Meet Award Winning Chef & Local New Jersey Resident Ray Sheehan – The Master Of Great BBQ
Ray Sheehan and I have crossed paths on food pages on social media, and we’ve spoken on the phone, but have yet to meet in person. I have mad respect for this guy and look forward to meeting him in the coming weeks.
Ray Sheehan is the author of Award-Winning BBQ Sauces and How to Use Them. He’s also a certified Kansas City Barbeque Society judge, a member of the National Barbecue and Grilling Association, and a 6x winner of the Award of Excellence from the National Barbecue Association.
Ray was known as “The BBQ Buddha” for his line of BBQ sauces and rubs. Last year, Ray sold his sauce company’s trademarked name (BBQ Buddha) in effect closing the business and opening a restaurant called Ray’s Roadside Kitchen in Cream Ridge, NJ that specializes in Southern fried chicken, hand-crafted burgers, and BBQ specialties. Ray is currently in the process of rebranding new content/creations/consulting by Chef Ray Sheehan.
A chef by trade, Ray has been in the food business for over 25 years. Since 2017 he has been a contributor to Barbecue News Magazine, providing recipes, articles, and product reviews. Ray has appeared on PA Live! WBRE-NBC, Food and Wine with Chef Jamie Gwen, Talk Radio 790 KABC, Los Angeles, Barbecue Nation with JT AM 860 KPAM, Smoking Hot Confessions BBQ Podcast, Australia, The BBQ Talks Show, United Kingdom, The BBQ Beat Podcast, The Baseball and BBQ Podcast, The Pit Life BBQ Podcast, Beer Sessions Radio on the Heritage Radio Network, Dining on A Dime 103.7 FM New York and Food, Farms, and Chefs WWDB 860 AM, and Small Bites with Donato Marino & Derek Timm, The #1 listed “Food Radio Show in Philadelphia”.
Ray has been featured in Tailgater Magazine, The Smoke Sheet BBQ Newsletter, Edible Jersey magazine, New Jersey Monthly magazine, Industry Magazine, the Asbury Park Press, and the Coaster newspaper. He lives in New Egypt, New Jersey.
Make sure to visit Ray’s Restaurant for some amazing BBQ, “Ray’s Roadside Kitchen – 465 County Rd 539, Cream Ridge, NJ 08514
Ray will be sharing some of his recipes from time to time, which you’ll find on Robyn Lane’s page at wrat.com. Check out his recipe for Double Smoked Ham with Bourbon Brown Sugar Glaze below.
Double Smoked Ham with Bourbon Brown Sugar Glaze
Ingredients:
- 8-10 lb. spiral sliced ham
- 2-3 tbsp Pork Rub (your choice)
- For the Bourbon Brown Sugar glaze:
- 1 cup dark brown sugar, packed
- 2 tbsp ground mustard
- 1/4 cup Bourbon or apple juice
- hickory wood or pecan wood
Directions:
- Prepare a smoker to cook at 275 degrees.
- Season the ham all over with the Pork Rub, getting some in between the slices for added flavor,
- Let it sit out for 30 minutes.
- In a small bowl, stir together brown sugar, mustard, and bourbon. Brush 1/2 of the brown sugar mixture evenly over the ham.
- Once the cooker reaches temperature add in the wood and place the ham in a small pan on the grate in the smoker. Cook for 1 and a half hours.
- Then brush with the remaining brown sugar mixture. Return the ham to the smoker and continue to cook until you reach an internal temperature of 140 degrees, about 30-40 minutes.
- Remove the ham from the smoker and let rest, loosely covered with foil for 15 minutes.
To carve the ham:
- Turn the ham on its bottom so that the meat is facing up. Using a long knife cut around the bone. Then, cut through the natural breaks in the ham where the fat lies to separate the meat.
- Arrange the ham slices on a platter to serve.