Apr 26–27, 2024 · Florence, AL · 📍 200 Jim Spain Drive
Reps: Carol Bigler, Randy G Bigler · Prize money: $3,000
MAD ROCKET BARBECUE won Grand Champion at the Smoke on the Water BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) on April 26, 2024 in Florence, AL at 200 Jim Spain Drive, scoring 353.7028 in a field of 40 teams. Shmack Q took Reserve Grand Champion with 353.1200. Category winners: Chicken — Bentley Que (177.7144); Pork Ribs — HOLY SMOKIN!!! (177.7372). This is the 2nd of 3 editions of this contest on record; the 2023 edition was won by PuckDaddy's Killer Q; the next was held in 2025.
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.
Everything below is read straight out of the results — the number on each card is the one that made it a story.
Closer than 84% of the 610 championships in the data
The Grand Championship was decided by 0.5828 points — closer than 84% of every championship in the data.
The ratings favoured the top seed the other 67 times in 100
Mad Rocket Barbecue came in rated below the field's top team, RIBLIFE, and took the Grand Championship anyway — roughly a 33-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings.
First to fifth in the overall standings covered just 3.9884 points — 2 teams sat within a single point of the lead.
Chicken places 2–3: Small Batch BBQ - TN and MAD ROCKET BARBECUE tied on 177.7028 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 4–5: Shmack Q and LEE LA Q tied on 176.5600 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 8–9: 362 Que and Saturday Night Swine tied on 173.7028 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: PuckDaddy's Killer Q (won 2023).
| Date | Where | Venue | Teams | High score | Grand Champion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 28, 2023 | Florence, AL | McFarland Park | 36 | 527.9656 | PuckDaddy's Killer Q |
| Apr 26, 2024 ← this one | Florence, AL | 200 Jim Spain Drive | 40 | 353.7028 | Mad Rocket Barbeque |
| Aug 1, 2025 | Florence, AL | 200 James M Spain Dr | 23 | 353.1200 | Electro-Que-Ted |
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 177.7144 | 176.5600 | 173.1316 |
| Pork Ribs | 177.7372 | 174.2744 | 173.1200 |
40 entries · top 353.7028 · median 335.3716
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | MAD ROCKET BARBECUE | |
| 2 | Shmack Q | |
| 3 | Small Batch BBQ - TN | |
| 4 | RIBLIFE | |
| 5 | HOLY SMOKIN!!! | |
| 6 | REDBONES BBQ | |
| 7 | Saturday Night Swine | |
| 8 | LEE LA Q | |
| 9 | Red, White & Que | |
| 10 | Curly Bird BBQ | |
| 11 | 362 Que | |
| 12 | Wee Daddy's BBQ | |
| 13 | Deviant Smoke | |
| 14 | Bentley Que | |
| 15 | PUCKDADDY'S KILLER Q | |
| 16 | NORALA BBQ TEAM | |
| 17 | Electro-Que-ted | |
| 18 | When Pigs Fly - Florence, AL | |
| 19 | Ghost Hill BBQ | |
| 20 | Word Brothers BBQ | |
| 21 | Going Hogging | |
| 22 | Scuttlebutts | |
| 23 | Modest Meats | |
| 24 | NATTY QUE | |
| 25 | FLO TOWN SMOKERS | |
| 26 | Smoke 'Em All | |
| 27 | Idle Times | |
| 28 | Big Jerry's Grillin | |
| 29 | Warden's Jailhouse BBQ | |
| 30 | Dogpatch Q | |
| 31 | Smokin 3's BBQ | |
| 32 | AMERICA FIRST BBQ | |
| 33 | Shake and Bake | |
| 34 | Outlaw BBQ | |
