g
rilled TO
PERFECTION
The Alisal Guest Ranch’s BBQ Boot Camp is cooking up good eats and good times. Written by Kim Hashemi Photographed by Silas Fallstich
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here’s something about grilling meat and vegetables over a live fire surrounded by new friends that feels so special. With that in mind, twice a year The Alisal Guest Ranch & Resort hosts BBQ Bootcamp to teach attendees secrets of Santa Maria-style barbecue. Celebrity chefs, legendary grill masters and barbecue enthusiasts come together for three days of hands-on workshops and seminars with the Santa Ynez Mountains as a beguiling backdrop. Driving up to The Alisal Guest Ranch & Resort, rows of trees and property horses welcome me. In no time, I settle into my tranquil oasis—a luxurious cottage spacious enough to comfortably accommodate a small family. The room is furnished with a plush kingsized bed, deep soaking tub and wood-burning fireplace with a river rock façade. I’ve stepped into a simpler time. There’s no TV or phone in the
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room, which is perfectly fine because I’m here to be fully immersed in all things BBQ. The trickle of the nearby creek, neighs of horses and the smell of burned oakwood intermingle with fresh mountain air during my walk to the Oval Lawn, where the first and many of the workshops take place. Pitmaster Burt Bakman, owner of LA’s Slab and Trudy’s Underground Barbecue, kicks off the workshop, taking us through his low-and-slow, focused approach of grilling brisket and steaks. From start to finish, he demonstrates how to properly cut, prepare and smoke brisket using his trusted smoker, Big Bertha. His technique involves a blend of salt and pepper rubbed onto the meat, which is then wrapped in butcher paper and grilled slowly at 250F. Until this moment, I was unaware that grilling flavorsome brisket took just a few simple steps.
