A first Grand Championship
3
tracked contests to get there
This was Big James Kitchen's first Grand Championship in the data — it arrived at their 3rd tracked contest.
Dr. George Smith BBQ Brawl (COMPETITORS SERIES) 2024
Apr 19–20, 2024 · Murfreesboro, TN · 📍 3048 West Thompson Lane
Reps: Janet Appleton, Sam Appleton · Prize money: $6,200
Big James Kitchen won Grand Champion at the Dr. George Smith BBQ Brawl (COMPETITORS SERIES) on April 19, 2024 in Murfreesboro, TN at 3048 West Thompson Lane, scoring 529.1428 in a field of 37 teams. The Big B Barbecue Company took Reserve Grand Champion with 523.9428. Category winners: Chicken — Big James Kitchen (180.0000); Pork Ribs — Hogs B Hatin' (178.2972). This is the 2nd of 2 editions of this contest on record; the 2023 edition was won by Pig Destroyer.
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.
446.05
median 505.06
529.14 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 180 🔥
- Pork Ribs 178.30
137.63
180
Entries
37
2 judged meats · 1 ancillary
Top score
529.1428
Winning margin
5.2000
GC over RC
Field average
503.00
446.05529.14
median 505.06 · last place to winner
Tightest race
Pork Ribs
5.1428 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
514.2400
446.05529.14
10th place overall
Field spread
83.0968
winner to last place
Prize money
$6,200
on the line
Came back for more
50%
16 of 32 teams from the previous edition returned
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.
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 7 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 2–3: Electro-Que-Ted and Big Orange Smokers tied on 176.5600 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 6–7: Rollin Smoke BBQ and The Big B Barbecue Company tied on 173.1200 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 9–10: RTQue and Brothers Q BBQ Supply tied on 171.9656 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Chicken 2–3 · tie
- Chicken 6–7 · tie
- Chicken 9–10 · tie
- Chicken 8–9 · 0.0116
A contest record in pork ribs
178.2972
best pork ribs ever cooked here
Hogs B Hatin' turned in 178.2972 in pork ribs — past the 177.1544 that had stood across 1 earlier editions.
- old best 177.1544
- across 1 past editions
Back to defend
1
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: Pig Destroyer (won 2023).
- Pig Destroyer · 2023
A perfect score on the table
1
perfect 180s
1 perfect 180 was scored at this contest — every judge at the table handing back a nine.
- Big James Kitchen · Chicken
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
This contest over the years full contest page →
| Date | Where | Venue | Teams | High score | Grand Champion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | Murfreesboro, TN | Oaklands Mansion | 36 | 526.2972 | Veteran Pork Pullers |
| May 12, 2023 | Murfreesboro, TN | 901 North Maney Avenue | 32 | 522.2400 | Pig Destroyer |
| Apr 19, 2024 ← this one | Murfreesboro, TN | 3048 West Thompson Lane | 37 | 529.1428 | Big James Kitchen |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 180 | 173.7144 | 171.9656 |
| Pork Ribs | 178.2972 | 173.1544 | 171.4400 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Competitor Series
Overall
37 entries · top 529.1428 · median 505.0628 · out of 540, not the usual 720
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Big James Kitchen | |
| 2 | The Big B Barbecue Company | |
| 3 | Pig Destroyer | |
| 4 | Electro-Que-Ted | |
| 5 | Lee LA Q | |
| 6 | Hogs B Hatin' | |
| 7 | The Red Goose | |
| 8 | Smokin' Bandits BBQ | |
| 9 | Slangin' Racks | |
| 10 | KBBS (KY Bourbon Barrel Smokers) | |
| 11 | Purdom's BBQ | |
| 12 | BIGG WIGGS BBQ | |
| 13 | Big Orange Smokers | |
| 14 | High On The Hawg | |
| 15 | Buckshot Malone's Pig Shack | |
| 16 | Buckeye Barbecue | |
| 17 | RTQue | |
| 18 | Rollin Smoke BBQ | |
| 19 | The Blazers | |
| 20 | sHOGun BBQ | |
