Robertson’s BBQ & Catering, Ralph-Fosters, Alabama

For those of you unfamiliar with the communities of rural Tuscaloosa County, Ralph and Fosters are two tiny communities with indefinite boundaries. It’s often unclear at any given moment whether you’re in Ralph or Fosters, at least to outlanders like me. They’re around 20 miles southwest of Bryan-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa proper. That’s way out in the country, 13 miles past Nick’s in the Sticks, the famous steakhouse. The two communities share a volunteer fire department, and they share schools with several other small communities.

The highlight of Ralph-Fosters is Robertson’s BBQ and Catering.

Robertson’s does a land office business selling pork shoulders for church, school, and other fundraisers. Around here in Washington many groups sell candy and magazine subscriptions that no one actually wants, which says a lot about the warped values of the Washington area. Pork barbecue is a whole lot better.

Many’s the time I’ve had Robertson’s barbecue over the years but I never had the slightest notion that Robertson’s also had a restaurant. I would have gone there in a New York minute had I known. Not only that, they have a big fancy barn a few miles away, possibly over on the Ralph side, at which they and the usual cast of thousands of florists and the like host weddings and other large events.

I never would have known any of this had I not accompanied Bob McCurley to Robertson’s to pick some up. I saw the wedding venue on the way there, and I became aware that you can eat in when I stepped through the door. Bob had been dwelling in ignorance, too.

I thought about getting a sandwich on the spot, but that would have been awkward, right before our pre-game dinner at the McCurley’s. And I thought about taking a picture of the dining area, but that would have been really awkward, what with the people sitting there looking at the newcomers. Instead I busied myself with the camera while Bob paid (heh, heh),

and I took a picture once we filled our plates back at the McCurley’s.

Robertson’s cooks a good shoulder–tender, moist, smoky, and delicious. There’s tremendous competition for barbecue in Tuscaloosa, what with Archibald’s, the original Dreamland, and numerous others. But when you want something other than ribs, give Robertson’s a try.

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