The Barbecue Trifecta
With banana pudding as the sweet tooth capper
Barbecue. It’s really a whole lifestyle…for some people.
But for Ricky, who grew up in Rome, Ga., there was only one place that served barbecue – a joint called Troy’s. And getting to go there with his daddy was a special treat. No one had smokers or huge grill setups. Brunswick stew was the dish they gathered around.
I grew up in South Alabama, land of the fish fry and seafood platter. It seems like every fundraiser we went to involved fried fish and hushpuppies. Barbecue was a weird thing that happened on the 4th of July and usually involved trying to rend pork flesh from a bone with your teeth. I’ll just have some baked beans and slaw please.
But here in Central Alabama, barbecue is king. Tales of the mystical original Dreamland are still told over plates of ribs and light bread (that’s what we call white loaf bread down here). There are debates about whether pulled or sliced is better. Folks throw around terms like “bark” and “rub.” And don’t even get people started about white barbecue sauce, which is said to have originated at Big Bob Gibson’s. (Spoiler alert: You might not want to eat it if you read the ingredients since it’s now bottled and sold at places like Walmart. This is the same stuff they serve at the restaurant. You’ll probably get a better idea of what it was originally like before mass production took over if you make your own.)
All this is to say that since we’ve lived in Central Alabama and traveled around neighboring states, we’ve eaten more than our fair share of the swine flesh all over the Southeast and come to have some very strong likes and dislikes. That’s why we feel pretty darn comfortable naming the place that, in our humble opinion, serves the best all around barbecue within easy driving distance of the ‘Ham – Rusty’s Bar-B-Q in Leeds.
We know this is a bold statement, but hear us out.
We think that in order to have a good barbecue spot, a few things have to figure in – good meat (natch), good sauce, and good sides, because you can’t live on meat alone. Rusty’s has the trifecta. Let’s start with the meat.
The pulled pork is perfectly smoked, tender, and flavorful. Ricky likes the “outside” bark-y pieces and when he requests it, they give him just what he wants. You don’t get that attention to porcine detail everywhere. Ricky also likes the smoked chicken and says that it’s not at all dry as smoked chicken can sometimes be.
I’m a fan of Rusty’s ribs – the kind he puts on the plate, not what’s in his chest. As I mentioned above, most of my experience with ribs involved trying to pull meat off a bone with your teeth like a wolf. They’d be slippery and greasy and a terrible, sloppy ordeal that just wasn’t worth the effort. But Rusty has changed my mind about ribs. His are fall-off-the-bone tender, succulent, and moist without being a greasy mess. The four-rib plate is a huge portion, although I have been known to eat six because they’re just that good.
Ricky and I both agree that the meats are delicious without sauce, but Rusty provides four sauces – House, Sweet, Spicy, and White. Ricky likes the Spicy, and I like the House and the Sweet and usually mix them together. The White sauce is good, but we just prefer the others. With the exception of the White sauce, all the sauces are tomato based. The Spicy sauce is the thickest with notes of hot sauce and black pepper. The House sauce is fairly vinegary, a little thin, and has a fruity quality to it. We wonder if it may contain apple juice or something similar. The Sweet sauce has a definite brown sugar vibe but maintains the House tang. And the White sauce is a mayo and vinegar based affair with flecks of black pepper and possibly cayenne pepper. These acidic sauces are the perfect foil to the rich, fatty (in a good way) meat.
Now there are plenty of barbecue places that have decent meat, but the sides seem like an afterthought and, therefore, fall short. That’s not the case at Rusty’s. There’s a long list of sides on the menu behind the cash register where you order, and every one we’ve tried has been good.
Ricky usually gets the fries, the creamy slaw (as opposed to the marinated slaw), and the deviled eggs. He sometimes branches out to the collard greens which he reports are also very good. I like the sweet baked beans (as opposed to the spicy baked beans), the deviled eggs, and the potato salad which has a surprisingly warm and spicy kick.
Regarding the sides, however, I have a hands-down favorite, which is why I am now going to make a bold and emphatic statement that may cause controversy and derision among the people but so be it. RUSTY’S HAS THE BEST FRIED OKRA I HAVE EVER PUT IN MY MOUTH. There. I’ve said it. The okra is always hot and crispy, each piece is fully coated in crust, and the pieces aren’t all glommed together. It’s as good as it gets. The gold standard. The real deal.
There are a few other things to like about Rusty’s. They offer jackfruit if you have a vegetarian in your group, which we think is a very thoughtful and modern thing to do. The burgers are damn fine. And the sweet tea doesn’t make you feel like you’re about to lapse into a sugar coma.
Oh, and there’s pie. All kinds of delicious pies like lemon, coconut, peanut butter, and chocolate. But the pièce de résistance is the little cups of homemade banana pudding. Shut the front door! It’s just like your granny used to make with Nilla wafers, sweet vanilla custard, and chunks of real banana. Make sure you save some room.
The last time we made the drive to Rusty’s (it’s really not that far, y’all…15 miles from downtown Birmingham), it was a Saturday around 11:30. Be forewarned, we had barely ordered and found a seat before the line was out the door. They do have a drive-through and some outside seating if you can’t get a spot inside.
Rusty’s is worth the trip! Drive on past Bucee’s – it’s a nightmare on so many levels – and you’ll find it in about another mile or two on the left. And while you’re out that way, you can check out the Barber MotorSports Park & Museum (which is still on our bucket list) and the Bama Flea Mall & Antique Center.
Here’s how we rated Rusty’s Bar-B-Q on a scale of 1-5 🐖 because you can’t have a barbecue restaurant without a cute pig mascot to distract you from what you’re really eating:
Atmosphere: 🐖🐖🐖🐖
Food: 🐖🐖🐖🐖🐖
Drinks: 🐖🐖🐖🐖🐖 (They don’t serve alcohol, but the tea is good.)
Service: 🐖🐖🐖🐖🐖
Bathrooms: 🐖🐖🐖
p.s. Did you know Ricky and I produce a monthly zine about music and cocktails? It’s called “The Popskull Penumbra,” and we pair one album with one drink then share facts and trivia about both. This month we’re featuring Patti Smith for Women’s History Month. There’s also original art and often a little surprise. You can see them and other interesting things at our website PopskullStudios.com and in our store.
I’ve never heard of this place, but I can’t wait to try it! Thanks!