2023-09-23 – 2023-09-24 · Ashland, VA · 📍 11322 Air Park Drive
Reps: BILL JONES · Prize money: $1,725.00
Grand Champion: BETTER HALF BARBECUE (529.6916) · 20 teams
Reserve Champion: 🥈 Gold-N-Blue Barbecue
Overall totals, every team on the board — tall stacks are where the pack sat.
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
Everything below is read straight out of the results — the number on each card is the one that made it a story.
529.6916 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 525.7144 POOR BOYS BBQ set in 2022.
The ratings favoured the top seed the other 72 times in 100
Better Half Barbecue came in rated below the field's top team, Gold-N-Blue Barbecue, and took the Grand Championship anyway — roughly a 28-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings.
Pork places 3–4: POOR BOYS BBQ and Swine 'N' Roses BBQ tied on 175.4172 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork places 6–7: HotMess BBQ and Better Half Barbecue tied on 171.9888 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 4–5: POOR BOYS BBQ edged Better Half Barbecue by 0.0116.
Better Half Barbecue took the title on 3 calls from 3 meats, with 1 outright win — their weakest board was pork at 7th.
Better Half Barbecue turned in 180.0000 in pork ribs — past the 176.5716 that had stood across 1 earlier editions.
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: POOR BOYS BBQ (won 2022).
2 perfect 180s were scored at this contest — every judge at the table handing back a nine.
| Date | Where | Venue | Teams | High score | Grand Champion | Reserve Champion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-09-24 | Ashland, VA | 11322 Air Park Drive | 18 | 525.7144 | POOR BOYS BBQ | — |
| 2023-09-23 ← this one | Ashland, VA | 11322 Air Park Drive | 20 | 529.6916 | BETTER HALF BARBECUE | — |
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 180.0000 | 177.7028 | 171.4172 |
| Pork Ribs | 180.0000 | 173.1544 | 171.4288 |
| Pork | 178.8572 | 173.1200 | 170.2744 |
20 entries · top 529.6916 · median 512.8058
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Better Half Barbecue | |
| 2 | Gold-N-Blue Barbecue | |
| 3 | Swine 'N' Roses BBQ | |
| 4 | POOR BOYS BBQ | |
| 5 | Buckshot's BBQ | |
| 6 | BROCK'S BBQ | |
| 7 | RED SMOKE BAR-B-QUE | |
| 8 | Uncle Dubby's Backyard BBQ | |
| 9 | HotMess BBQ | |
| 10 | Country Boys BBQ | |
| 11 | Piggy & Swine BBQ | |
| 12 | TWIZTED SMOKE BBQ | |
| 13 | Dogpatch Q | |
| 14 | Pink Ring BBQ | |
| 15 | Mad Hatter BBQ | |
| 16 | Goudas Barbecue | |
| 17 | The Swine Doctor's BBQ | |
| 18 | Troublemaker BBQ | |
| 19 | BOOSTED BBQ | |
| 20 | Conviction BBQ Team |
20 entries · top 180.0000 · median 171.1314 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gold-N-Blue Barbecue | |
| 2 | Uncle Dubby's Backyard BBQ | |
| 3 | Country Boys BBQ | |
| 4 | POOR BOYS BBQ | |
| 5 | Better Half Barbecue | |
| 6 | Pink Ring BBQ | |
| 7 | Piggy & Swine BBQ | |
| 8 | Swine 'N' Roses BBQ | |
| 9 | TWIZTED SMOKE BBQ | |
| 10 | Goudas Barbecue | |
| 11 | Mad Hatter BBQ | |
| 12 | Dogpatch Q | |
| 13 | RED SMOKE BAR-B-QUE | |
| 14 | Buckshot's BBQ | |
| 15 | HotMess BBQ | |
| 16 | BROCK'S BBQ | |
| 17 | The Swine Doctor's BBQ | |
| 18 | BOOSTED BBQ | |
| 19 | Troublemaker BBQ | |
| 20 | Conviction BBQ Team |
20 entries · top 180.0000 · median 170.8458 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Better Half Barbecue | |
| 2 | Gold-N-Blue Barbecue | |
| 3 | RED SMOKE BAR-B-QUE | |
| 4 | HotMess BBQ | |
| 5 | Swine 'N' Roses BBQ | |
| 6 | BOOSTED BBQ | |
| 7 | Buckshot's BBQ | |
| 8 | BROCK'S BBQ | |
| 9 | TWIZTED SMOKE BBQ | |
| 10 | Pink Ring BBQ | |
| 11 | Piggy & Swine BBQ | |
| 12 | Country Boys BBQ | |
| 13 | Uncle Dubby's Backyard BBQ | |
| 14 | Dogpatch Q | |
| 15 | POOR BOYS BBQ | |
| 16 | Mad Hatter BBQ | |
| 17 | Goudas Barbecue | |
| 18 | Troublemaker BBQ | |
| 19 | Conviction BBQ Team | |
| 20 | The Swine Doctor's BBQ |
20 entries · top 178.8572 · median 169.9772
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | BROCK'S BBQ | |
| 2 | Buckshot's BBQ | |
| 3 | POOR BOYS BBQ | |
| 4 | Swine 'N' Roses BBQ | |
| 5 | RED SMOKE BAR-B-QUE | |
| 6 | HotMess BBQ | |
| 7 | Better Half Barbecue | |
| 8 | Dogpatch Q | |
| 9 | The Swine Doctor's BBQ | |
| 10 | Mad Hatter BBQ | |
| 11 | Gold-N-Blue Barbecue | |
| 12 | Goudas Barbecue | |
| 13 | Piggy & Swine BBQ | |
| 14 | Uncle Dubby's Backyard BBQ | |
| 15 | TWIZTED SMOKE BBQ | |
| 16 | Country Boys BBQ | |
| 17 | Pink Ring BBQ | |
| 18 | Troublemaker BBQ | |
| 19 | Conviction BBQ Team | |
| 20 | BOOSTED BBQ |