Costco helps make this rare BBQ style a national trend

Costco has the ability to create viral hits.

Most of the time, those sort of fly under the radar, where members get excited about a new baked good or something in the candy aisle. The warehouse club has such a deep reach that sometimes it can make or break a product just by offering samples.
People seem more willing to try something new when it's offered as a free sample. That's good for Costco, since companies pay to have their items handed out for free, driving members to visit the warehouse club.

Costco's “food influencer” status is not just because of its samples. It can also create a social media hit by adding something new to its popular food court.
That happens so rarely that any change will become a viral sensation (although if initial impressions are bad, that can doom a new new menu item).
“Costco is notorious for adding and removing items from its food court menu. Remember the Polish hot dogs, the Carne Asada Bake or the cinnamon pretzels? May they all rest in peace,” the New York Post reported.
Now, the warehouse club has helped create another food sensation, and this growing BBQ trend may surprise you.

Costco's food court rarely changes.

Image source: Fallon/AFP via Getty Images

Santa-Maria BBQ is a very specific style

In addition to selling cooked foods, Costco also sells appliances, grills, and other cooking devices. The chain has been advancing the cause for “Santa-Maria-Style barbecue” by selling the signature grill needed to make the little-known, but well-loved style of barbecue.

The Santa Maria Valley Chamber of Commerce patented exactly how its signature barbecue works way back in 1978.

“The roots of Santa Maria Style barbecue date back to the mid-1800s, when large ranches occupied the hills of the Santa Maria Valley. Local ranchers would host Spanish-style feasts each spring for their vaqueros, or cowboys, as well as family and friends — barbecuing meat over earthen pits filled with hot coals of red oak, which is native to the valley,” it shared on its website.

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The meat would be served with a generous potion of pinquitos, small pink beans that are considered indigenous to the Santa Maria Valley.

“The Santa Maria barbecue grew out of this tradition and achieved its ‘style’ when local residents began to string cuts of beef on skewers or rods and cook the meat over the hot coals of a red oak fire,” according to local barbecue historian R.H. Tesene.

Costco helps build growing barbecue style

Costco sells grills made by Santa Maria BBQ Outfitters. You could even argue that the warehouse club has put the grill company on the map.

The company embraces the Costco (COST) connection on its website.

“Yes, we make the real ones in Costco!” the company put right on its homepage.

The grills had a long history before they came to Costco.

“The Caicco family and Santa Maria BBQ Outfitters have been creating hand-welded Santa Maria Style Oak BBQs for over 40 years. We helped pioneer the classic and functional designs that produce the best BBQ food in the world,” the company shared.

Costco is not the only retailer that offers the grills.

“Whether it is a little tailgater or a full length towable catering trailer, we are still making our oak pit BBQs the old-fashioned way, right here in Santa Maria. Order online or find our BBQs at your local Costco, Ace Hardware, or OSH stores. If you are in town, feel free to stop by our showroom and welding shop to say ‘hi,'” it added.

The grills are unlike traditional grills or smokers.

“To give the cook control over the heat, and cooking time, a specialized iron-grill complete with a hand crank to lift and lower the meat has historically been used. The robust and solid tool was tough for backyard and even professional pitmasters to find,” Santa Maria Times shared.

The company first began working with Costco in 2007 when it only shipped to three stores.

Quick take: Santa Maria-style BBQ

Trend: Santa Maria-style BBQ is gaining traction nationwide.
Costco connection: The warehouse sells signature hand-cranked grills in-store and online.
Why it matters: Some Americans are learning about this regional barbecue style from Costo.
Fun fact: The Santa Maria BBQ style dates back to 1800s cowboy cookouts in California.