Birmingham BBQ is hickory smoke, pork shoulder and white sauce on the chicken. Pick by what you want on the plate.
Birmingham hickory pit BBQ
These rooms say hickory in plain words, and each one has a dated 2026 report that it is open.
- Bob Sykes Bar-B-Q, at 1724 9th Avenue North in Bessemer. It began in 1957 as an ice cream and hamburger stand. Pork shoulders cook over hickory coals from 3 a.m. every day. Van Sykes' pit passed to his grandson Jason Jewell. The pork sandwich is on Alabama's 100 Dishes list, and the room is in the Alabama BBQ Hall of Fame.
- Dreamland Bar-B-Que, at 1427 14th Avenue South. John "Big Daddy" Bishop founded the rib house in Tuscaloosa in 1958. Ribs come off a hickory grill, and the pork, chicken and sausage are hickory-smoked.
- Full Moon Bar-B-Que in Homewood, at 337 Valley Avenue. Hickory-fired pits, with chow-chow, marinated coleslaw and Half Moon cookies.
- Full Moon Bar-B-Que in Southside, at 525 25th Street South. The Alabama-founded group is celebrating forty years. Brothers David and Joe Maluff bought this room in 1996. Ribs and sliced pork sandwiches are hickory-smoked.
- Miss Myra's Pit Bar-B-Q, at 3278 Cahaba Heights Road. The family has run it since 1984, with a custom brick pit over hickory. The Takeout named its barbecue chicken one of the 14 best in July 2026. It bakes its own pies.
Birmingham BBQ with Alabama white sauce
Alabama white sauce is a creamy, tangy sauce. It goes on smoked chicken.
- Miss Myra's in Cahaba Heights serves its chicken with white sauce.
- Jim 'N Nick's in Five Points South serves barbecue chicken with white sauce.
- Saw's BBQ in Homewood puts white sauce on the chicken (Help Us Check).
- Saw's Soul Kitchen in Avondale serves white sauce barbecue with soul food sides (Help Us Check).
- Roadside BBQ in East Lake serves hickory wings with Alabama white sauce (Help Us Check).
Newer Birmingham BBQ and smokehouses
- Burning Tree Smokehouse, at 3090 3rd Avenue South in Pepper Place. Warren Webster opened it in March 2025 after about 35 years at Jim 'N Nick's. It sits under the Fatback Pig Project from Fresh Hospitality Group. Brisket tacos come in beef-tallow tortillas, and there are brisket and gravy fries and a rib sandwich.
- Bahama Wings Express, at 748 Lomb Avenue. It opened in July 2026 in the former BBQ Sam building and opens at 6:30 a.m. for breakfast plates. The menu has wings, catfish, tilapia and whiting plates, and barbecue racks, chicken and pork.
Birmingham BBQ from bigger groups
These rooms belong to bigger groups, so we say which.
- Jim 'N Nick's Bar-B-Q, at 1908 11th Avenue South. A Birmingham-born group with more than 25 rooms across the South and Colorado. Known for cheese biscuits and pulled pork.
- Martin's Bar-B-Que Joint, at 3029 Pump House Road in Cahaba Heights. Part of Pat Martin's Nashville whole hog group. The menu has brisket, smoked bologna, fried catfish and Jack's Creek sauce. Outdoor seating is fenced and sits by a creek.
Birmingham BBQ rooms we could not confirm for 2026
Each room below has a source behind it. None has a dated 2026 report that it is open.
| Place | Where | What the source says |
|---|---|---|
| Carlile's BBQ | 3511 6th Avenue South, Lakeview | More than 70 years old. Its slogan is "where every butt counts." Smoked brisket, ribs and fried pickles. Weekday hours are limited. |
| Demetri's BBQ | 1901 28th Avenue South, Homewood | Traces back to El Rancho BBQ (1961), with the pit moved in 1973. Breakfast and barbecue. The drive-thru closes at 4:30 p.m. There is Sunday brunch, and a pork plate comes with coconut cream pie. |
| Golden Rule Bar-B-Q | 2504 Crestwood Boulevard, Irondale | Says it has cooked pit barbecue since 1891. New owners took over in 2023. Hickory chicken sandwich and banana pudding. |
| Roadside BBQ | 7303 1st Avenue North, East Lake | St. Louis-style ribs, hickory wings and Alabama white sauce. |
| Saw's BBQ | 1008 Oxmoor Road, Homewood | The first room opened in May 2009. North Carolina-style pulled pork with vinegar sauce, and white sauce on the chicken. It has franchised since 2018. |
| Saw's Soul Kitchen | 215 41st Street South, Avondale | Opened in 2012. White sauce barbecue and soul food sides. |
| The Pit BBQ | 2820 10th Avenue North | A hole-in-the-wall. Breakfast sandwiches and a barbecue pork sandwich. |
Rooms marked Help Us Check have a source behind them but no dated 2026 report that they are open. Look at their newest posts before you go, and tell us what you find.
Birmingham BBQ rooms that have closed
Both Rodney Scott's Whole Hog BBQ rooms in Birmingham are gone. The Avondale room closed on 26 November 2023 and merged into the Homewood room. The Homewood room, at 2701 18th Street South, closed in April 2026 as Pihakis Restaurant Group fell apart, and Walk-On's is taking the space. Little Donkey next door is open. See every Birmingham restaurant and bar we found that closed, with dates.
Know a pit we missed? Tell us.