| 21 | Small Batch BBQ | |
| 22 | Smokin' Daddies BBQ | |
| 23 | Killer B Backyard BBQ | |
| 24 | Budget BBQ | |
| 25 | Carters's BBQ | |
| 26 | Brothers Q BBQ Supply | |
| 27 | Smoke A Fatty BBQ Nashville | |
| 28 | Swine Crew | |
| 29 | Cliffs Smokin BBQ | |
| 30 | Roger Rays BBQ | |
| 31 | Smoking Buds BBQ | |
| 32 | Manos al Fuego BBQ Team | |
| 33 | Serious Hog | |
| 34 | SimpleMan BBQ | |
| 35 | Smokin Pimp | |
| 36 | Mj's Ribs | |
| 37 | Chef Foodenstein BBQ |
Chicken
37 entries · top 180 · median 168.5256 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Big James Kitchen | |
| 2 | Electro-Que-Ted | |
| 3 | Big Orange Smokers | |
| 4 | Lee LA Q | |
| 5 | High On The Hawg | |
| 6 | Rollin Smoke BBQ | |
| 7 | The Big B Barbecue Company | |
| 8 | Small Batch BBQ | |
| 9 | RTQue | |
| 10 | Brothers Q BBQ Supply | |
| 11 | Hogs B Hatin' | |
| 12 | KBBS (KY Bourbon Barrel Smokers) | |
| 13 | Budget BBQ | |
| 14 | BIGG WIGGS BBQ | |
| 15 | Pig Destroyer | |
| 16 | Purdom's BBQ | |
| 17 | Smoking Buds BBQ | |
| 18 | Swine Crew | |
| 19 | Buckshot Malone's Pig Shack | |
| 20 | Serious Hog | |
| 21 | Smokin' Daddies BBQ | |
| 22 | Smokin' Bandits BBQ | |
| 23 | The Blazers | |
| 24 | Buckeye Barbecue | |
| 25 | Manos al Fuego BBQ Team | |
| 26 | Carters's BBQ | |
| 27 | Slangin' Racks | |
| 28 | The Red Goose | |
| 29 | Cliffs Smokin BBQ | |
| 30 | Killer B Backyard BBQ | |
| 31 | sHOGun BBQ | |
| 32 | Mj's Ribs | |
| 33 | Smokin Pimp | |
| 34 | Smoke A Fatty BBQ Nashville | |
| 35 | SimpleMan BBQ | |
| 36 | Roger Rays BBQ | |
| 37 | Chef Foodenstein BBQ |
Pork Ribs
37 entries · top 178.2972 · median 168.5604
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hogs B Hatin' | |
| 2 | Buckshot Malone's Pig Shack | |
| 3 | Pig Destroyer | |
| 4 | Budget BBQ | |
| 5 | Slangin' Racks | |
| 6 | Swine Crew | |
| 7 | Big James Kitchen | |
| 8 | Roger Rays BBQ | |
| 9 | The Red Goose | |
| 10 | Rollin Smoke BBQ | |
| 11 | KBBS (KY Bourbon Barrel Smokers) | |
| 12 | Buckeye Barbecue | |
| 13 | Small Batch BBQ | |
| 14 | The Big B Barbecue Company | |
| 15 | The Blazers | |
| 16 | Electro-Que-Ted | |
| 17 | Smokin' Bandits BBQ | |
| 18 | Brothers Q BBQ Supply | |
| 19 | High On The Hawg | |
| 20 | Purdom's BBQ | |
| 21 | Big Orange Smokers | |
| 22 | RTQue | |
| 23 | Lee LA Q | |
| 24 | Killer B Backyard BBQ | |
| 25 | sHOGun BBQ | |
| 26 | Manos al Fuego BBQ Team | |
| 27 | Cliffs Smokin BBQ | |
| 28 | Smoking Buds BBQ | |
| 29 | BIGG WIGGS BBQ | |
| 30 | Smokin' Daddies BBQ | |
| 31 | Smoke A Fatty BBQ Nashville | |
| 32 | Carters's BBQ | |
| 33 | SimpleMan BBQ | |
| 34 | Serious Hog | |
| 35 | Chef Foodenstein BBQ | |
| 36 | Smokin Pimp | |
| 37 | Mj's Ribs |
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.
Competitor Series — Anything Butt
37 entries · top 180 · median 170.2628 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Smokin' Bandits BBQ | |
| 2 | Pig Destroyer | |
| 3 | The Big B Barbecue Company | |
| 4 | Smoke A Fatty BBQ Nashville | |
| 5 | Lee LA Q | |
| 6 | The Red Goose | |
| 7 | sHOGun BBQ | |
| 8 | BIGG WIGGS BBQ | |
| 9 | Slangin' Racks | |
| 10 | Purdom's BBQ | |
| 11 | Big James Kitchen | |
| 12 | Carters's BBQ | |
| 13 | Electro-Que-Ted | |
| 14 | Killer B Backyard BBQ | |
| 15 | KBBS (KY Bourbon Barrel Smokers) | |
| 16 | Smokin' Daddies BBQ | |
| 17 | Hogs B Hatin' | |
| 18 | Buckeye Barbecue | |
| 19 | Cliffs Smokin BBQ | |
| 20 | SimpleMan BBQ | |
| 21 | Roger Rays BBQ | |
| 22 | The Blazers | |
| 23 | High On The Hawg | |
| 24 | Big Orange Smokers | |
| 25 | RTQue | |
| 26 | Serious Hog | |
| 27 | Smokin Pimp | |
| 28 | Buckshot Malone's Pig Shack | |
| 29 | Small Batch BBQ | |
| 30 | Rollin Smoke BBQ | |
| 31 | Manos al Fuego BBQ Team | |
| 32 | Brothers Q BBQ Supply | |
| 33 | Budget BBQ | |
| 34 | Smoking Buds BBQ | |
| 35 | Swine Crew | |
| 36 | Mj's Ribs | |
| 37 | Chef Foodenstein BBQ |