Salinas City BBQ
700 W. Market St., Salinas, (831) 758‑2227, salinascitybbq.com
There is a photograph, circa 1955, of John Steinbeck toiling over a back patio grill on which an assortment of meats are beginning to sizzle. He’s working two‑fisted, with tongs in his left hand and a baster in his right. He’s also smoking – not the meats, but a cigarette. Screw health, this was the ’50s. The folks at Salinas City BBQ do it differently, using offset smokers, going low and slow. After all, good barbecue requires patience. And the pitmasters at Salinas City must have a lot of it. No wonder they are a popular place.