A razor-thin finish
0.5944
points between champion and reserve
Closer than 82% of the 610 championships in the data
The Grand Championship was decided by 0.5944 points — closer than 82% of every championship in the data.
- Smokey Bees BBQ
- RIBLIFE
Foley BBQ & Blues Cook-Off (BACKYARD ONLY) 2024
Mar 9–10, 2024 · Foley, AL · 📍 125 E Laurel Ave
Reps: Carol Bigler, Randy G Bigler · Prize money: $3,050
Smokey Bees BBQ - MS won Grand Champion at the Foley BBQ & Blues Cook-Off (BACKYARD ONLY) on March 9, 2024 in Foley, AL at 125 E Laurel Ave, scoring 349.1200 in a field of 28 teams. RIBLIFE took Reserve Grand Champion with 348.5256. Category winners: Chicken — RIBLIFE (177.7028); Pork Ribs — FLAPS UP BBQ (172.0344). This is the 5th of 7 editions of this contest on record; the 2023 edition was won by Smokey Bees BBQ - MS; 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.
143.38
median 321.98
349.12 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Backyard Series — Chicken 177.70
- Backyard Series — Pork Ribs 172.03
- Ancillary — Pork 176.06
143.38
177.70
Entries
29
3 judged meats · 3 ancillary
Top score
349.1200
Winning margin
0.5944
GC over RC
Field average
319.34
143.38349.12
median 321.98 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Pork Ribs
1.2116 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
335.3484
143.38349.12
10th place overall
Field spread
205.7372
winner to last place
Prize money
$3,050
on the line
Double threats
3
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 53%
beats 47% of 610 Backyard Series wins in the data
Came back for more
48%
15 of 31 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Moderate
ρ = -0.42 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,545
avg power rating going in · stronger than 34% of contests
Storylines (5 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.
Back-to-back
2 in a row
editions of this contest
Smokey Bees BBQ won here last time out too — 2 straight editions of this contest.
- 2023
- 2024
A dynasty in the making
3×
wins at this contest
3 of 7 tracked editions
Smokey Bees BBQ - MS has won this contest 3 times across its 7 tracked editions.
- 2023
- 2024
- 2025
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 6 calls decided inside half a point
Backyard Series — Chicken places 1–2: RIBLIFE and Smokey Bees BBQ - MS tied on 177.7028 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Backyard Series — Pork Ribs places 2–3: Deviant Smoke and NORALA BBQ TEAM tied on 171.9656 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Backyard Series — Pork Ribs places 7–8: Bama BBQ Supply and Pat's Blue Ribbon tied on 167.4172 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Backyard Series — Chicken 1–2 · tie
- Backyard Series — Pork Ribs 2–3 · tie
- Backyard Series — Pork Ribs 7–8 · tie
- Backyard Series — Chicken 5–6 · 0.0116
Back to defend
2
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: Lee La Q (won 2022), Smokey Bees BBQ - MS (won 2023).
- Lee La Q · 2022
- Smokey Bees BBQ - MS · 2023
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 13, 2020 | Foley, AL | 125 E Laurel Ave | 23 | 513.0628 | Sneaky Creeek |
| Mar 12, 2021 | Foley, AL | 125 E Laurel Ave | 28 | 518.8000 | PuckDaddy;s Killer Q |
| Mar 12, 2022 | Foley, AL | 125 E Laurel Ave | 26 | 520.5028 | Lee La Q |
| Mar 10, 2023 | Foley, AL | 125 E Laurel Ave | 31 | 521.6800 | Smokey Bees BBQ - MS |
| Mar 9, 2024 ← this one | Foley, AL | 125 E Laurel Ave | 28 | 349.1200 | Smokey Bees BBQ |
| Mar 7, 2025 | Foley, AL | 125 E Laurel Ave | 30 | 358.8572 | Smokey Bees BBQ - MS |
| Mar 13, 2026 | Foley, AL | 200 N. Alston Street | 30 | 357.7028 | Southern Swine |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Backyard Series — Chicken | 177.7028 | 171.9772 | 165.1200 |
| Backyard Series — Pork Ribs | 172.0344 | 170.8228 | 165.6916 |
| Ancillary — Pork | 176.0572 | 173.7028 | 169.1316 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Backyard Series
Overall
28 entries · top 349.1200 · median 321.9828
Chicken
27 entries · top 177.7028 · median 161.1428
Pork Ribs
28 entries · top 172.0344 · median 163.7144
Ancillary
Pork
29 entries · top 176.0572 · median 164.5600
Ancillary categories
Run by the organizers alongside the sanctioned contest. These are judged on their own terms and do not count toward the overall score, so they're kept out of the meat stats above.
Ancillary — Anything But
18 entries · top 180 · median 165.6800 · 🔥 perfect 180
Ancillary — Dessert
11 entries · top 180 · median 177.1428 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | FAT CAT BBQ | |
| 2 | Deviant Smoke | |
| 3 | Paris Ace Hardware | |
| 4 | Jubilee Smoke | |
| 5 | Pigs In A Blanket | |
| 6 | RIBLIFE | |
| 7 | KEY'S Southern Spice | |
| 8 | A&J Catering | |
| 9 | Jangalangs | |
| 10 | Island Pig Posse | |
| 11 | The Dumpster Guy |
Ancillary — Sauce
18 entries · top 175.4172 · median 162.5198