Santa Maria-Style Tri-Tip

Serve when

Serve it at the double-date dinner at the Hitching Post — Miles and Jack across from Maya and Stephanie, the night the whole trip briefly comes together.

In the movie

Theatrical

~00:41:53 The dinner at the Hitching Post, the Santa Ynez steakhouse where the two couples share a table — the restaurant famous for its oak-grilled Santa Maria barbecue and its own Pinot Noir.

The Hitching Post dinner is the film's warmest table — Miles and Jack with Maya and Stephanie, wine flowing, everyone briefly happy. The restaurant is real, and so is its food: oak-grilled Santa Maria barbecue, tri-tip sliced thin, the Central Coast on a plate. It's the one meal in a wine-soaked film that reminds you Sideways is set in a specific, delicious place.

Ingredients

1 whole tri-tip roast (about 2½ lbs)
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons coarse black pepper
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
Red oak or oak chips, for grilling
Warm tortillas, pico de gallo, and pinquito beans, to serve

Method

Rub the tri-tip all over with the salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika. Let it come to room temperature, 30–45 minutes.
Build a two-zone fire with oak (red oak is the Santa Maria classic) — hot direct coals on one side, cooler on the other.
Sear the tri-tip over direct heat, 4–5 minutes a side, until well crusted.
Move it to the cooler side, cover, and grill to 130°F internal for medium-rare, about 20–25 minutes, turning once.
Rest 10 minutes, then slice thin against the grain (the grain changes direction in a tri-tip — follow it). Serve with tortillas, pico, and pinquito beans.

Wine pairing

A Central Coast Pinot Noir — find a bottle

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