The pitmasters behind Penngrove’s Independence Day celebration

These cousins put pride and dedication into this small-town Fourth of July barbecue.|

Penngrove Independence Day Celebration

Pancake Breakfast

When: Saturday, July 6, 7-11 a.m.

Where: Rancho Adobe Fire Station, 11000 Main St.

“Biggest Little Parade in Northern California” and barbecue

When: Sunday, July 7. Parade begins at 11 a.m., barbecue at noon

Where: Main Street to Penngrove Park, 11800 Main St.

The Penngrove Independence Day festivities marks its 43rd year, born out of the 1976 Bicentennial. The celebration’s food traditions, however, date back much farther and include barbecue chicken and the rarely offered deep-pit beef.

I grew up in Penngrove and have attended the Penngrove parade for most of my life. When local writer, Petaluma “Good Egg” and Penngrove Social Firemen spokesperson Lyndi Brown offered me the chance to speak with current Penngrove pitmaster Lee Brians, I jumped at the opportunity, although it was one that came with unusual instructions.

“Even at age 74, he rises early with the cows at 5:30 a.m. and can be hard to reach by phone,” warned Lyndi. “But he comes into town every morning for coffee and the newspapers, so let me know if you need help corralling him.”

Although I missed him on my first try, Lee called me back mid-day to give me the scoop on Penngrove’s deep-pit beef, while also sharing some Penngrove history sprinkled with plenty of names I recognized from my youth.

Chicken barbecues have long been popular as fundraisers in Penngrove, which, like Petaluma, is no stranger to the business of poultry. Chicken barbecues even helped fund the building of the Penngrove Church, which still stands today on Oak Street. In the 1960s, Earl and Marvin Wacker, of the Wacker & Sons house-moving company, added deep-pit beef to the menu, presumably bringing that tradition from the Dakotas, from which their father migrated.

Lee has been a dairyman, rancher and oat and rye grower his whole life, farming his family’s property on Petaluma Hill Road near the intersection of East Railroad Avenue, on the north end of Penngrove. Lee’s father and uncles were all members of the Penngrove Social Fireman and used to handle the pit duties before handing them off to Lee and his cousin Tom Brians some years ago.

“Tom and I grew up side by side,” said Lee. “We still have plenty of family in the area, many of whom still live on the property settled by my great grandfather.”

I asked where Lee’s kids went to high school. Once Rancho Cotati opened in the mid-1960s, Penngrovians could choose between Petaluma, Casa and Rancho.

“Sure, we were closer to Rancho Cotati, but we all went to what was in my time the newly built Petaluma High,” Lee beamed. “Petaluma High had a strong FFA (Future Farmers of America) program and was an ag school, with metal, wood and auto shop, so that’s where we sent our kids.”

Even though Lee is still working at well over 70 years old, he is thankful for Nick Bursio’s help with the digging necessary for deep-pit beef cooking. “Nick brings in his backhoe and digs two pits,” said Lee. “They are 5-feet wide, 10-feet long, and 4-feet deep. After we’re done, we backfill them and dig fresh pits the next year.”

Although “pit beef” is a term associated with open-pit barbecuing made famous in Baltimore, what Lee calls “deep-pit beef” is something different. It is more in lines with an earth oven, which is sealed off from the outside air, unlike a pit barbecue, which is basically a hole in the ground that is filled with coals to cook over.

“Our method is anaerobic,” proclaimed Lee. That means the cooking process occurs devoid of oxygen. “Once the pits are filled with coals and the roasts, they are each topped with a steel street construction plate and then completely covered with dirt.”

The whole process starts the day before the parade, with the digging of the pits. Lee and Tom use two pits so they can stagger the cooking time of the 500 pounds of cross rib roasts, ensuring everyone gets a hot bite.

That same afternoon, Stanley Pronzini and Paul Gilchrist take over the kitchen at Penngrove Park to smother 15-pound sections of roast with onions, rosemary and a secret recipe of herbs and spices.

“All the recipes and sauces have been handed down over the generations,” said Lee. “They have become Penngrove traditions.”

The roasts are wrapped in butcher paper first and then three layers of newspaper, which are wet down in order to keep the roast from burning. “It’s a great way to recycle all our Argus-Couriers,” Lee said with a chuckle.

The roasts are then tied with bailing wire, a mainstay of most any farmer. A loop is added to the wire so the roasts can be retrieved with a long pole since the pit is far too hot for hands.

Firewood is piled into the pits and set aflame around midnight on the morning of the parade so the wood will burn down to a pile of coals by 6:30 a.m., when it’s time to put in the roasts. The wood is usually oak or eucalyptus, donated by Steve Turner of Maestretti & Sons Firewood Company.

“If you grew up in Penngrove,” said Lee, “then you have known the Turners.”

The roasts are cooked for about four hours and are usually ready right as the parade ends at noon, but sometimes require a bit of finishing on the grill.

While the beef cooks, a whole other crew prepares the chicken with seasoning and sauce before heaving them over the boilers for steaming. The racks they use were custom fabricated years ago so they can flip 20 chicken halves at once. Once the chickens are pulled out, a special sauce is applied using pepper wood or bay boughs before they get a final run over the grill for charring.

This year’s festivities start on Saturday, July 6, when the Penngrove Firehouse (now called Rancho Adobe) holds its yearly pancake breakfast from 7 to 11 a.m. Along with ham, eggs, fruit and juice, the firefighters will also hold live fire demonstration to show the public how interior sprinklers can save lives. The cost at the door is $10 for adults, $5 for children 12 and under.

The parade itself takes place the next day, July 7. Long ago nicknamed “The Biggest Little Parade in Northern California,” it steps off at 11 a.m. sharp heading up Main Street, then looping back around to Penngrove Park. With tractors, horses, antique military vehicles, bands and dancers, this is about as small-town Americana as you can imagine. This year’s Grand Marshall is Roland Mellor, a longtime member and past president of the Penngrove Social Firemen.

At high noon, everyone heads Penngrove Park for mouth-watering deep-pit beef, barbecue chicken, beef sandwiches, oysters and hot dogs, with desserts by Penngrove 4-H. Lagunitas beers and other cool drinks will also be available. There will be plenty of games for the kids and live music by Train Wreck Junction. Barbecue tickets are available at the door with prices to be determined.

This is the biggest annual fundraiser hosted by Penngrove Social Firemen, a nonprofit started over 50 years ago by volunteers of the Penngrove Fire Department.

According to its website, “While the Social Firemen no longer have strong ties to the fire department, they have grown with the community into an organization numbering almost 150 members. Members include carpenters, contractors, artists, attorneys, mechanics, truckers, ranchers, and painters, among many other professions. The primary focus of the Social Firemen is support of the community.”

Penngrove Independence Day Celebration

Pancake Breakfast

When: Saturday, July 6, 7-11 a.m.

Where: Rancho Adobe Fire Station, 11000 Main St.

“Biggest Little Parade in Northern California” and barbecue

When: Sunday, July 7. Parade begins at 11 a.m., barbecue at noon

Where: Main Street to Penngrove Park, 11800 Main St.

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