Ray Sheehan is a barbecue chef, pitmaster, sauce maker, recipe developer, and two-time cookbook author based in the Garden State. He is the author of Award-Winning BBQ Sauces and How to Use Them (2020) and Big Green Egg Basics from a Master Barbecuer (2022).
A chef by trade, Ray has spent more than 25 years in the food industry. He is a certified Kansas City Barbeque Society judge, a member of the National Barbecue and Grilling Association, the recipient of over a dozen Awards of Excellence from the NBBQA, and the Grand Champion winner of Sauce King NYC for his Memphis Mop BBQ sauce. Since 2017, he has contributed recipes, feature articles, and product reviews to Barbecue News Magazine.
Ray has traveled widely to cook, study, and experience barbecue firsthand, with time spent in Memphis, Kansas City, and throughout the Southeast. Those experiences inform his approach to barbecue as a regional craft shaped by place, people, and tradition.
He is an active voice in barbecue media, appearing on podcasts and radio shows in the U.S. and abroad, and has been a featured contributor to the Baseball & BBQ Podcast since 2023. In 2025, he was inducted into the Order of the Magic Mop by BBQ Hall of Famer Ardie Davis.
His work has been featured in Tailgater Magazine, The Smoke Sheet, Edible Jersey, New Jersey Monthly, Industry Magazine, and other regional publications. He continues to cook, write, and teach barbecue, with a focus on preserving regional traditions and sharing practical knowledge with cooks at every level.
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