The Award-Winning Alabama BBQ Restaurant Started By A Classically-Trained Chef

If you think good barbecue restaurants can only be run by cooks who only ever slaved over the grill or smoker, think again. While most renowned pitmasters have achieved their barbecue status through hot, hard work that involved a series of barbecue championship wins, some have started at culinary institutes where barbecue wasn't the focus. Mike Wilson was one such chef who received a culinary education, worked as a trained chef, but turned his avocation for barbecue into an award-winning enterprise. Saw's BBQ was opened by Wilson (nicknamed Saw) in 2009 when he seized the opportunity of buying a Homewood, Alabama barbecue joint. Wilson was a barbecue master himself when he bought the restaurant, but that was only part of the classically trained chef's expertise.

Wilson, who grew up in Charlotte, North Carolina, had been behind the barbecue grill for most of his life. After graduating from the University of Alabama with a degree in restaurant and hospitality management, Wilson attended the culinary school at Johnson and Wales University. He went on to work at Dean & Deluca and subsequently became the test-kitchen chef at Cooking Light magazine. When Wilson traded in his chef's toque for pitmaster black gloves, he didn't trade in his love for Carolina barbecue. While all Saw's BBQ restaurants are based in Alabama, Carolina-style barbecue is on the menu. Pulled pork, ribs, and chicken dominate the simple menu, which was a nod to Wilson's North Carolina background and spoke to his vision of serving quality Southern cuisine that's also affordable.

While working at Dean & Deluca's, Wilson developed Saw's Sauce while maintaining his barbecue hobby. Soon, his co-workers and friends were clamoring for bottles of the stuff. He had amassed an email wait list, and so he did what any smart chef would do, and bottled the sauce. Armed with a simple menu and a traditional Carolina vinegar-based sauce, Wilson opened Saw's BBQ to immediate accolades.

The original Homewood, Alabama eatery has been referred to as a true hole-in-the wall establishment. It's snug, with tables packed in narrow rows and memorabilia and framed reviews adorning the walls. The barbecue chicken is the star of the show here, and you can get Wilson's special white barbecue sauce to top it. The smoked chicken sandwich comes with pulled chicken, white sauce (which can be purchased on Amazon from brands like Duke's), and pickles. Half or whole slabs of ribs are accompanied by white bread — a most Southern tradition — and among the sides are vinegar-based coleslaw, turnip greens, and deviled eggs. Bottles of Saw's Sauce are available for sale inside the restaurant.

In 2012 and 2018, respectively, Wilson went on to partner with others to open Saw's Soul Kitchen and Saw's Juke Joint, and there are three other franchised Saw's BBQs in Alabama. In 2023, Saw's BBQ, Inc. was awarded Retailer of the Year by the Alabama Retail Association. Unfortunately, Wilson wasn't around to accept the award, as he passed away in 2020. His family runs the restaurants now, continuing his legacy of Southern hospitality and delicious, unpretentious eats.