CALISTOGA COOKER Buster Davis cooks between 35 and 50 giant chunks of his famous tri-tip on weekends.
Stick to Your Ribs Buster’s, a taste of true California ’Cue in Calistoga BY BROOKE JACKSON
T
he smoke billowing up through the trees is the first hint. Then the whiff of grilling meat confirms it: Buster’s Southern Barbeque & Bakery is just up ahead. Sitting at the very top of Napa Valley, Busters’ brings together bikers, wine snobs and
families at the crossroads of Calistoga. Regularly voted by Bohemian readers as the best barbecue in Napa, one bite of the succulent tri-tip is all it takes to understand why. Buster Davis cut his chops in the barbecue field in Southern California, perfecting family recipes for dry rub, sauce and
cooking techniques. Twelve years ago, he headed north, taking over the rundown Jolly Kone ice cream store and spiffing up the property. The prep kitchen moved into the tiny ice cream dispensary, with the front windows remaining for ordering and pick up. An adjacent seating area is now closed-in, with heating and A/C added in the last couple years to provide year-round comfort. Along the perimeter of
the horseshoe driveway are tables tucked in among the trees. The heart of Buster’s is the barbecue pit, which was made by Davis’ brother. In a deep metal box with a grill rack that can be raised or lowered, an oak fire licks the meat, kissing it with mouthwatering wood-smoke flavor. It’s a style of cooking commonly associated with Santa Maria on the central coast of California, where cooking over coastal red oak has a rich history. From the days of the ranchos some 150 years ago, when the vast central-coast inlands were covered with large cattle ranches and the land was still owned by Mexico, beef was cooked over open fires. The cuts were strung onto branches and roasted over pits of roaring oak, giving the meat a signature woodgrilled flavor. Today, that time-honored style of barbecue is still going strong around the Santa Maria valley where tri-tip is king—and also up in Calistoga at Buster’s, where the tritip is the most popular item on the menu. Buster’s cooks between 35 and 50 of the football-sized hunks on busy weekends, slicing it thickly and serving it with their signature sauce. The sauce sets Buster’s apart from other barbecue. It comes in medium and hot versions, and is served on the side so diners can dip and slather to their liking. Tangy, smoky and with a hint of spice, the medium is the most popular, while the hot sauce is not for the faint of heart—it’s got an incendiary kick that will have diners reaching for a frosty glass of Buster’s homemade lemonade. In fact, a big sign near the register states that there are no refunds or exchanges if the sauce is too fiery for customers; Buster’s wife, Barbara Jolly, says people have tried to return it after one bite. Racks of beef and pork ribs are another popular menu item. (Gnawing on bones is a modernday caveperson’s dream.) The beef ribs come chewy, with good flavor, and the pork ribs are juicy and luscious, falling off the bone with that signature wood) 12 smoke flavor.
NO RTH BAY BO H E M I AN | JANUARY 22–28, 2014 | BOH EMI A N.COM
Brooke Jackson
Dining
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