BBQ Bootcamp at Alisal Ranch
Story & Photography by Aja Goare
Using Dungeness crab caught in Morro Bay and shrimp from Santa Monica Seafood, a southern California chef who had worked under the famed Wolgang Puck some years ago demonstrated for a crowd how to prepare a gumbo on the grill. At Alisal Ranch’s annual BBQ Boot Camp, unexpected uses of the backyard appliance quickly become tradition.
The event is hosted on the ranch’s sprawling 10,500 acres of land in the Santa Ynez Valley. With lavishly designed guestrooms, a heated pool, and tennis courts, the dude ranch offers a reprieve for cowboys and city folk, alike. Outside, along the creek that courses through the property, Chef Govind Armstrong of Top Chef fame continued his demonstration.
“When it comes to gumbo, you have to be engaged with the dish from start to finish,” Govind, Executive Chef at The Lobster, told camp attendees. “I use grapeseed oil in my roux because there’s less of a burn risk.” The roux, as the crowd learned, is key to creating the deep layers of flavor typical in a gumbo. The flour and oil – grapeseed oil in Govind’s recipe – are combined and maintained for hours in advance of grilling the assortment of sausage, chicken, and seafood used in this dish.
For those who want a simpler day of cooking that allows for more guest interaction, Chef Frank Ostini of the acclaimed Hitching Post in Buellton demonstrated for guests how to prepare a duck breast quesadilla. This decadent yet low-fuss meal includes multiple bastings of butter and lemon. “I score the skin of the duck breast to render the fat under the skin on the grill,” he explains after first cold smoking the breasts in a green egg. Up next for Frank, who’s restaurant made a notable appearance in the film Sideways, is the steak. “If you let the juices run off the top, you’re losing the flavor,” he warned. “I suggest you eat it as pink as you can stand it, that’s the best preservation of flavor. You don’t want to cut the meat straight off the grill – it needs to rest about five to 10 minutes.”
Following each chef demonstration, of which there are between four and six on any given bootcamp agenda, pupils get a chance to indulge in the meal they just learned to prepare. The day before, guests sank their teeth into steaks prepared by Alisal Executive Chef Craig Riker just minutes after he explained why not to use a serrated knife when prepping a steak. “You don’t want to use anything that would rough it up,” he shared. “I use an 8”-to 10”-chef knife. I look for marbling, tenderness.”
Before loading up their plates with a heap of bone marrow mashed potatoes, prime rib, steak and vegan potato soup, guests listened to a series of California wine producers tell their stories. Among the wines on offer were a few from San Luis Obispo County’s Tolosa Winery. Fidencio Fernandez of Esfuerzo Wines gave an account of how he farmed tomatoes for the Alisal family as a teenager before growing up to become a winemaker. “My family is from Jalisco, Mexico,” he shared. “Since age 13, I was farming tomatoes, zucchini, and wine grapes. Now I get to serve you wine from our vineyard.”
With wine glasses in hand the next morning, guests proceeded their breakfasts with a lesson in spice blending from Solvang Spice Merchant. A series of 28 bins of spices laid out on a table begged to be sniffed and guests were invited to waft the aromas as they got to experiment with mixing everything from coriander to hatch chiles, ginger, and porcini mushroom powder in their own signature blend. “One of our earlier participants made a blend that he loved and he came back to us with just a little bit left in his jar and asked up to help him figure out what ingredients he used so he could make it again,” shared Co-Owner Joy Culley. “So please write down what you add to your jar.”
Co-Owner Taylor Facha followed up by noting how too much salt could be remedied by adding acid or, alternatively, adding salt to a blend with too much acid. Later that night, guests would use their new expertise on spice blends to question Bettina Pizzeria Owner Brendan Smith about how to infuse their pie with the best flavors. “Simple is good,” Brendan shared. “You don’t want too many toppings. We use a sourdough dough, which adds a lot of flavor. We actually make extra yeast starter and give it away in the mornings.”
Their minds abound with new cooking techniques and bellies full of food, bootcamp attendees arose early the next morning for a horseback ride to breakfast at the adobe. Riding through the lush green hills of the Alisal property allowed riders to take in the sights of cattle grazing, deer roaming, and the typically dry river glistening with recent rain water. After an hour-long ride to the historic adobe, guests were greeted by the smell of pancakes, eggs and a savory bread pudding made by event host Valerie Gordon of Valerie Confections. If they hadn’t had enough to eat before, plates of bacon, hashbrowns and cheesy bread pudding made with a block of butter were washed down by hot coffee without hesitation.
A wine and truffle tasting courtesy of Valerie Confections and Helen’s Wines allowed guests to consider the unique and unexpected pairings of chocolate and wine selected by Helen Johannesen. Of the white wine paired with an Earl grey truffle, Helen described the difference in taste experienced by first eating the chocolate followed by wine, then in reverse. Guests who proclaimed not to like white wine or milk chocolate were soon won over by the fat and sugar that danced on their tongues.
After three days of indulgence shared by guests, including a married couple celebrating their anniversary and another pair commemorating their recent retirement, the group of strangers found themselves sharing phone numbers in between bites of food. There’s something about a grill and bounty of food that can bring people together. At Alisal Ranch, the indulgence in food was matched only by the wealth of knowledge and relationships formed on the beautiful campus.
Future dates include the Spring Classic on May 7–10 and World BBQ from October 15–18. Visit their website for more details.
