Grilled Garlic Bread
Not oven garlic bread - grilled. Char marks, slight crunch, garlic butter. The bread that mops up bean juice and meat drippings.
Santa Maria - Style Grilled Garlic Bread
This isn't oven garlic bread - it's live-fire, fast, and built for mopping up juices.
Bread choices
- Sourdough (classic Central Coast): Tangy, chewy, and perfect with smoky tri tip and pinquito beans.
- French bread: Softer interior, crunchier crust, still great on the grill.
Garlic butter (make ahead if possible)
- Softened butter
- Minced or grated garlic
- Salt
- Optional: parsley, black pepper, a splash of olive oil or a squeeze of lemon
Mix and let it sit so the garlic flavor develops.
Grilling method
- Slice bread lengthwise or into thick slabs.
- Spread garlic butter thick on the cut side.
- Grill over medium to medium-high heat, buttered side down.
- Watch constantly: it goes from golden to burnt in ~30 seconds.
- Move to indirect heat if flare-ups kick up from dripping butter.
- Aim for: char marks, sizzling butter, slight crunch on the cut side, soft on top.
Cut into big pieces so they can do their job: soaking up pinquito bean juice, meat drippings, and every last bit of flavor on the plate.
Ingredients
- 1 loaf French bread (split lengthwise)
- 4 tablespoons butter (softened)
- 3 cloves garlic (microplaned or finely minced)
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley (chopped)
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- 1
Slice a loaf of French or sourdough bread in half lengthwise.
Sourdough is the Central Coast move. The tangy flavor plays well with smoky tri tip. French bread works too - softer inside, crunchier outside.
- 2
Spread garlic butter generously on the cut sides. Use softened butter mixed with minced garlic, parsley, and a pinch of salt.
Make the garlic butter ahead if you can. The garlic flavor develops as it sits. Some people roast the garlic first for a sweeter, mellower flavor - both ways work.
- 3
Place cut-side down on the grill over medium heat for 2-3 minutes until you get char marks and the butter is sizzling.
Watch it closely. The butter drips, causes flare-ups, and the bread goes from golden to charcoal fast. Some people use indirect heat to be safe - it takes longer but you won't burn it.
- 4
Pull off the grill, slice into pieces, and serve immediately. The bread should be crispy on the cut side and soft on top.
This is the bread that mops up pinquito bean juice and meat drippings off the plate. Cut the pieces big enough to do that job.