rare, it's gets really tough and loses a lot of flavor. It ain't brisket, it doesn't need to be cooked for days.

Amazing Ribs has a decent discussion on how to do it on a normal grill
http://amazingribs.com/recipes/beef/...ip_steaks.html
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My wife and I both like our beef on the rare side, so if I take it over medium-rare things have gone horribly, horribly wrong. :-)
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Had marginal success.

On the plus side, the flavor was absolutely wonderful. Nice smoke ring with a great smoky flavor. I used a simple, mild rub of black pepper, Kosher salt, onion powder, garlic powder & paprika which allowed the smokiness to shine through. Flavor & appearance-wise, this was a win.

The one (major) negative: it was on the dry side. I smoked this hanging in the PBC to about 165*, wrapped it in foil with a half cup of beef broth & put it on the grill rack until it got to 200*. Packed it in towels in a cooler and let it sit for about 4 1/2 hours. It made a nice au jus, but the meat itself was a touch dry. It was ok doused in the juice, but it wasn't juicy on its own at all, and made the meal a little disappointing.

As I mentioned in my OP, I went with a small brisket: it was roughly 4 lbs, and what I've been told by the more experienced guys on the board since is that it's difficult, if not impossible to get a moist brisket if you 're not doing a full packer.

Bottom line: the flavor experience was good enough to make me want to try this again. Next time I'll spring for the full packer and see if I can better my results.
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Vin,
My experience is that the Flats don't cook well and should be left for pastrami making. You really need the point and a thick fat cap intact to "self baste".
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Yes. Flat's are good for braising in tomato sauce or steaming
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So growing up in Florida we had Fat Boys' BBQ and their smoked beef was actually top rounds (think roast beef), it was a bit dryer as it isn't a fatty cut of beef, but man it's so good, I still prefer that to any brisket, left or right pointing. If you want to try something different I would go for that just to try it, oh and you just slice it really thin when serving.

A
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I think they call that Pit Beef around these parts. in fact I went to one over in Baltimore called Chaps and it was very, very tasty stuff indeed.
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Vin, please keep trying. Agree with advice here about full packer. Amazing difference. You did everything right it sounds like, just the base product. I've done over 15 or so and the first few weren't great, but after a few I love them. Ususally very moist and great flavor, but it all depends on what you start with. Worth the effort!
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Pulled pork sandwiches tonight.
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I don't add broth when wrapping it and I serve when it hits near 200, but actually I go by tenderness when it the temp is above 185. Depends what the brisket is "telling me". Fork does not lie.

Full packer's or even just a point cut is more difficult and expensive to find then down south.
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Wow!
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From the last week or so...

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Not to be contrary but what Vins got in that picture ain't even a flat. It's market brisket which is a trimmed down cut. It ain't easy smoking any butcher trimmed final cut. Too much fat and membrane have been removed from them. That fat isn't for self baisting either, but it does reduce the direct air contact with the meat which helps keep it moist.

Primals and pac-primals, which whole brisket falls into, are the best cuts to learn to smoke and to smoke IMO. Problem of course is that's always a lot of meat. OK so that's not such a huge problem.

As specific to brisket, smoking a real flat or point is no different than a whole pac brisket.

And the other brisket specific advice I can give is smoke it hot. If you are smoking brisket at under 225 you are doing it wrong IMO.
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