BBQ Grills

NorCal Ovenworks is a U.S. manufacturer specializing in commercial, custom, and unique charcoal and wood-burning BBQ grills.

We offer custom grill designs, including Stainless Steel and Black Steel Argentine Grills, Santa Maria Grills, and Uruguayan Grills. Whether you prefer a round rod grate or an Argentine-style sloped V-grate with a drip pan, we can create it to your specifications. As a fully custom shop, we can design anything you envision to suit your needs.

You will find the Argentine, Santa Maria , & Uruguayan Grills under Architectural Grills (Grill Kits), Drop-In Grills (Includes a steel firebox), & Grills with Casters (Portable Grills)

Argentine style BBQ grills manufactured in the United States

Argentine grills, also known as Asado grills or Parrillas, are a traditional style of grill from Argentina, designed specifically for cooking asado, a popular South American barbecue method. These grills are well-known for their ability to cook meats slowly over wood or charcoal, imparting a distinct smoky flavor, and offering great control over heat and cooking temperatures.

Key Features of Argentine Grills:

V-shaped Grates (V-Grates):

A signature feature of Argentine grills is their V-shaped grill grates, which are sloped and designed to catch drippings from the meat. The fat and juices are funneled away into a drip pan, preventing flare-ups and burnt fat, ensuring that the meat is cooked evenly without excessive charring.

Adjustable Grill Height:

One of the most important features of Argentine grills is the adjustable grill grate. Using a crank or wheel, the height of the grill surface can be raised or lowered, allowing the cook to control how close the food is to the heat source. This adjustable height makes it easy to manage cooking temperatures, allowing for slow, indirect cooking or quick searing as needed.

Wood or Charcoal Fire:

Argentine grills traditionally use wood (especially hardwood like quebracho or mesquite) or charcoal as the fuel source. The fire is typically started in a separate section or on one side of the grill, and the burning wood is allowed to turn into hot coals before being spread beneath the grill grate. The use of wood adds a smoky, rich flavor to the meat.

Brasero (Firebox):

Many Argentine grills are equipped with a brasero, a side-mounted firebox where wood is burned down into coals. This allows the grill master to maintain a steady supply of embers to feed the fire without disrupting the cooking process. The coals from the brasero are then raked under the main grilling area for consistent heat.

Inclined Grate Design:

The V-grates of the Argentine grill are often set at an incline, so fat and drippings flow away from the food. This reduces flare-ups and keeps the grilling area cleaner, which helps maintain the natural flavors of the meat.

Heavy-Duty Construction:

Argentine grills are built to last and are typically made from stainless steel or black steel. The materials are chosen for their ability to withstand high temperatures and provide durability for both commercial and home use.

Cooking Style:

Argentine grilling focuses on asado, the art of slow-cooking large cuts of meat like beef, pork, lamb, and sausages over a low, consistent heat from wood coals or charcoal. The cooking process is usually done over indirect heat, allowing the meat to cook slowly and absorb the smoky flavor. The adjustable grate height lets the chef raise or lower the cooking surface to control the intensity of the heat for different cuts of meat.

The asado typically includes cuts such as ribs, flank steak, sausages (chorizo), morcilla (blood sausage), and sweetbreads (mollejas).
The grilling process is simple, with meats often seasoned only with coarse salt to enhance the natural flavors of the beef or other meats.

Key Benefits of Argentine Grills:

Precise Temperature Control: The adjustable grate allows the chef to move the meat closer or farther from the heat source, giving precise control over cooking temperatures.
Clean Cooking: The V-shaped grates minimize flare-ups by catching and channeling away fat drippings, resulting in less smoke and fewer burnt flavors.
Superior Flavor: Cooking with wood or charcoal adds a distinctive, smoky flavor to the food, essential to Argentine asado.
Versatility: Argentine grills are designed to handle a variety of foods, from large cuts of meat to vegetables and even flatbreads.

Common Uses:

Asado: The traditional Argentine barbecue, typically featuring beef ribs, steak, pork, lamb, and various sausages.
Cooking large cuts of meat: Perfect for slow-cooking large pieces like brisket, ribs, and whole animals.
Vegetables and flatbreads: Argentine grills can also be used to grill vegetables or bake flatbreads on the upper, cooler part of the grate.

Why Choose an Argentine Grill?

If you enjoy grilling with charcoal or wood and want a more traditional, authentic grilling experience, an Argentine grill offers the control and versatility to cook large cuts of meat with excellent flavor.
The adjustable grate height and V-shaped grates make it easier to cook various types of food, manage fat drippings, and prevent flare-ups, ensuring that the food cooks evenly and remains flavorful.

In summary, Argentine grills are ideal for those who want to recreate authentic asado at home or in a commercial setting, offering precise heat control, smoky wood-fired flavor, and versatile cooking capabilities. They are a cornerstone of Argentina’s grilling culture and perfect for anyone serious about barbecue.

Santa Maria style BBQ grills manufactured in the United States

Santa Maria grills are a type of open-flame grill that originated in the Santa Maria Valley of California, renowned for their ability to cook a variety of meats over an open fire, especially tri-tip. The hallmark feature of a Santa Maria grill is its adjustable grill grate, which can be raised or lowered using a hand crank. This allows for precise control over the distance between the food and the heat source, providing more flexibility in cooking temperatures.

