Here in Birmingham, we are blessed to be in the buckle of the Alabama Barbecue Belt. We’re home to legendary pitmasters, who learned at an early age that great barbecue takes hard work and a lot of time, and who take great care to prepare some of the South’s finest hickory-kissed ribs, tender pulled pork and moist smoked chicken.

Everybody has a favorite, and some of us have quite a few. And we love to argue about who’s the best almost as much as we love to fight over football.

With all due respect to all the great places that aren’t on this list, here, in descending order, are our Top 5 Birmingham barbecue joints.

5. Bob Sykes Bar-B-Q

1724 Ninth Ave. North in Bessemer. bobsykes.com.

Van Sykes was 12 years old when he started working the pit at the Bessemer barbecue joint that his daddy, Bob Sykes, and mama, Maxine Sykes, started in 1957. Sixty-six years later, Van and his nephew (and Bob and Maxine’s grandson) Jason Jewell still do things the way Van’s daddy taught him, cooking pork shoulders, ribs and chickens over hickory coals in an open pit that you see (and smell) the second you walk into the restaurant. But while Bob Sykes Bar-B-Q remains defiantly old-school, it has also evolved with the times, serving tacos on Tuesdays, brisket on Wednesdays and loaded potatoes every day of the week. Like its personable, 68-year-old owner, it has aged well.

Order this: For the best of both worlds, get the combo plate with ribs and chopped pork, along with baked beans and onion rings on the side. Save room for a slice of Sharon Mayes’ famous red velvet cake.

RELATED: 60 years (and counting) at Bob Sykes Bar-B-Q

4. Rusty’s Bar-B-Q

7484 Parkway Drive in Leeds. rustysbarbq.com.

Jonathan “Rusty” Tucker was out there all by his lonesome when he opened Rusty’s Bar-B-Q in Leeds 14 years ago. Once word got around about his hickory-smoked pulled pork and fall-off-the-bone ribs — as well as his kickin’ collard greens and chunky Brunswick stew — Rusty’s fast became a favorite pit stop for drivers and crews who come here to race at the nearby Barber Motorsports Park. The pork and the ribs are just right without any sauce, but for those who prefer it, Rusty’s offers five house-made condiments, including a vinegar-and-tomato-based house sauce and an Alabama white sauce, as well as sweet, spicy and mustard sauces. Many of the desserts, including the peanut-butter pie, are from recipes developed by Tucker’s wife, Beth, the pastry chef in the family.

Order this: The sampler platter comes with pulled pork, smoked half-chicken, two ribs, a choice of two sides and jalapeno cornbread muffins.

RELATED: 5 things to know about Rusty’s Bar-B-Q

3. Rodney Scott’s Whole Hog BBQ

Of course, we know Rodney Scott is from South Carolina, but since teaming up with Birmingham restaurateur Nick Pihakis of Jim ‘N Nick’s Bar-B-Q fame, he has opened not one, not two, but three locations of his Rodney Scott’s Whole Hog BBQ in the Magic City metro area. So, we have just as much right to claim him – and his barbecue – as anyone. The pit-smoked pork served with Rodney’s vinegar-based sauce reminds me of the barbecue I grew up on in Marengo County, and those tender and meaty ribs offer just the right amount of resistance when you gnaw them off the bone. Add collard greens and mac and cheese on the side and some banana pudding for dessert, and you’re in barbecue heaven.

Order this: The whole hog pork sandwich comes loaded with Carolina-style barbecue mopped with Rodney’s signature vinegar-pepper sauce and is served on a toasted bun.

RELATED: The story of Rodney and Nick, brothers in barbecue

2. SAW’s BBQ

1008 Oxmoor Road in Homewood. Go to sawsbbq.com for additional locations.

Since the late Mike Wilson opened the original SAW’s BBQ in Homewood in 2009, SAW’s has added five more locations around Birmingham – plus a food truck – and each has its own personality and menu. (You’ll find the famous pork ‘n’ greens, for instance, at SAW’s Soul Kitchen in Avondale, but not in Homewood; Homewood serves ribs, but Avondale does not.) While we are partial to the smoked chicken with white sauce at the Homewood SAW’s, both the pulled pork and the ribs, which are doused with a Carolina-style, vinegar-based sauce, are reliably spot-on. Wilson — whose “Sorry Ass Wilson” nickname was the inspiration for the SAW’s acronym — died unexpectedly in 2020, but his longtime friend and business partner, Brandon Cain, continues to honor him well.

Order this: The SAW’s Sampler comes with two ribs, pulled pork, a smoked quarter-chicken, white bread, and the choice of two sides.

RELATED: A few things to know about SAW’s BBQ

1. Full Moon Bar-B-Que

525 25th St. South in Birmingham. Go to fullmoonbbq.com for additional locations.

Full Moon Bar-B-Que is one of those rare barbecue gems that does just about everything exceptionally well, and it does so with remarkable consistency — not just the hickory-smoked ribs and the sliced pork sandwiches, but also the zesty marinated coleslaw and the smoky baked beans, the luscious carrot cake and those famous Half Moon Cookies. Brothers Joe and David Maluff have grown the Full Moon brand to include 17 locations since they bought the business in 1997, but it all began in this cozy, concrete-block building that former football coach Pat James and his wife, Eloise, opened on Birmingham’s Southside in 1986. The Jameses nicknamed their place “The Best Little Pork House in Alabama,” and it was no idle boast. It was then, and still is now, our go-to spot for real-deal Birmingham barbecue.

Order this: The smoked turkey sandwich smothered with barbecue sauce and topped with chow-chow and some of that coleslaw is so good it will make you forget you’re not eating pork.

RELATED: 5 things to know about Full Moon Bar-B-Que

More on Alabama barbecue:

The Alabama Barbecue Bucket List

Making a forgotten Alabama barbecue joint relevant again

A slice of barbecue heaven in Alabama’s Black Belt

A small-town Alabama BBQ joint and the little boy who inspired it