BIRMINGHAM, Alabama - Saw's BBQ is No. 1 with Paula Deen, y'all.

The popular Homewood barbecue joint tops the list of "The Best Barbecue Across America" that appears in the July-August issue of Cooking with Paula Deen magazine, which is available on newsstands now.

Saw's BBQ founder Mike Wilson said Wednesday afternoon he was pleasantly surprised when he learned his place was first on Deen's list.

"To be named No. 1 in something like that is kind of what you do it for," Wilson said. "I couldn't believe it at first. It pays off, all of your hard work."

Here's what Deen's magazine had to say about Saw's BBQ:

"The focus of Saw's BBQ is simple - good ole Southern soul food. Pioneered by Mike Wilson, Saw's has taken Birmingham by a smoky storm. First opening in a residential area of Homewood, the venue has expanded to three locations where they serve classic pulled pork, chicken smothered in a distinctive white sauce, and barbecue-topped baked potatoes. Dubbed an 'upscale dive,' this barbecue joint is one both family and friends will enjoy."

Since opening the original Saw's BBQ in Homewood's Edgewood neighborhood in 2009, Wilson has teamed with other partners to open two more Saw's locations in Birmingham - Saw's Soul Kitchen in Avondale and Saw's Juke Joint in Crestline Park - and this spring, he started a Saw's Street Kitchen food truck.

Last summer, Parade magazine included Saw's Soul Kitchen on its list of the 17 top new barbecue places in America.

Saw's BBQ is No. 1 with Cooking with Paula Deen magazine.

Here is Cooking with Paula Deen magazine's Top 10 list:

1. Saw's BBQ, Homewood.

2. BB's Lawnside Blues & BBQ, Kansas City.

3. Live Oak Barbecue, Austin, Texas.

4. Wexler's, San Francisco.

5. Pappy's Smokehouse, St. Louis.

6. Skylight Inn, Ayden, N.C.

7. Snow's BBQ, Lexington, Texas.

8. Feast BBQ, New Albany, Ind.

9. Peg Leg Porker, Nashville.

10. Mighty Quinn's Barbecue, New York City.

Cooking with Paula Deen is published by Hoffman Media, which is based in Birmingham. Deen, the Savannah, Ga., celebrity chef and cookbook author, is the magazine's editor-in-chief.

To read more stories by Bob Carlton, go here.