| 35 | Burnt Offerings BBQ | |
| 36 | Smokey Broskies | |
| 37 | Paul Meyer's Barbeque | |
| 38 | Terry Equipment Smoke | |
| 39 | COLD SMOKE | |
| 40 | Smokin' D's |
40 entries · top 177.7144 · median 169.6742
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bentley Que | |
| 2 | Small Batch BBQ - TN | |
| 3 | MAD ROCKET BARBECUE | |
| 4 | Shmack Q | |
| 5 | LEE LA Q | |
| 6 | RIBLIFE | |
| 7 | REDBONES BBQ | |
| 8 | 362 Que | |
| 9 | Saturday Night Swine | |
| 10 | Red, White & Que | |
| 11 | Going Hogging | |
| 12 | HOLY SMOKIN!!! | |
| 13 | Deviant Smoke | |
| 14 | PUCKDADDY'S KILLER Q | |
| 15 | Curly Bird BBQ | |
| 16 | Wee Daddy's BBQ | |
| 17 | NATTY QUE | |
| 18 | When Pigs Fly - Florence, AL | |
| 19 | Electro-Que-ted | |
| 20 | Scuttlebutts | |
| 21 | NORALA BBQ TEAM | |
| 22 | Modest Meats | |
| 23 | Warden's Jailhouse BBQ | |
| 24 | Ghost Hill BBQ | |
| 25 | FLO TOWN SMOKERS | |
| 26 | Idle Times | |
| 27 | AMERICA FIRST BBQ | |
| 28 | Smoke 'Em All | |
| 29 | Smokey Broskies | |
| 30 | Word Brothers BBQ | |
| 31 | Burnt Offerings BBQ | |
| 32 | Outlaw BBQ | |
| 33 | Smokin 3's BBQ | |
| 34 | Shake and Bake | |
| 35 | Dogpatch Q | |
| 36 | Big Jerry's Grillin | |
| 37 | Terry Equipment Smoke | |
| 38 | COLD SMOKE | |
| 39 | Paul Meyer's Barbeque | |
| 40 | Smokin' D's |
40 entries · top 177.7372 · median 169.1028
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | HOLY SMOKIN!!! | |
| 2 | Shmack Q | |
| 3 | MAD ROCKET BARBECUE | |
| 4 | RIBLIFE | |
| 5 | Big Jerry's Grillin | |
| 6 | Small Batch BBQ - TN | |
| 7 | Saturday Night Swine | |
| 8 | Word Brothers BBQ | |
| 9 | Curly Bird BBQ | |
| 10 | Ghost Hill BBQ | |
| 11 | NORALA BBQ TEAM | |
| 12 | Wee Daddy's BBQ | |
| 13 | REDBONES BBQ | |
| 14 | Red, White & Que | |
| 15 | Deviant Smoke | |
| 16 | Electro-Que-ted | |
| 17 | 362 Que | |
| 18 | PUCKDADDY'S KILLER Q | |
| 19 | When Pigs Fly - Florence, AL | |
| 20 | LEE LA Q | |
| 21 | Modest Meats | |
| 22 | Dogpatch Q | |
| 23 | Smoke 'Em All | |
| 24 | FLO TOWN SMOKERS | |
| 25 | Bentley Que | |
| 26 | Idle Times | |
| 27 | Scuttlebutts | |
| 28 | Paul Meyer's Barbeque | |
| 29 | Shake and Bake | |
| 30 | Going Hogging | |
| 31 | NATTY QUE | |
| 32 | Warden's Jailhouse BBQ | |
| 33 | Smokin 3's BBQ | |
| 34 | Outlaw BBQ | |
| 35 | AMERICA FIRST BBQ | |
| 36 | Burnt Offerings BBQ | |
| 37 | Terry Equipment Smoke | |
| 38 | Smokey Broskies | |
| 39 | Smokin' D's | |
| 40 | COLD SMOKE |
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.
22 entries · top 177.1428 · median 169.1142
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Electro-Que-ted | |
| 2 | Deviant Smoke | |
| 3 | Outlaw BBQ | |
| 4 | AMERICA FIRST BBQ | |
| 5 | When Pigs Fly - Florence, AL | |
| 6 | Shake and Bake | |
| 7 | Dogpatch Q | |
| 8 | Smokin 3's BBQ | |
| 9 | LEE LA Q | |
| 10 | FLO TOWN SMOKERS | |
| 11 | Smoke 'Em All | |
| 12 | Paul Meyer's Barbeque | |
| 13 | Word Brothers BBQ | |
| 14 | Red, White & Que | |
| 15 | Warden's Jailhouse BBQ | |
| 16 | Ghost Hill BBQ | |
| 17 | Terry Equipment Smoke | |
| 18 | Curly Bird BBQ | |
| 19 | Scuttlebutts | |
| 20 | Wee Daddy's BBQ | |
| 21 | COLD SMOKE | |
| 22 | Smokin' D's |