History
Pulled pork sandwiches anchor Alabama barbecue alongside the white-sauce smoked chicken, with the regional preference for hickory-smoked Boston butt pulled by hand rather than chopped. Saw's BBQ in Homewood opened in 2009 and brought the canonical Birmingham version to the metro; the Mike Wilson signature is pulled pork on a soft bun with mayonnaise-based white slaw. Dreamland in Tuscaloosa (day-trip) runs the dry-rub ribs version of the same Alabama tradition.
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Common allergens: Gluten, Eggs
Make it at home
Ingredients
- 1 bone-in pork shoulder (Boston butt), 2.5 to 3kg
- 60g brown sugar
- 30g paprika
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 tablespoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 2 teaspoons cayenne
- Hickory wood chunks for smoking
- Soft white buns to serve
- Mayonnaise-based coleslaw
Method
- Mix the brown sugar, paprika, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and cayenne in a bowl. Rub generously all over the pork shoulder.
- Prepare a smoker or kettle grill for indirect cooking at 110C / 225F with hickory chunks.
- Smoke the shoulder fat-side up for 6 to 8 hours, until the internal temperature reaches 95C / 200F and the bone pulls cleanly.
- Rest the shoulder wrapped in foil for 30 minutes.
- Pull the pork by hand into chunks and shreds, discarding excess fat.
- Pile on soft white buns, top with coleslaw and serve with red sauce or Alabama white sauce on the side.
Tip from the editors. The bark (the spice-rub crust) is the prize; mix bark pieces into every sandwich, don't trim them away.
Where to eat pulled pork sandwich
Pulled pork sandwich in Birmingham
Saw's BBQ ★ 4.5
Saw's BBQ in Homewood near Birmingham serves the canonical Mike Wilson pulled-pork sandwich with Alabama white sauce slaw under $12 from the 2009 shack.
TryPulled pork sandwich, $9-12
Saw's Soul Kitchen ★ 4.3
Saw's Soul Kitchen on 41st Street South Avondale is the 2012 Brandon Cain sibling to Saw's BBQ, mixing Alabama white sauce barbecue with soul-food sides.
Why locals goThe Avondale 2012 sibling to Saw's BBQ runs a smaller room than the Homewood original, with a pork-and-greens plate locals defend hardest.
TipOrder the pork-and-greens stuffed sandwich; the banana pudding has a smaller crowd than the Homewood location.
Demetri's BBQ ★ 4.0
Demetri's BBQ on 28th Avenue South Homewood Birmingham has run a Greek-American meat-and-three since 1973, continuing the 1961 El Rancho BBQ tradition.
Why locals goThe 1973 Greek-American meat-and-three in Homewood is masked behind a barbecue sign; locals know it as a Birmingham lunch institution.
TipOrder the Greek salad alongside the pulled-pork plate to taste the Greek-American crossover.
More cities are in research. Want pulled pork sandwich covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.