The website for Ray's BBQ Shack gets straight to the point: "New Location, Same Smoke."

It's a perfect expression for the big news from one of Houston's great smokehouses: Ray's has moved from its original location at 4529 Old Spanish Trail to a gleaming new one about a mile away at 3929 Old Spanish Trail.

The 3,300-square-foot restaurant offers a spiffy dining room with galvanized metal chairs, an eat-at bar and bright new décor for Ray's to play out a new chapter of its smoked meat story.

And that story's a great one. In our latest episode of BBQ State of Mind, co-owner Ray Busch discusses barbecue traditions in Houston's Third Ward, which he claims has always had the city's best barbecue. Busch – who learned the trade from his mentor, Rivers Falls, known in the Third Ward as the "Barbecue Man" – is joined by co-owner Herb Taylor. Together they cover Ray's history and the menu at the restaurant, which includes Ray's famous sausages, potato salad and fried corn.

And our hosts, Chronicle barbecue columnist J.C. Reid, restaurant critic Alison Cook and food editor Greg Morago got to sample Ray's new sausage called "muddy water," made with pork, shrimp, crab and crawfish.

Back to Gallery Listen: Ray’s BBQ Shack writes a new chapter of Third... 17 1 of 17 Photo: Yi-Chin Lee, Houston Chronicle 2 of 17 Photo: Brett Coomer, Staff 3 of 17 Photo: Brett Coomer, Staff 4 of 17 Photo: Scott Kingsley 5 of 17 Photo: Scott Kingsley 6 of 17 Photo: Scott Kingsley 7 of 17 Photo: Scott Kinglsey 8 of 17 Photo: Scott Kinglsey 9 of 17 Photo: J.C. Reid 10 of 17 Photo: J.C. Reid / J.C. Reid 11 of 17 Photo: J.C. Reid 12 of 17 Photo: Robert J. Lerma 13 of 17 Photo: Brett Coomer, Staff 14 of 17 Photo: Brett Coomer, Staff 15 of 17 Photo: James Nielsen, Staff 16 of 17 Photo: Brett Coomer, Staff 17 of 17 Photo: Brett Coomer, Staff

































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