A razor-thin finish
0.5600
points between champion and reserve
Closer than 91% of the 4,710 championships in the data
The Grand Championship was decided by 0.5600 points — closer than 91% of every championship in the data.
- YES DEAR BBQ
- Ham Squad
Sip & Swine BBQ Festival 2024
Mar 1–2, 2024 · Lawrenceville, GA · 📍 2500 Buford Dr. · State championship
Reps: Julie Cook, Rachel Harper, Rusty Cook, Wayne Harper · Prize money: $12,100
YES, DEAR BBQ won Grand Champion at the Sip & Swine BBQ Festival on March 1, 2024 in Lawrenceville, GA at 2500 Buford Dr., scoring 703.9428 in a field of 59 teams. Ham Squad took Reserve Grand Champion with 703.3828. Category winners: Chicken — Ham Squad (180.0000); Pork Ribs — MAYA JANE BBQ CO. (178.8572); Pork — HOLD YOUR HORSES BBQ (180.0000); Brisket — YES, DEAR BBQ (180.0000). The Backyard Series standings were won by Steak Princess BBQ with 355.4172. This is the 9th of 12 editions of this contest on record; the 2023 edition was won by CHEWIN' THE BBQ FAT!; the next was held in 2025.
The contest at a glance (read off the scored boards)
How the field scored
Overall totals, every team on the board — tall stacks are where the pack sat.
602.00
median 679.86
703.94 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Master Series — Chicken 180 🔥
- Master Series — Pork Ribs 178.86
- Master Series — Pork 180 🔥
- Master Series — Brisket 180 🔥
- Backyard Series — Chicken 180 🔥
- Backyard Series — Pork Ribs 180 🔥
- Ancillary — Pork 177.70
20
180
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2016 to 2026 — this edition picked out.
Entries
59
7 judged meats
Top score
703.9428
Winning margin
0.5600
GC over RC
Field average
671.57
602.00703.94
median 679.86 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
6 🔥
Steak Princess BBQ (Chicken), MILL HILL BARBEQUE COMPANY (Pork Ribs), YES, DEAR BBQ (Brisket) + 3 more
Tightest race
Pork Ribs
2.2972 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
692.4912
602.00703.94
10th place overall
Field spread
101.9424
winner to last place
Prize money
$12,100
on the line
Double threats
6
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 19%
beats 81% of 4711 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
51%
54 of 106 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Moderate
ρ = -0.57 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,568
avg power rating going in · stronger than 52% of contests
Storylines (8 found in this contest's numbers)
Everything below is read straight out of the results — the number on each card is the one that made it a story.
An upset on the books
26-in-100
shot on pre-contest ratings
The ratings favoured the top seed the other 74 times in 100
YES, DEAR BBQ came in rated below the field's top team, TRIPLE H BBQ, and took the Grand Championship anyway — roughly a 26-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings.
- champion 1738
- top seed 1922
A day of perfect scores
6
perfect 180s
6 perfect 180s were scored at this contest — every judge at the table handing back a nine.
- Steak Princess BBQ · Chicken
- MILL HILL BARBEQUE COMPANY · Pork Ribs
- YES, DEAR BBQ · Brisket
A dynasty in the making
2×
wins at this contest
2 of 11 tracked editions
ATLANTA BBQ STORE has won this contest 2 times across its 11 tracked editions.
- 2017
- 2019
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 25 calls decided inside half a point
Master Series — Chicken places 6–7: FRED VEGAS SMOKERS and SWIG-N-PIG tied on 176.5600 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Master Series — Chicken places 7–8: SWIG-N-PIG and COCAMOKE SMOKE BBQ tied on 176.5600 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Master Series — Pork Ribs places 4–5: MCADOO HEIGHTS BBQ and Quenut BBQ tied on 176.5600 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Master Series — Chicken 6–7 · tie
- Master Series — Chicken 7–8 · tie
- Master Series — Pork Ribs 4–5 · tie
- Master Series — Pork Ribs 5–6 · tie
How the title was won
2 of 4
meats called to the stage
YES, DEAR BBQ took the title on 2 calls from 4 meats, with 1 outright win — their weakest board was chicken at 16th.
