Since getting a Santa Maria Grill a few months back, I've gone down a Santa Maria BBQ rabbit hole, and my journey unearthed a question: what is the appropriate wood to use for Santa Maria BBQ? Is it Red Oak? Or is it Coast Live Oak? The former, Red Oak, is the most common answer, but several purists insist that true Santa Maria BBQ is cooked over Coast Live Oak, a species native to California's Central Coast. Complicating matters more, Coast Live Oak is in the Red Oak family; it's just not the kind you typically get when you buy Red Oak from a wood supplier. After being thoroughly confused, I decided I'd reach out to one of the torchbearers of Santa Maria BBQ to get some clarity, so I sent an email over to The Hitching Post and asked which they use, Red Oak or Coast Live Oak. They wrote me back saying they use Red Oak. So there you have it. It may be that Santa Maria BBQ began with Coast Live Oak, but over the years, the tradition has shifted and now the standard bearers seem to be using Red Oak. By the way, I've tried both and prefer Red Oak. I find it sweeter and more pronounced.