Sep 29–30, 2023 · Jonesboro, AR · 📍 315 Union · State championship
Reps: Bunny Tuttle, Rich Tuttle · Prize money: $13,200
MEMPHIS ORIGINAL BBQ won Grand Champion at the Downtown Jonesboro BBQ Festival on September 29, 2023 in Jonesboro, AR at 315 Union, scoring 703.3712 in a field of 25 teams. Poppa Pig took Reserve Grand Champion with 701.6684. Category winners: Chicken — FIRE DANCER BBQ (180.0000); Pork Ribs — HOG HEAVEN BAR B QUE (178.8572); Pork — Poppa Pig (180.0000); Brisket — MEMPHIS ORIGINAL BBQ (180.0000). This is the 6th of 8 editions of this contest on record; the 2019 edition was won by COWBOY Q; the next was held in 2024.
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.
What it has taken to win here, 2014 to 2025 — this edition picked out.
Everything below is read straight out of the results — the number on each card is the one that made it a story.
The ratings favoured the top seed the other 84 times in 100
MEMPHIS ORIGINAL BBQ came in rated below the field's top team, ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN, and took the Grand Championship anyway — roughly a 16-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings.
This was MEMPHIS ORIGINAL BBQ's first Grand Championship in the data — it arrived at their 59th tracked contest.
3 perfect 180s were scored at this contest — every judge at the table handing back a nine.
2 of 8 tracked editions
RAZORRACKS has won this contest 2 times across its 8 tracked editions.
Pork Ribs places 7–8: Glamping Grillers and Smokin Through The Night tied on 173.1200 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Brisket places 3–4: HOG HEAVEN BAR B QUE and ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN tied on 171.9656 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 8–9: Glamping Grillers edged MEMPHIS ORIGINAL BBQ by 0.0116.
MEMPHIS ORIGINAL BBQ took the title on 4 calls from 4 meats, with 1 outright win — their weakest board was chicken at 9th.
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: COWBOY Q (won 2019).
This contest was away for 4 years — the previous tracked edition ran on 2019-09-27.
| Date | Where | Venue | Teams | High score | Grand Champion | Reserve Champion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 26, 2014 | Jonesboro, AR | Jonesboro, AR 72404 | 48 | 692.5484 | HIGGINBOTHAM FAMILY DENTAL GROUP | FIRE DANCER BBQ |
| Sep 25, 2015 | Jonesboro, AR | Jonesboro, AR 72404 | 38 | 708.0456 | RAZORRACKS | KILLER HOGS |
| Sep 30, 2016 | Jonesboro, AR | Main St | 44 | 701.7488 | TRIPLE 5 COMPETITION BBQ | GETTIN' BASTED |
| Sep 29, 2017 | Jonesboro, AR | Main St/Union St | 33 | 694.7768 | RAZORRACKS | Higginbotham Family Dental |
| Sep 27, 2019 | Jonesboro, AR | Downtown Jonesboro BBQ Festival | 43 | 699.9544 | COWBOY Q | RIDGE OUTLAWS BBQ |
| Sep 29, 2023 ← this one | Jonesboro, AR | 315 Union | 25 | 703.3712 | MEMPHIS ORIGINAL BBQ | Poppa Pig |
| Sep 27, 2024 | Jonesboro, AR | 314 Union | 27 | 705.7028 | Glamping Grillers | RAZORRACKS |
| Sep 26, 2025 | Jonesboro, AR | 314 Union | 26 | 717.7028 | Bad Dog BBQ | PIGLITICALLY INCORRECT BBQ |
| Sep 25, 2026 | Jonesboro, AR | — | — | — | — | — |
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 180 | 173.1084 | 169.1316 |
| Pork Ribs | 178.8572 | 174.2628 | 169.7144 |
| Pork | 180 | 174.8572 | 168.5256 |
| Brisket | 180 | 171.4400 | 165.7028 |
25 entries · top 703.3712 · median 660.4112
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | MEMPHIS ORIGINAL BBQ | |
| 2 | Poppa Pig | |
| 3 | ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN | |
| 4 | FIRE DANCER BBQ | |
| 5 | Ambition Que | |
| 6 | TRUMP MY RUMP BBQ CREW | |
| 7 | Glamping Grillers | |
