The man behind the BBQ.
Charles Myles, founder and owner of Mylestone BBQ
At Draughtsmen we have a love of local food – especially barbecue! So, it was no surprise when we met Charles, owner of Mylestone BBQ and immediately knew we had a perfect match – spectacular barbecue paired with great beer. No brainer!
Barbecue is as American as John Wayne, muscle cars, and football. While most of us have the basics down, there’s a multitude worth of barbecue facts out there. But, let’s first get one thing straight: merely throwing meat on a grill is not barbecue — at least not in the traditional sense.
Mylestone BBQ started a few years ago in Santa Barbara. During the week Charles Myles, founder and owner of Mylestone BBQ is a longtime employee at AppFolio but his weekends are filled with his passion for barbecue. Charles is a local who grew up in Lompoc. By the time he was born his dad was a retired army guy and his mom worked at the university. His earliest memories of barbecue were guided by the influence of his Dad and observing how he put seasoning together for rubs and sauces.
“My dad made it all seem so effortless. He could cook so many different things. You’d be hard set to guess if he was making something for the first time or the 100th time. He would say, cook for taste before measure.”
Charles grew up barbecuing at home and camping with his dad. Once he moved away from his childhood home, he would find any excuse to barbecue for friends. As a young adult, living in Isla Vista his dad would fill his freezer with different meats; ribs, steaks, tri tips, etc. Charles joked, “He may have been concerned that my friends and I would starve?” This was the time Charles took what he had learned from his dad and made a habit of feeding himself and his friends.
There are so many different types of barbecue but we were curious about Charles’ favorite barbecue influences.
“Regionally, I’m a fan of Texas, North Carolina and Kansas City styles. I like to take pieces from each and incorporate it into my style. I make a point to check out places all over the U.S. and my favorite places are the ones that treat you like they have known you forever.”
There is no doubt his dad’s dry-rub-heavy Texas roots and his Santa Maria barbecue style mix into something that is worth every bite. We think his red-oak grilling rules! It’s a love of barbecue and a pride in feeding people that seem to keep Charles always smiling and enthusiastic about what he creates. For Charles, barbecue is not slapping meat on a grill and expecting it will be good every time. It’s labor-intensive process that he has learned to make very consistent over the years.
“My BBQ is a reflection of me and my youth. It’s a lot of work that goes unseen. But, for me BBQ keeps the good memories alive and sharing that food creates even more good memories. I have so much to be thankful for. I look forward to seeing what’s to come in 2021 and beyond.”
Charles’ good nature and amazing tri-tip sandwiches are served with fresh vinegar slaw, homemade barbecue sauce, and horseradish mustard. It is worth every mouthwatering bite. And, we have plenty of beer, wine and hopped tea to wash it down. In this ever-so-hectic and stressful life we are taking back Sundays to relax, be outside and grab a beer and eat some scrumptious BBQ. Mylestone BBQ at Draughtsmen Aleworks is in Goleta most every Sunday starting at 12pm and they stick around till they sell-out! Follow Instagram @mylestonebbq or @draughtsmenaleworks to see what’s happening.
