The Art of Barbecue: A Family Legacy

As I walk through the doors of Ray's Barbecue, located in the heart of Huntington Park, California, I am met with the warm aroma of slow-smoked meats and the unmistakable passion of its owner, Renee. This little hole-in-the-wall has become a beloved fixture in the community, and it all started with Renee's father, who first introduced her to the world of barbecue.

Growing up, Renee would spend hours watching her father cook ribs at home, learning about different styles and techniques that came from various regions - Carolina, Memphis, Kansas City, and Texas. Her earliest memory of cooking barbecue was not exactly a success story; everyone got sick, but they laughed it off and continued to experiment. This willingness to take risks and learn from failures is a hallmark of the Ray's Barbecue approach.

One of the secrets to their success lies in the attention to detail that Renee's father brought to every aspect of his craft. He would meticulously trim each brisket, ensuring that every piece was a good one. Renee remembers sitting in the back of the restaurant, watching him work, and feeling inspired by his dedication to his art. She even had to start working as a busboy at the age of 20, but she never lost sight of her goal - to become a master barbecue cook herself.

Years later, Renee has taken up where her father left off, carrying on his legacy with pride. The restaurant is small, but the menu boasts an impressive array of meats, all smoked to perfection using secret techniques passed down from generations of pitmasters. Renee's own sausage recipe, made with 50% pork and 25% beef, is a particular favorite among regulars.

But what sets Ray's Barbecue apart from other restaurants in the area? According to Renee, it's the personal touch that comes from running a family-run business. "We don't do any fancy advertising or influencer promotions," she explains. "Our best recommendation comes from word of mouth. We want every customer who walks through our doors to feel like they're part of the Ray family." And it shows in every aspect of their service, from the friendly staff to the carefully crafted menu items.

As I take my first bite of a tender brisket, I'm struck by the sheer love that goes into every single piece of meat. Renee's father was known for his possessiveness about his barbecue, but he also instilled in his children a deep passion for sharing it with others. For Renee, cooking is not just about following a recipe - it's about honoring her father's legacy and creating memories that will last a lifetime.

The story of Ray's Barbecue is one of love, loss, and redemption. Renee's father passed away recently, leaving her to carry on his work without any prior experience. But instead of letting fear hold her back, she took the reins and pushed forward, relying on her father's words of encouragement to guide her through the tough times.

As I sit in the restaurant, surrounded by the warm glow of candles and the soft hum of conversation, I feel a sense of gratitude for this little hole-in-the-wall that has become my new favorite spot. It's not just about the food - it's about the people who make it, their stories, and the memories they create with every single meal. And for Renee, Ray's Barbecue is more than just a restaurant - it's a way of life.

In the end, it's the passion that drives us all, whether we're cooking, creating, or simply living our lives to the fullest. And for Renee and her team at Ray's Barbecue, there's no better reminder of this truth than the simple act of sharing a meal with others - one that comes from the heart and is infused with love, care, and attention to detail.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enforeign us here as a little hole in the wall I like a little Hidden Gem see how this Jiggles those are ready because no one would ever thought they'll be this type of barbecue here in HP I don't spend any money on Advertising I don't pay influencers I don't do any of that the best recommendation is Word of Mouth foreign run and operated business and we're putting every single bit of love between my mom my brother and me it wouldn't be risk as without cows so we have a lot of love for cows here Ray barbecue is my dad got into cooking ribs at home I got to experience you know the Carolina style the Memphis Kansas City the Texas obviously it's always great to see how different areas put different love and different types of twists on their what they call barbecue my first memory of my dad cooking barbecue it was actually not a good one oh man everyone got sick it is but but we it's something we just lug back and just laugh about most certifications are honestly we would consider it trips for work that's really what kept us even more motivated and inspired to do a barbecue I even made us go on a trip to the Texas just because like on my birthday I was like I want barbecue Texas barbecue we were never afraid to close a restaurant for a couple days or uh weeks to go for that barbecue Journey because you need a day when we come back new ideas that help us level up I'm laying in the brisket right here in the top of the Bush paper looks good A Wrap there's a lot of juice way more than you would expect and none of it goes away as long as you wrapped it tight I would say barbecue is coming in a wave here in California is foreign thank you in Huntington Park there is not much barbecue we're based off here in borderline of HP and Vernon in the St George Plaza which we're at it's quite diverse there's all types of little things car supply stores stuff like that and traffic here will be burning a lot of blue and white colored workers come in here because they don't want to go to downtown it's a headache with parking so we get a lot of the lunch rush right here here we have a painting of my father Renee my favorite part is the attention details in his eyes it's just the way he looks I know that's him I know that's my dad foreign muy bonita is the foreign we did not get our hands dirty until the week he passed away my dad was very very I want to say possessive of his barbecue because he always put out the best where he thought he could not disappoint anybody my dad I remember uh when we both made the sausage I would suggest ideas but he would you know deflect them because he had his vision of how he wanted it the first thing we had to learn about barbecue was learning how to manage smoke which is one of the most important probably the first important thing of starting a barbecue Clean Smoke because you could have everything best ingredients but if that smoke is dirty the food is done the food is not good we we got pushed in deep water and I was able to uh to get around that it's about 50 uh pork meat 50 of beef so about 25 to 30 percent of fat ratio in the sausage to prep for sausages that's very time consuming so day one grind the meat after that I'll mix it by putting spices I'm adding some fresh red pepper gives it a little kick of heat I hand mix it even though I have a very expensive mixer any better results hand mixing so I'm gonna hand mix it oh it's tiring but I think it's worth it so I'll do it after a day of curing stuff to casings link them twist them let them dry another day on the third day that's when I give them a cold smoke treatment very low temperatures after about five hours I'll give them a nice bath you're ready for the next day I'm only 20 years old as I like barely started to work here I was just you know like doing busboy things you know my lunch would be a slice of brisket potato salad and some pickles and I sat down in the back to eat and I watched him trim briskets I'd always just sit there eating but also watching him get in the zone with his earphones on I remember thinking like wow you know I'm going to have to be at some day doing that it's like admiring how he got to that point of where he's trimming briskets just trimming down the fat cap as I'm trimming I'm trying to make every piece of the brisket a good piece of brisket I do not believe I've mastered it I've never content to what I make which is why I always like to tweak things and I I definitely saw that in him he got also motivates me to try and come up with things you know that's a pretty good looking brisket to me right before we opened up after he passed away I had no idea how we were gonna do it if we were gonna do it and if we would make it I was scared I was really scared I was anxious of what people would think just to work like nothing happened it was very tough very tough looks like it'll be to go huh yeah all right mayores foreign foreign we have something going here customers that rely on us our work here we hope honors him continues to honor him is foreign I want to let people know that my dad loved barbecue and he gave it all of his heart and time it's a passion that he developed and pass it on to us people will try spraying with other liquids who might use apple juice or vinegar he likes to use pickle juice it's just something we want to share to everybody the passion of barbecue I felt like he has left a legacy amongst the people who've got to talk to him got to know him this is our school this is what we're learning every single day it's a different day it's a different fire it's a different uh different type of brisket so when he passed away he kind of pushed me in deep water and even though he's gone I needed that push in my life that's what's making me become the person I'm becoming he's teaching me you know in a different way you know with him being gone we're not the only people that go through stuff like this where parent or sibling goes through you know suicide it's very tough but it's I'm glad we're doing this because I'm glad we're bringing this awareness for those who've been in that deep hole one of the things he told me before he passed right like the day before you passed was uh you're gonna be all right and he looked at me directly and told me that yeah I just hope that everybody knows that they're gonna be all right foreign\n"