on the table
By Mallory Arnold
Right on ’Cue Grilling Ray Ray’s Hog Pit CEO about barbecue
I
t’s cookout season! As you scrub your grill, light up the charcoal and start dreaming of delicious sides, you might ask, “What makes barbecue so dang good?” Bill Glover, executive chef and CEO of Westerville’s Ray Ray’s Hog Pit, knows his way around a grill. One Ray Ray’s saying is, “Barbecue is easy to find. Real barbecue isn’t.” To Glover, real barbecue, first and foremost, takes patience. “Good barbecue cannot be rushed – we allow our food to cook low and slow for hours,” Glover says. “The amount of time proper barbecue takes to cook can be a deterrent to some people cooking at home, though.” “There are significant style differences and techniques,” he adds. “What a pit boss in Texas does with his or her brisket is entirely different than what they do in the Carolinas, but it’s still barbecue.” Ray Ray’s takes inspiration from different regions and has created its own Ohio-style barbecue that differs from anywhere else. But any kind of barbecue, whether it’s from Ohio or Texas, needs to have a good rub and sauce. Rubs are dry spice blends that can be used for seasoning before and/ or after the food is cooked. Sauces, on the other hand, are often applied after the smoking process. “Barbecue purists believe putting sauce on barbecue is to cover up poorly smoked meat,” Glover says.
Homemade barbecue rub and seasoning • ¼ cup packed brown sugar • ¼ cup paprika • 1 tbsp. salt • 1 tbsp. pepper • 1 tbsp. chili powder • 2 tsp. garlic powder • 2 tsp. onion powder • 1 tsp. mustard powder • ½ tsp. cayenne pepper 28 May/June 2021
“Barbecue purists believe putting sauce on barbecue is to cover up poorly smoked meat.” Stir together until all ingredients are combined. Recipe from the kitchen of letsdishrecipes.
Once you’ve settled on a rub and/or sauce, choose your heat: charcoal, propane or wood. Glover prefers the latter. “Wood is the best answer,” he first asserts. “Charcoal is (also) my preference, as it adds flavor to the food and can get really hot if you want the stronger heat. The ease of use of propane is understandable, but to me, the time and effort using charcoal and wood is far superior to any gas grill.” Plus, when it comes to controlling the smokiness of the meat, the wood www.westervillemagazine.com
