Saw's BBQ

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Saw's BBQ in Edgewood in 2018

Saw's BBQ is a chain of barbecue restaurants.

Mike Wilson opened the original Saw's in May 2009 in the former Broadway BBQ space at 1008 Oxmoor Road in Edgewood. Wilson was a North Carolina-born, Johnson & Wales trained chef who staffed the test kitchen for Cooking Light magazine. He began smoking meat and crafting sauces as a hobby. Saw's is an acronym for "Sorry Ass Wilson's".

The menu features Carolina style smoked pulled pork, chicken and ribs, served plain with bottles of three styles of sauce on the table. Sides include baked potatoes, beans, deviled eggs, macaroni and cheese, cole slaw and banana pudding. A popular dish combines grits, collard greens, onion straws, and pulled pork topped with house sauce.

In 2012, Wilson partnered with Doug Smith to open a second location of Saw's, called Saw's Soul Kitchen, headed by chef Brandon Cain, opened in the former Quick & Split Cafe at 215 41st Street South in Avondale. Faced with an oversupply of pork butts shortly after opening, Cain created one of the chain's signature dishes "Pork ’n’ greens", pulled pork and collard greens served over cheese grits and topped with onion rings. It was intended as a one-off special, but became a best seller, featured as one of "100 Dishes to Eat in Alabama Before You Die" by the Alabama Department of Tourism.

On October 31, Wilson and Smith partnered with Taylor Hicks to open a third location, known as Saw's Juke Joint, in Crestline Park.

In 2014, the Homewood restaurant took the top spot in Cooking with Paula Deen magazine's "The Best Barbecue Across America". That same year Michael Brandon began operating the Saw's Street Kitchen food truck. Brandon later took over the former Fat Sam's Sub Station in Glen Iris, which opened as Saw's Southside in 2017, and serves as the commissary for the food truck.

In 2019 Saw's BBQ opened a franchising office at 3804 3rd Avenue South in Avondale.

Wilson passed away in September 2020 during the Coronavirus pandemic. Neil Patel opened a franchise location at the Riverchase Village Shopping Center in 2021.

Preceded by:
Broadway BBQ
1008 Oxmoor Road
2009–present
Succeeded by:
current
Preceded by:
Quick & Split Cafe
215 41st Street South
2012–present
Succeeded by:
current
Preceded by:
Ore Drink and Dine
Shops at Crestline Park, 1115 Dunston Avenue
2012–present
Succeeded by:
current
Preceded by:
Fat Sam's Sub Station
1154 11th Ave South
2017-present
Succeeded by:
current
Preceded by:
IronStone Pizza
Riverchase Village Shopping Center
2021-present
Succeeded by:
current

References

External links