This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Business & Tech

Bring Out the Barbecue, It's Memorial Day

Gather with friends and family to enjoy local barbecue eats.

Memorial Day seems to be the unofficial start to summer. And summer means outdoor entertaining and barbecue gatherings. Barbecue means different things to different people – California’s Santa Maria, Southern smoked barbecue, maybe Hawaiian barbecue. No matter what your mood is, you can easily savor the flavors from these suggestions.

Brett’s BBQ: At Brett’s in Encinitas, you’ll find authentic Southern-style smoked barbecue where the saying goes: “If it’s not smoked, it’s not barbecue.” Owners Brett and Bruce make sure everything is fresh and almost all is made from scratch in their kitchens, including their rubs and sauces. The meat is slowly cooked in the smoker, some for up to 16 hours. Choose from flavorful baby back ribs, beef ribs, tri-tip, beef brisket, chicken, salmon and the traditional pulled pork. For your Memorial Day feasts, order take-out a la carte, family package options or from their catering menu. Brett’s has a kid’s menu and is a great spot for large groups, such as sports teams. Brett’s BBQ, 1505 Encinitas Blvd., Encinitas, 760-436-7427 (also located in 4S Ranch).

Go Hawaiian this Memorial Day, and try some L&L Hawaiian BBQ in Encinitas and La Jolla.  The large portions of the traditional plate of rice, macaroni salad and a hot entrée like chicken Katsu, Loco Moco (hamburger, fried eggs and gravy) and mahi mahi bring up fond dining memories of Hawaii. First opened in Hawaii, L&L has barbecue beef, chicken and short ribs, as well as delicious island favorites of lau lau, kalua pork, garlic shrimp and lumpia. Grab some Maui-style onion chips while you’re there too. There’s a Keiki Kids menu, and if you must, burgers are sold too. L&L caters as well, bringing the spirit of aloha to your home. L&L Hawaiian BBQ is located in Encinitas at 141-275 S. El Camino Real, 760-943-0310; and in La Jolla at 4150 Regents Park Row, 858-554-0888.

Interested in local real estate?Subscribe to Patch's new newsletter to be the first to know about open houses, new listings and more.

: With a name like Bubba’s it’s got to be good. And being veteran owned and operated, it’s a perfect place to come in, take out or have your Memorial Day barbecue catered with Bubba’s pit-smoked meats and ribs. Rub your ribs your own way, by choosing from a selection of sauces or rubs such as: Sweet BBQ Sauce, Kickin’ BBQ Sauce, or Secret Dry Rub. Bubba’s has barbecue baby back ribs, Texas longhorn beef ribs, chicken, smoked brisket, tri-tip and pulled pork and chicken. They also have half-pound burgers, meatloaf, smokehouse links and fried catfish. Bubba’s also offers frickles (deep fried pickle-chips), chili and fried okra as part of their appetizer choices. Sides include roasted corn on the cob, baked yam and collard greens. You must end with a sweet side of sweet potato pie, bourbon pecan pie or apple cobbler. Bubba’s Smokehouse BBQ, 888 Prospect St., La Jolla, 858-551-4227.

BBQ Republic: There’s a new barbecue joint in town. BBQ Republic in Torrey Hills slowly roasts their meats over hickory wood for hours. They offer both traditional barbecue (beef and pork ribs, chicken, tri tip, brisket, pulled pork) and barbecue served with a contemporary flair. Contemporary dishes include the Republic Rolls – fried egg rolls stuffed with pulled pork and a sweet BBQ sauce served with cilantro ranch; brisket dip sandwich; and BBQ tacos. If you’re really hungry, take on the BBQ Republic Burrito Challenge: 30 minutes to complete eating a 4-pound burrito along with the peach cobbler. Winners get a $50 gift card and photo on their Challenge Wall of Fame. For Memorial Day, the catering department can set up a full-service buffet, a deliver and setup buffet option, or customer pick up. BBQ Republic, 4645 Carmel Mountain Rd., San Diego, 858-350-1317.

Interested in local real estate?Subscribe to Patch's new newsletter to be the first to know about open houses, new listings and more.

Farmers markets: There’s no better way to gather with friends than to barbecue fresh foods on the grill. Visit your local farmers market for corn on the cob, beets, zucchini and eggplants. Fresh fruits for dessert are abundant, such as strawberries, figs, peaches and plums. And fruit can be nicely grilled too. Buy some fresh fish, rotisserie chicken, cheese and breads from the local vendors. Add on local olive oils and dipping spreads. Plus don’t forget avocados, tomatoes, cilantro, onions and limes to make homemade guacamole. For the sweet tooth, local bakeries will load you up with cookies, brownies and cakes. Local farmers markets are held on Tuesdays at ; Thursdays at Westfield UTC Shopping Center; and Sundays at , Paul Ecke Elementary in Leucadia, and on the 400 block of South Cedros in Solana Beach. For more info on farmers markets visit ediblecommunities.com.

Family Recipes. We all have our favorite barbecue sauce or spice rub recipes. The Villalobos family from University City has roots from the Santa Maria area, where they are known for the special California barbecue style. Marcos Villalobos puts a little salt, pepper, garlic powder and sometimes Worcestershire sauce onto a tri-tip. The secret in Santa Maria-style barbecue is to cook the meat over oak wood. Serve the tri-tip with pink beans and bread. Delicious.

In my family we grew up enjoying summer barbecues at the beach with our large extended family. We used the following marinade for our barbecue chicken.

Samala Family One-Cup Marinade:

1 cup soy sauce

1 cup vinegar

1 cup ketchup

1 cup sugar

1 cup Sprite or 7Up

1 cup crushed pineapple (canned is OK)

1 cup water

Add the following in amounts according to your tastes:

crushed garlic

small green chili peppers

Mix all the ingredients together. Save a cup for basting while grilling and use the rest to marinade your meat (we’re a creature of habit and always used chicken) in the refrigerator. Grill and enjoy with friends!

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?