Cumming has been named one of the top 10 cities for barbecue by a Web site that explores America’s best places to live and visit.

Livability.com recently released its list of Top 10 Best BBQ Cities, which focused on lesser-known barbecue destinations, avoiding hot spots such as Memphis, Austin and Kansas City.

Cumming, which ranked 10th, was chosen because of “its incredible ratio of barbecue restaurants to residents” of about 1 to 1,000, based on U.S. Census numbers.

The city also garnered some attention because of the National BBQ Cup: Que’n in Cumming, which was held for the first time in November at the Cumming Fair-grounds.

According to a news release, editors purposely avoided well-known stops, instead concentrating on small to mid-sized cities with “a large and loyal local barbecue fan base.”

John Hood, a spokesman for the Web site, said in a statement that they attempt to “uncover those hidden gems in cities and help them shine.”

“So when a list of BBQ cities was proposed, it was decided that we wouldn’t take the easy route of listing the usual suspects,” he said. “Instead we’d go mining for those gems that the rest of the country might not yet have discovered.”

The National BBQ Cup: Que’n in Cumming, a Kansas City Barbeque Society-sanctioned event, drew about 90 professional barbecue teams from across the country, as well as hundreds of spectators last fall.

A second event is planned for Nov. 16 and 17, said organizer Randall Bowman.

As for the online ranking, Bowman said he was “ecstatic.”

“I think it’s wonderful,” he said. “When I got the [listing], I was excited to see we were in the top 10. I wish we were a little higher, but it’s nice to be on the list at all.”

Other cities in the top 10 included: Gainesville, Fla.; Fayetteville, Ark.; Bethesda, Md.; Springfield, Mo.; Tyler, Texas; Hattiesburg, Miss.; Greenville, S.C.; Tuscaloosa, Ala.; and Lexington, N.C.