- Chicken 16th
- Pork Ribs 7th
- Pork 13th
- Brisket 1st
Back to defend
3
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: ATLANTA BBQ STORE (won 2017, 2019), TRIPLE H BBQ (won 2021), SMOKINGHOSTBBQ (won 2022).
- ATLANTA BBQ STORE · 2017, 2019
- TRIPLE H BBQ · 2021
- SMOKINGHOSTBBQ · 2022
One of the big ones
59
teams on the grounds
Bigger than 91% of the 5,462 contests in the data
59 teams — bigger than 91% of the 5,462 contests in the data.
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)
This contest over the years full contest page →
| Date | Where | Venue | Teams | High score | Grand Champion | Reserve Champion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 4, 2016 | Lawrenceville, GA | Coolray Field- Lawrenceville, GA | 59 | 692.5372 | CHECKERED PIG | SAUCED! BBQ TEAM |
| Mar 3, 2017 | Lawrenceville, GA | Coolray Field- Lawrenceville, GA | 63 | 696.5140 | ATLANTA BBQ STORE | WHO CARES BBQ |
| Mar 2, 2018 | Lawrenceville, GA | Coolray Field | 59 | 691.9316 | THE PIT CREW GA | WHO CARES BBQ |
| Mar 1, 2019 | Lawrenceville, GA | Coolray Field | 62 | 690.2056 | ATLANTA BBQ STORE | WHO CARES BBQ |
| Mar 6, 2020 | Lawrenceville, GA | 2500 Buford Dr | 61 | 693.0624 | ANGRY JACK BBQ | 4 LEGS UP BBQ |
| Mar 5, 2021 | Lawrenceville, GA | Lawrenceville, GA 30043 | 81 | 704.5488 | TRIPLE H BBQ | ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN |
| Mar 4, 2022 | Lawrenceville, GA | Lawrenceville, GA 30043 | 73 | 706.2284 | SMOKINGHOSTBBQ | SWEET DIXIE BBQ |
| Mar 3, 2023 | Lawrenceville, GA | 2500 Buford Dr. | 65 | 703.9660 | CHEWIN' THE BBQ FAT! | Gardenvalley Smokers |
| Mar 1, 2024 ← this one | Lawrenceville, GA | 2500 Buford Dr. | 59 | 703.9428 | YES DEAR BBQ | Ham Squad |
| Mar 7, 2025 | Lawrenceville, GA | 2500 Buford Dr. | 45 | 702.8000 | Janky Leg BBQ | COCAMOKE SMOKE BBQ |
| Mar 6, 2026 | Lawrenceville, GA | 2500 Buford Dr. | 44 | 705.6916 | Electro-Que-ted | MCADOO HEIGHTS BBQ |
| Mar 5, 2027 | Lawrenceville, GA | — | — | — | — | — |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Master Series — Chicken | 180 | 176.5716 | 175.4172 |
| Master Series — Pork Ribs | 178.8572 | 176.5600 | 174.2628 |
| Master Series — Pork | 180 | 176.5600 | 174.2628 |
| Master Series — Brisket | 180 | 176.5600 | 175.4056 |
| Backyard Series — Chicken | 180 | 173.1084 | 169.6800 |
| Backyard Series — Pork Ribs | 180 | 173.1544 | 168.0116 |
| Ancillary — Pork | 177.7028 | 173.7144 | 170.2628 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
59 entries · top 703.9428 · median 679.8628
Chicken
59 entries · top 180 · median 170.8228 · 🔥 perfect 180
Pork Ribs
59 entries · top 178.8572 · median 169.6800
Pork
59 entries · top 180 · median 168.5372 · 🔥 perfect 180
Brisket
59 entries · top 180 · median 169.6684 · 🔥 perfect 180
Backyard Series
Overall
36 entries · top 355.4172 · median 327.3542
Chicken
36 entries · top 180 · median 164.8172 · 🔥 perfect 180
Pork Ribs
36 entries · top 180 · median 165.1028 · 🔥 perfect 180
Ancillary
Pork
36 entries · top 177.7028 · median 165.3886