Eastern Carolina BBQ Throw Down
2023-10-13 – 2023-10-14 · Rocky Mount, NC · 📍 S Church St · State championship
Reps: ALAN ROTHROCK, DOUG REID · Prize money: $18,900.00
Grand Champion: Swine 'N' Roses BBQ (702.2400) · 27 teams
Reserve Champion: 🥈 Smoke Central BBQ
Entries
Top score
Winning margin
Field average
Perfect 180s
Tightest race
Top-10 cutoff
Field spread
Prize money
Double threats
How hot was the win?
Traveled in
Came back for more
Form held
Field strength
Storylines
👑 A dynasty in the making
MUTTLEY CREW BBQ has won this contest 2 times across its 8 tracked editions.
💪 A statement win
The champion won by 8.5600 points — a wider margin than 85% of championships in the data.
🧳 Out-of-towners took the title
Swine 'N' Roses BBQ took the Grand Championship home to VA.
📸 Photo finishes
Chicken places 4–5: ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN and Swine 'N' Roses BBQ tied on 175.4056 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 6–7: MUTTLEY CREW BBQ and Bourbon & Blues BBQ tied on 174.2628 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 9–10: SmoKing Aces BBQ - NC and SMOKE SHOW MAFIA tied on 171.9656 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
🛡️ Back to defend
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: MUTTLEY CREW BBQ (won 2017, 2018), Fred Vegas Smokers (won 2021).
🃏 An upset on the books
Swine 'N' Roses BBQ came in rated below the field's top team, ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN, and took the Grand Championship anyway — roughly a 24-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings.
Score curves (score by finishing position — steep cliffs mean a spread field, flat lines a knife fight)
Category showdown (top / average / median score per meat)
Score distribution
Biggest rating movers (power-rating points won and lost at this contest)
Did form hold? (pre-contest rating vs overall finish — ratings called it if the dots climb to the right)
Where the field came from (home regions on file)
This contest over the years full contest page →
| Date | Where | Venue | Teams | High score | Grand Champion | Reserve Champion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013-10-11 | Rocky Mount, NC | 55 | 682.2744 | FatBacks BBQ & Rib Shack | WARREN COUNTY PORK CHOPPERS | |
| 2016-10-07 | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 2017-10-13 | S Church St. | 50 | 701.0972 | MUTTLEY CREW BBQ | THE SMOKEHOUSE BANDITS!!! | |
| 2018-10-12 | S Church St. | 39 | 682.7428 | MUTTLEY CREW BBQ | REDNECK SCIENTIFIC | |
| 2019-10-11 | Rocky Mount, NC | S Church st | 32 | 705.1316 | Old Colony Smokehouse | REDNECK SCIENTIFIC |
| 2021-10-08 | Rocky Mount, NC | S Church St | 26 | 702.2400 | Fred Vegas Smokers | GOOD GOOGLY GOO BBQ |
| 2022-10-07 | Rocky Mount, NC | S Church St | 27 | 705.1316 | Hold Your Horses BBQ | FRED VEGAS SMOKERS |
| 2023-10-13 ← this one | Rocky Mount, NC | S Church St | 27 | 702.2400 | Swine 'N' Roses BBQ | Smoke Central BBQ |
| 2024-10-11 | Rocky Mount, NC | 285 NE Main Street | 26 | 702.7884 | Smoke Central | FRED VEGAS SMOKERS |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 179.4400 | 175.4056 | 171.9656 |
| Pork Ribs | 177.1428 | 173.1200 | 170.8916 |
| Pork | 175.4400 | 173.1200 | 169.1084 |
| Brisket | 177.7028 | 175.4172 | 171.9656 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
27 entries · top 702.2400 · median 674.1712
Chicken
27 entries · top 179.4400 · median 169.6800
Pork Ribs
27 entries · top 177.1428 · median 169.1316
Pork
27 entries · top 175.4400 · median 166.2512
Brisket
27 entries · top 177.7028 · median 169.1200