Although several Tuscaloosa area barbecue restaurants made the initial list, it was four from the Birmingham area that ended up on top.

Saw’s of Homewood, Rusty’s of Leeds, Jim ‘N Nicks of Birmingham and Charlie’s of Odenville were presented with winning trophies in the Alabama Barbecue Battle during a reception Monday at Sloss Furnaces.

Saw’s won the Rookie category, Rusty’s topped the Mom and Pops category, Jim ‘N Nicks came in first among the multi-location brands (with one in Tuscaloosa) and Charlie’s took the top spot in the Dives category. Lannie’s of Selma also received a trophy for their win in the Legends category.

Alabama Tourism Department Director Lee Sentell said,

Our state has become a destination for barbecue lovers across the country. The winning restaurants certainly have a lot to celebrate, but this competition turned out to be great exposure for everyone involved.

The tourism department conducted the online barbecue popularity contest as part of The Year of Alabama BBQ. The 50 restaurants that competed in the competition were selected based on nominations that came in through social media.

A list of the full voting results from the contest are posted at alabamabbq.com!

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