Grillin' with BBQ Ray

Before you fire up the grill this weekend, take a few cues from the High Desert's King of Barbecue, "BBQ" Ray Wright.

BBQ Ray, of Apple Valley, has been grilling up good grub ever since the age of 13, when he barbecued up his first ribs for classmates during a junior high school picnic in Compton, CA.

"Most of the kids bought potato chips and cold sandwiches, but I wanted to do something different," said Wright. "I went to Lucky's market with $25 and bought a little barbecue grill for $3. Then I went to the meat department and bought a few slabs of ribs. Of course, not everyone got one, but I cooked enough for myself and most of my friends."

BBQ Ray honed his barbecue skills selling ribs and chicken from a mobile barbecue pit on weekends. Later, he opened his own restaurant, BBQ Ray's Hot Deli, on Main and Manchester in South Central Los Angeles.

His secret?

"Barbecue is a technique, not a recipe. It's a form of art," said BBQ Ray. "You have to make love to your meat, so it can make love to your stomach."

Using a charcoal base, BBQ Ray smokes his meat with soaked oak, pecan and citrus wood.

"Everything I do is smoked," he said.

According to BBQ Ray, different cuts of meat have different cooking times. Brisket, for example, can be slow-cooked at 200 F for 6-14 hours, or at 150-170 F for 24 hours.

"Slow cooking makes it tender and juicy," he said.

Ribs, on the other hand, are slow cooked for 3-6 hours at 250 F. The meat is never cooked on a direct flame, only with the heat that travels with the smoke.

BBQ Ray was introduced to smoke-style cooking in 1986 at Leo's Barbecue in Oklahoma City. " After I purchased my food, I went to them and said 'Hey, this meat is still red!' Mr. Leo informed me that his meat was done -- and well cooked -- for 4½ hours.

"Smoked meat will never turn brown -- that's how you know if you have real smoked barbecue. Chicken will also have a pink color to it when it's smoked with real wood. As long as the juices run clear, the chicken is done."

In 1997, BBQ Ray entered his first barbecue competition, held in Azusa, California, where he took fourth place in the rib category.

After that, he was hooked, raking in awards at competitions including Shake, Rattle and Smoke in Azusa and the Bone & Brew cook-off in Pahrump, Nev.

BBQ Ray has won several awards, including a prestigious first prize with a perfect score for his smoked salmon at the Surf & Turf BBQ Classic -- a fund-raiser for the Boys and Girls Club of Imperial Beach.

"I don't marinate my chicken," he said. "It is prepared with a dry rub and margarine."

For his ribs, BBQ Ray has his own special recipe for hot and sweet barbecue sauce, and also a mustard-based barbecue sauce. "Most Californians aren't familiar with the mustard sauces, but they're very good," he said.

BBQ Ray now caters from San Diego to Laughlin, and throughout the High Desert.

"If you're expecting a big party, barbecue the day before," said Wright. "And every time you peek into the pit, baste your meat with a marinade like apple juice, beer or orange juice so it doesn't dry out.

"Remember there are five basic ways to cook barbecue -- sleep in a lounge chair, sleep on the grass, sleep on the couch, drink beer or soda on the couch, or play dominos and cards.

"You've got to take it slow and easy."