Ray’s BBQ

It’s been a while since I’ve had some good BBQ. 

And I’m not talking about the type of BBQ where the meat is covered in sauce and that’s all you can taste. For me good BBQ is all about the meat. It needs to be seasoned and cooked perfectly. Don’t get me wrong the sauce is definitely important, but if you have poorly cooked meat it won’t matter what type of sauce you’ve got on it. It will just be bad. 

Okay.. my rant about bad BBQ is over, so I want to share this hidden gem that I and a few foodie friends; Danielle of FollowMyGut, Tanaya of Tanaya’s Table, and Armen of EatBearded were invited to try by the awesome Grubfiend and Missfoodiepromblems.  Ray’s BBQ in Huntington Park, CA is not your average BBQ joint that you would expect to find in southern California. Let’s face it California isn’t really known for good BBQ so I wouldn’t expect them to deliver that.

When I first walked into the restaurant I was greeted by the chef and owner Ray and Nick of Grubfiend. We sat and chatted for a little while we waited for everyone else to show up, and Nick explained why he was so excited for everyone to taste Ray’s BBQ. From the few moments I spent chatting it up I could really see how passionate Ray was about his food. He talked about his love for bbq specifically Texas bbq, and I knew he was on to something when he kept talking about how important it was for the meat to be cooked properly. He had also spent some time in Texas so I was confident that he knew what good BBQ was supposed to taste like.When everyone arrived Ray took us back to the kitchen and showed us his smoker and brought this baby out… the Premium Angus Beef Brisket. The smell of amazingness immediately hit the air and the fatness we all try to keep and hide inside was dying to be let out! Do you know how hard it was to take pictures of this first without eating it? Lol! I can tell you right now the brisket was so moist and tender! It was smoked central Texas style about 7-8 hours, and when he cut into it you could easily see the beautiful marbling of the meat.  After spending some time in the kitchen we went back out to the front and waited for Ray to start bringing out the dishes so we could photograph them and of course ultimately try them all. I was amazed at the spread of food that was brought out. It was a true feast! We sampled pretty much every item on the menu. My favorites were the Pulled Pork Nachos which were made using an aged cheddar sauce, premium Angus beef brisket, BBQ Beans and topped with mac & cheese and sour Cream. I also enjoyed the Rack of Pork Ribs and of course the brisket! Something new I learned is that when you eat brisket it is traditionally eaten with pickles. Well this my friends was a game changer because the brisket and pickle combination was a true winner!And of course you aren’t really a true Angeleno foodie if you don’t offer some sort of fusion item on your menu, and Ray’s was no different. Meet the Brisket Mac-Link Burrito! Yes you’re looking at over a pound of burrito stuffed with the premium angus brisket, mac & cheese, sausage links, BBQ beans and a mild BBQ sauce. Let me just tell you; this in an item you share or you run the risk of entering a food coma if you eat it all yourself. They also make a really good Strawberry Kiwi Lemonade from scratch that is the perfect accompaniment to washing down all that really good BBQ!

If you’ve been looking for really good, authentic BBQ in Southern California well look no further because Ray’s is where it’s at! It’s not too far out from the city and there’s free parking so there really isn’t any excuse for you guys not to check this place out! I’m already dreaming of my next visit there 🙂 

Address: 6038 Santa Fe Ave, Huntington Park, California 90255

Phone: 323-978-1116

Hours: Monday- Friday 11:00 AM-7:00 PM; closed Saturday and Sunday