Local BBQing Family Treats PD to Free Ribs, More Generosities to Come

Chief of Police Frank Ramirez (center) with (from right) C.R. Bradley, Heath Bradley, and Brad Bradley of Texas Rib Wagon outside DRPD headquarters.

A father and his two sons set up outside Del Rio Police Department headquarters Thursday to serve free pork ribs to about 50 officers and staff. Brad Bradley and his sons, C.R. and Heath, formerly owned a thriving barbecue business in the Texas Hill Country. They’ve since relocated to Del Rio, bringing their pitmaster barbecuing skills with them. While they’ll soon offer catering services locally, the Bradleys wanted to give back to the community before thinking about profit. 

“Out of respect and appreciation for the police of Del Rio, we wanted to treat them to our barbecue ribs. Our specialty”, said Heath Bradley to Del Rio News Network. “The response we got from everyone was so positive and happy. Especially Capt. Robert Guzman and Police Chief Frank Ramirez.”

Heath shares his philosophy on running a successful business: "To be a proper operation, you gotta give back to your community." This is why the Bradleys intend to continue giving back to the Del Rio community into the future. They especially want to serve the western heritage community at events like goat roping tournaments and youth 4-H shows with donations of food and money for scholarships. 

According to the DRPD’s Facebook page, the Bradleys cooked up “the most delicious ribs we’ve ever tasted!” One commenter even adds to the online fanfare, “I’ve had their ribs, and they are over the top delicious!” 

The Bradleys call themselves Texas Rib Wagon, and they already have one upcoming catering gig where they'll barbecue 270 pounds of ribs for the residents of Leakey, Texas at their 4th of July celebrations. But by mid-July, Heath says, the Bradleys will be ‘cuing in and around Del Rio full-time. You can keep an eye out for the name Texas Rib Wagon as they begin advertising their barbecue catering business later next month.