| 8 | HOG HEAVEN BAR B QUE | |
| 9 | Smokin Through The Night | |
| 10 | COWBOY Q | |
| 11 | HILLBILLY HOGGERS | |
| 12 | ACE BBQ | |
| 13 | PORK AVENUE | |
| 14 | PEC SERVICES | |
| 15 | A QUE GOOD MEN | |
| 16 | DEM PELLET BOYS | |
| 17 | RUB MY BUTT BBQ | |
| 18 | DOWNHOMEQUE | |
| 19 | Big Dog Grillers | |
| 20 | "L" IF I KNOW | |
| 21 | RIGGS CAT | |
| 22 | SWINE AND CHEESE | |
| 23 | KINFOLKS SMOKIN BUTTS | |
| 24 | WILD WOLVES BBQ | |
| 25 | CHEEESE & SWINE-FL FAMILY |
25 entries · top 180 · median 167.3828 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | FIRE DANCER BBQ | |
| 2 | COWBOY Q | |
| 3 | ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN | |
| 4 | Poppa Pig | |
| 5 | Ambition Que | |
| 6 | TRUMP MY RUMP BBQ CREW | |
| 7 | Smokin Through The Night | |
| 8 | Glamping Grillers | |
| 9 | MEMPHIS ORIGINAL BBQ | |
| 10 | HILLBILLY HOGGERS | |
| 11 | DEM PELLET BOYS | |
| 12 | ACE BBQ | |
| 13 | PORK AVENUE | |
| 14 | RUB MY BUTT BBQ | |
| 15 | "L" IF I KNOW | |
| 16 | A QUE GOOD MEN | |
| 17 | HOG HEAVEN BAR B QUE | |
| 18 | PEC SERVICES | |
| 19 | WILD WOLVES BBQ | |
| 20 | Big Dog Grillers | |
| 21 | KINFOLKS SMOKIN BUTTS | |
| 22 | SWINE AND CHEESE | |
| 23 | DOWNHOMEQUE | |
| 24 | RIGGS CAT | |
| 25 | CHEEESE & SWINE-FL FAMILY |
25 entries · top 178.8572 · median 167.9772
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | HOG HEAVEN BAR B QUE | |
| 2 | Ambition Que | |
| 3 | MEMPHIS ORIGINAL BBQ | |
| 4 | FIRE DANCER BBQ | |
| 5 | ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN | |
| 6 | HILLBILLY HOGGERS | |
| 7 | Glamping Grillers | |
| 8 | Smokin Through The Night | |
| 9 | ACE BBQ | |
| 10 | TRUMP MY RUMP BBQ CREW | |
| 11 | COWBOY Q | |
| 12 | Poppa Pig | |
| 13 | PEC SERVICES | |
| 14 | SWINE AND CHEESE | |
| 15 | A QUE GOOD MEN | |
| 16 | PORK AVENUE | |
| 17 | DEM PELLET BOYS | |
| 18 | DOWNHOMEQUE | |
| 19 | Big Dog Grillers | |
| 20 | RIGGS CAT | |
| 21 | RUB MY BUTT BBQ | |
| 22 | CHEEESE & SWINE-FL FAMILY | |
| 23 | "L" IF I KNOW | |
| 24 | KINFOLKS SMOKIN BUTTS | |
| 25 | WILD WOLVES BBQ |
25 entries · top 180 · median 166.2628 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Poppa Pig | |
| 2 | TRUMP MY RUMP BBQ CREW | |
| 3 | MEMPHIS ORIGINAL BBQ | |
| 4 | PEC SERVICES | |
| 5 | ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN | |
| 6 | Ambition Que | |
| 7 | Smokin Through The Night | |
| 8 | Glamping Grillers | |
| 9 | FIRE DANCER BBQ | |
| 10 | HOG HEAVEN BAR B QUE | |
| 11 | RUB MY BUTT BBQ | |
| 12 | COWBOY Q | |
| 13 | HILLBILLY HOGGERS | |
| 14 | RIGGS CAT | |
| 15 | DEM PELLET BOYS | |
| 16 | ACE BBQ | |
| 17 | PORK AVENUE | |
| 18 | SWINE AND CHEESE | |
| 19 | "L" IF I KNOW | |
| 20 | CHEEESE & SWINE-FL FAMILY | |
| 21 | DOWNHOMEQUE | |
| 22 | Big Dog Grillers | |
| 23 | A QUE GOOD MEN | |
| 24 | KINFOLKS SMOKIN BUTTS | |
| 25 | WILD WOLVES BBQ |
25 entries · top 180 · median 163.3828 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | MEMPHIS ORIGINAL BBQ | |
| 2 | Poppa Pig | |
| 3 | HOG HEAVEN BAR B QUE | |
| 4 | ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN | |
| 5 | FIRE DANCER BBQ | |
| 6 | Glamping Grillers | |
| 7 | TRUMP MY RUMP BBQ CREW | |
| 8 | A QUE GOOD MEN | |
| 9 | DOWNHOMEQUE | |
| 10 | Ambition Que | |
| 11 | KINFOLKS SMOKIN BUTTS | |
| 12 | PORK AVENUE | |
| 13 | Smokin Through The Night | |
| 14 | HILLBILLY HOGGERS | |
| 15 | COWBOY Q | |
| 16 | ACE BBQ | |
| 17 | WILD WOLVES BBQ | |
| 18 | Big Dog Grillers | |
| 19 | RUB MY BUTT BBQ | |
| 20 | RIGGS CAT | |
| 21 | DEM PELLET BOYS | |
| 22 | "L" IF I KNOW | |
| 23 | PEC SERVICES | |
| 24 | CHEEESE & SWINE-FL FAMILY | |
| 25 | SWINE AND CHEESE |