Halal BBQ in Artesia: The Kitchen Behind RNK Foods Packs

Where does RNK Foods come from?

RNK Foods comes from a halal BBQ restaurant in Artesia, CA, a short drive from the halal food of Little India on Pioneer Boulevard. Ribs 'n' Kabobs has smoked ribs and grilled seekh kabobs on Norwalk Blvd since 2014, and RNK Foods is the frozen line that lets a family in Long Beach or Irvine cook the same kabobs and samosas at home. Everything in a pack is made in that same kitchen and delivered across Southern California only.

RNK Foods is the frozen-food line of the family behind the Ribs 'n' Kabobs restaurant at 18925 Norwalk Blvd, Artesia, CA 90701. The restaurant is one of the very few halal BBQ houses in Southern California, and the frozen packs grew out of a simple request from regulars: can we take this home and keep it in the freezer?

What makes the Artesia kitchen a halal BBQ kitchen?

Two things that rarely sit together in one building: a smoker and a lava rock grill, both running 100% Zabiha Halal meat.

On the BBQ side the kitchen smokes back ribs and short ribs over hickory. The brisket goes low and slow for about 12 hours before it becomes brisket burnt ends, loaded fries or the Drip Beef Sandwich. The sauces are the restaurant's own: Hickory Smoked BBQ, Korean BBQ, Spicy, Spicy BBQ and Tikka. The goal with ribs is simple. They should fall off the bone.

On the grill side the kitchen runs a lava rock grill. That is where the Beef Seekh Kabob, Chicken Koobideh, Chicken Malai Kabob and Grandma Recipe Lamb Seekh Kabob are cooked. A lava rock grill holds steady, even heat, so a hand-formed kabob gets a proper char outside while staying juicy inside.

The whole place is HFSAA-certified, with no pork and no alcohol on site. The restaurant has been certified by the Halal Food Standards Alliance of America since it opened in Artesia in 2014, so the frozen packs come out of a kitchen that has run to a halal standard for more than a decade.

Why did a restaurant start a frozen-food line?

Because the drive is not always practical. Artesia sits where the 91 and the 605 meet, which is convenient for Cerritos, Norwalk and Lakewood, but a family in San Diego or the Inland Empire is not stopping by for a Tuesday dinner.

The samosa recipes go back further than the restaurant. The family has been hand-folding samosas since 1999, which is why the packs carry the line "Momma's Blessed Hands since 1999". The restaurant already sold frozen samosas by the 20 to regulars who wanted them for Ramadan and parties. Seekh kabobs were the natural next step, since they are hand-mixed and hand-formed anyway and freeze well once grilled.

So RNK Foods packs the same five items the restaurant kitchen already makes:

• Beef Seekh Kabobs, 1 lb
• Chicken Seekh Kabobs, 1 lb
• Beef Samosas, pack of 20
• Chicken Samosas, pack of 20
• Spicy Potato Veggie Samosas, pack of 20

You can see all five on the RNK Foods menu.

What is the same, and what is different, from eating at the restaurant?

The same: the meat, the spice mix, the hands that mix it, and the grill. The kabobs in a Beef Seekh Kabobs pack are grilled on the same lava rock grill as a kabob platter ordered at a table, then flash-frozen. The samosas are hand-folded in the same kitchen, from the same filling.

The different: you do the final step. Kabobs go from frozen to the microwave for 2 to 3 minutes, into a pan on medium with a little oil or butter for 4 to 6 minutes, or into a 375°F oven for 8 to 10 minutes. Samosas deep fry from frozen at 350°F for 5 to 8 minutes, bake at 400°F for 15 to 18 minutes, or air fry at 380 to 390°F for 12 to 16 minutes. If you want the full story of the kabobs, read how RNK Foods seekh kabobs are made and frozen.

What is not in the packs: the ribs. Smoked ribs do not travel frozen the way kabobs do, so for ribs you still come to Norwalk Blvd.

Where does RNK Foods deliver?

Southern California only. Orders ship in insulated packaging to ZIP codes starting 900 to 935, which covers Los Angeles County, Orange County, San Diego County, Riverside, San Bernardino, Imperial and Ventura counties. There is no shipping outside Southern California, and the shipping policy has the free-shipping threshold and the details.

If you are local, pickup at the restaurant is the simplest option. Order online, choose pickup, and collect at 18925 Norwalk Blvd.

Restaurants, grocery stores, masjids and caterers can buy in bulk through wholesale, and the same kitchen caters events with live grill stations, a smokehouse buffet or a wedding feast menu.

The short version

Ribs 'n' Kabobs is a family-owned, HFSAA-certified, 100% Zabiha Halal BBQ and grill restaurant at 18925 Norwalk Blvd, Artesia, CA 90701, serving Los Angeles County, Orange County and the rest of Southern California since 2014. RNK Foods brings the Ribs 'n' Kabobs restaurant's kabobs and samosas to your freezer. Read more about the family on our story page, and if you are ever in Artesia's Little India on Pioneer Boulevard, the restaurant is a short drive away.