Santa Maria-style bbq in Orange County?

[jm26515]

South Carolina bbq hound coming to Anaheim for a conference soon. I'm looking for recs for the best authentic Santa Maria style barbeque anywhere in Orange County, the full wood-fired experience: tri tip, salsa, pinquito beans. Alas, I can't make it up to Santa Maria proper this time, but anywhere in Orange County is fair game.

From the boards, some people like Lou's Red Oak in Huntington Beach, and Wood Ranch seems good (for a local chain), but is there anything else I'm missing?

Thanks!

[EdSails]

Jim, I've spent lots of time in Santa Maria, especially on Saturdays for the tri-tip BBQ crawl. Lou's is the real thing. Make sure you get the salsa to mix in with the beans. I had a nice talk with the owner about the red oak (the only wood for real Santa Maria BBQ) and he knows his stuff. The meat was tender with great flavor. I do recommend also trying the linguica sausage and their soft pretzels. Neither are part of a true SM BBQ, but they were both yummy.

[Norm Man]

Lou's Red Oak BBQ Grill
21501 Brookhurst St.
Huntington Beach
714 965-5200
http://lousbbq.com/

[kevin]

yes, lou's is your place.