Rising over grassy slopes and interrupting clear blue skies, silver plumes of smoke serve as welcome signals to friends and family arriving at the cookout. It’s early, barely noon, but the grill masters are already at work, heads bowed over their charcoal shrines.
This could be any backyard or any park you can picture in Southern California in 2023. To capture that, we decided to travel around the region and get a taste — and whiff — of how everyday locals are grilling right now.
Japanese yakitori. Middle Eastern kebab. Argentine and Chilean asados. Thai satays. Korean barbecue. All contribute to the great cacophony of how we cook with fire in Los Angeles.
Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area
Coming from the San Fernando Valley, Ronnie Yusico and his family arrived at Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area at 9:30 a.m. to stake out a grill. There is no special occasion, save sunny weather and the presence of daughter Treszia, who is visiting from Portland, Ore. Yusico’s other daughter plans to join after she finishes work. While Treszia and her mother lounge on a shady blanket with the family’s three dogs, Ronnie hovers patiently over the grill, slowly turning speared links of chorizo and gingerly peeling back a foil oven to reveal pompano fish.
“He was cooking pork belly earlier, but it’s already gone,†Treszia explains apologetically.
Evelia Gutiérrez and her family are just getting started. It’s her son Isaac’s 17th birthday, and Evelia is charring vegetables for a salsa they will use for the carne asada later on.
A taco-shaped piñata sits idly on the picnic table. A short distance away, Isaac tosses a football with his brother. Like the tomatoes that hiss with each stroke of flame, excitement simmers over the still-calm scene. Evelia’s husband and other family members are due to arrive later on. “It’s still early,†Evelia reminds us.
Zasia Ellerbee is expecting upward of 50 people for her 46th birthday party. It’s her second year hosting at Kenneth Hahn, and she’s prepared with yellow tablecloths, custom-printed cups and black and gold balloons.
Whether it’s Texas, Memphis, Carolina or some hybrid style of barbecue you crave, here are the best places for delicious smoked meats in L.A.
Zasia’s friend Aaron Garmon and his girlfriend, Ashlee Gordon, stand side by side, watching the grills. “This is just the first course,†Garmon teases. He’s flipping chicken wings and melting Colby cheese on turkey sliders, while trays of potato salad and barbecue jerk chicken sit on tables to further abate hunger. Later, ribs, shrimp, salmon and steak will round out the meal.
The crowds at Kenneth Hahn thin as you head deeper into the park, past the visitor center and up the hill to the viewpoint. The earthy-herbaceous scent of cumin- and rosemary-tinged meat hangs richly in the air. A young man and woman lean over an open grill, studying pieces of sizzling sirloin. They’re shy to speak, not wanting this meal to represent them to the public.
“It’s too much smoke,†the woman demurs. “We’re Uyghur, so that’s what this is based on, but we messed up.â€
A group of friends has secured a prime location on a lush plateau that features a clear view of the downtown skyline. A bag of charcoal sits unopened next to the grill; everyone is focused on unwrapping the 5-foot-long sandwich with 40-hour fermented bread that’s “similar to fougasse,†according to Dean Kim, executive artisan baker of OC Baking Company, who is behind the impressive loaf.
Slabs of the stacked sub are sliced off and handed out just as another friend arrives with a pot of gumbo.
Whittier Narrows
If you’ve ever sat in traffic on the 60, you’ve likely noticed the picturesque Whittier Narrows, with rolling hills, fishing lakes, baseball and soccer fields, horse trails and picnic tables and grills sprawling on either side of the interstate.
It’s Memorial Day weekend, and Khin Win and her family are here to celebrate the matriarch’s 70th birthday. Originally from Myanmar, the family now lives in nearby Temple City. The multigenerational group sits on a blanket around a pot of Malarshankaw, a stir-fry with vegetables, fried chicken and rice, with Win sitting at the head.
On the banks of Legg Lake, Alex Castillo grills chicken, ranchera beef, sausage and corn on the cob, all marinated in Honduran flavors. Castillo’s niece Giselle bites into elote covered in mayonnaise, butter and cheese.
Elysian Park
Across the city on a different day, Elysian Park is quiet as the Dodgers face an East Coast rival at Dodger Stadium. Groups are able to spread out, claiming clusters of picnic tables and clearing space for soccer and volleyball games.
After closing up shop at Tamales Alberto 2 in Echo Park off Sunset Boulevard, Samantha Mejia and her family head to the park almost every weekend for a casual carne asada. Samantha’s husband, Francisco, is still at the restaurant, so she’s behind the pit flipping corn on the cob, strips of meat and scallions. Waiting on the table is a skillet with refried beans, a stack of tostadas and limes for easy grazing.
Elysian Park has limited grilling stations, so some parkgoers bring portable grills from home, while others lug steel pots filled with mole and freshly steamed tamales. An ice cream truck and raspado cart enjoy steady business all day.
All of these scenes are specific, but in L.A., our cookouts aren’t catered to the masses. They pay respect to our culinary lineages, which, in this city of transplants, span the entire globe.
Eat your way across L.A.
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