Billy Ruiz is holding his hand over a 550-degree-F fire.
It might be low tech, but Ruiz is old school—and so is the cuisine he prepares: California’s Santa Maria barbecue.
“The palm of my hand is my digital thermometer,” the master barbecue chef explains. If he can keep his hand over the red oak fire for a count of six but no longer—“no lollygagging”—it’s ready to sear the six-pound top sirloin roast he’s cooking for customers of his coastal California catering business, Cowboy Flavor.
You could guess Ruiz’s regard for tradition just by looking at him: long, handlebar mustache; wide-brimmed, open-crown California vaquero hat; sun-weathered visage. Cooking beef in a fashion that dates back hundreds of years, he sears his sirloins 15 to 20 minutes a side with his cast-iron grill, about 30 inches above the fire. Then he raises the grill a foot and steadily roasts the meat another 90 minutes to achieve an even medium-rare….