Key Features of Santa Maria Grills:

Adjustable Grill Grate: The most defining characteristic is the ability to raise or lower the cooking surface, allowing control over how close the meat is to the fire. This lets you sear meats at high heat or slow-cook them with indirect heat.
Open Fire Pit: Traditionally, Santa Maria grills use red oak wood as the fuel source, which imparts a distinctive smoky flavor to the food. The open flame design allows for greater airflow and even heating.
V-Grate or Round Rod Grates: Many Santa Maria grills feature a V-shaped grate, which helps catch fat and drippings, channeling them into a drip pan to reduce flare-ups. Others may use traditional round rod grates.
Durable Construction: They are often made from heavy-duty steel or stainless steel to withstand high heat and outdoor conditions.
Versatile Cooking: While originally designed for cooking large cuts of beef like tri-tip, Santa Maria grills are versatile and can handle chicken, pork, sausages, and even vegetables.

Cooking Style:

Santa Maria-style barbecue emphasizes simplicity, with meat often seasoned only with salt, pepper, and garlic. The combination of oak wood and the adjustable cooking height allows for excellent control, making it ideal for achieving perfect sears and smoky, tender meat. Chefs can adjust the heat based on the type of food, ensuring meats are cooked evenly without burning.

Common Uses:

Grilling large cuts of meat: The adjustable grate makes it perfect for cooking large cuts like tri-tip, ribs, and steaks.
Multi-functional: The grill's height can be adjusted to cook various foods at once, allowing for both direct and indirect grilling.

Overall, Santa Maria grills are popular with professional chefs and home barbecue enthusiasts who want versatility, flavor, and control over their cooking.

Uruguayan style BBQ grills manufactured in the United States

Uruguayan grills, also known as Parrillas, are a traditional style of wood-fired grill popular in Uruguay and throughout South America. They are specifically designed for cooking meats, particularly asado (a type of barbecue), over red-hot wood coals rather than an open flame. These grills are highly regarded for their ability to create rich, smoky flavors and offer precise control over the cooking process.

Key Features of Uruguayan Grills (Parrillas):

Round Rod Grate with Adjustable Grill Angle: Uruguayan-style grills, or Parrillas, feature an adjustable grill angle and a round rod cooking surface, perfect for bringing authentic gaucho-style meats or asado to your table. Designed to cook over red-hot wood coals, the grill uses a hearth and hearth grate to burn wood down to coals, which are then pushed beneath the grill for the best barbecue flavor. The adjustable grill angle provides precise temperature control, allowing you to cook different foods at varying temperatures simultaneously—ideal for beef, pork, chicken, sausage, and sweetbreads. This is one of our favorite grills; we often cook meat on the lower portion while placing vegetables on the higher, elevated section of the grate.Our Uruguayan grills have a round rod grate.
Wood-Burning Hearth:

The heat source in a traditional Uruguayan grill comes from burning wood in a separate hearth, known as a brasero. The wood is burned down to red-hot embers (called coals), which are then moved under the cooking surface. This setup ensures a slow, even heat that is ideal for long, steady cooking.

Indirect Heat Cooking:

Unlike many grills that cook food directly over a flame, Uruguayan grills rely on indirect heat. The glowing coals are placed below the cooking surface, allowing the food to cook evenly and slowly, which is key for large cuts of meat like ribs or whole lamb.

Heavy-Duty Construction:

Uruguayan grills are built to be sturdy, often using black steel or stainless steel. The grill surfaces are typically made from round metal rods for traditional designs, or V-grates for better fat management.

Cooking Style:

Uruguayan grilling emphasizes asado, which involves slow-cooking meats such as beef, lamb, pork, sausages, and offal over wood coals. The focus is on simple seasonings like salt to highlight the natural flavor of the meat and achieve a perfect smoky taste. The grill master carefully manages the fire and coals to maintain steady, moderate heat for even cooking, allowing larger cuts of meat to be roasted slowly for hours.

Key Benefits of Uruguayan Grills:

Precise Temperature Control: The adjustable grill height angle allows you to cook different types of meats at various temperatures simultaneously, ensuring even cooking.
Flavorful Cooking: Cooking over wood coals infuses the meat with a distinct smoky flavor, characteristic of traditional South American barbecue.
Clean Cooking: The V-grates reduce flare-ups and burnt fat, preventing over-charred flavors.
Versatility: Uruguayan grills are ideal for a variety of meats, vegetables, and even bread, making them highly versatile for both casual and professional use.

Common Uses:

Uruguayan grills are perfect for:

Asado: Traditional Uruguayan barbecue, featuring a wide range of meats.
Large Cuts of Meat: Such as ribs, brisket, or whole lambs, which benefit from slow and even cooking.
Multi-food Cooking: The grill's flexibility allows for cooking multiple items (meats, sausages, vegetables) at different temperatures.

In summary, Uruguayan grills offer a combination of functionality and tradition, providing precise control over heat while producing delicious, smoky, wood-fired flavors. They are the centerpiece of asado culture and are known for their ability to handle large-scale cooking with excellent results.