We traveled 1,375 miles all over the state in search of Alabama's Best BBQ Ribs, and before we name the Reader's Choice winner on Tuesday and our favorite on Wednesday, we are taking one last look at the Final 15.
Here are a few things you should know about Dreamland Bar-B-Que in Tuscaloosa.
A little history: John "Big Daddy" Bishop opened his Dreamland Café, as it was called back then, in Tuscaloosa's Jerusalem Heights community in 1958. After Mr. Bishop passed away in 1997, his son, John Jr., and daughter, Jeanette, ran the business until Birmingham's Dreamland Holding Company bought it in 2000. While a few side items have been added to Dreamland's traditional menu of ribs, sauce and white bread, not much else has changed. Mr. Bishop's big red chair, where he held court with customers for four decades, still sits against the back wall.
About the ribs: Raymond Nevins, as he has done for the past four decades, still mans the pit at night, and Willie Gardner, who has been here for the past eight years, shows us how they do it at Dreamland, flipping each slab of ribs about six times over a hot bed of hickory coals and then basting them in sauce for about five minutes before they come off the rack. "Most people cook their ribs from two to four hours," Dreamland regional manager Matt Kilgore says. "We're cooking ours 45 to 55 minutes – the reason being is that Mr. Bishop used to say he had better things to do than watch a piece of meat smoke all day."
How they made the Final 15: Dreamland Bar-B-Que was AL.com's wild-card selection for the Tuscaloosa area.
Ambiance: Dark and noisy, Dreamland has the look and feel of a Delta juke joint. And that's a good thing. The walls are covered floor to ceiling with license plates from guests who've come from all over the country to eat here – from Rhode Island to Montana, Washington state to Florida. And just in case you didn't know you were in Tuscaloosa, there are dozens of autographed photos of Crimson Tide football heroes -- from Bart Starr to Joe Namath to Shaun Alexander.
Address: 5535 15th Ave. East, Tuscaloosa.
Phone number: 205-758-8135.
Website: www.dreamlandbbq.com.
Hours: 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sundays.