Around Valencia
What Is a Santa Maria Grill?
A Santa Maria grill is an open-fire grill with an adjustable grate. Here is how it works and why we cook on one.
A grill you can raise and lower
A Santa Maria grill is an open-fire grill with a grate that can be raised or lowered over a bed of burning hardwood. Named for the Santa Maria Valley on California's Central Coast, it was built for cooking meat over live fire.
The adjustable grate gives the cook control that a typical grill cannot: lower for a hard sear, higher for gentle cooking.
Why wood fire tastes different
Cooking over hardwood adds smoke and char you can taste. Fat that drips onto the coals flares and flavors the food, and the radiant heat browns the surface while keeping the inside juicy.
The Santa Maria grill at Valencia Cocina
At Valencia Cocina the grill is the center of the kitchen and the reason we describe ourselves as a wood-fire restaurant in Norwalk. It sits alongside Venezuelan and Latin classics such as arepas, empanadas and ceviche.
Keep exploring
Find out more about Valencia Cocina in Norwalk, CT.