Aug 23–24, 2024 · Lincoln, IL · 📍 601 Pulaski Street
Reps: Tina Weller · Prize money: $5,000
UP FROM THE PITS BBQ won Grand Champion at the Up in Smoke on the Square (BACKYARD ONLY) on August 23, 2024 in Lincoln, IL at 601 Pulaski Street, scoring 350.8688 in a field of 28 teams. Must B Smokin' Somethin' BBQ Team took Reserve Grand Champion with 347.4172. Category winners: Chicken — Sugba Smokehouse (176.5600); Pork Ribs — Must B Smokin' Somethin' BBQ Team (177.7372). This is the 10th of 12 editions of this contest on record; the 2023 edition was won by 309 BBQ; 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.
What it has taken to win here, 2013 to 2019 — this edition picked out.
Everything below is read straight out of the results — the number on each card is the one that made it a story.
Chicken places 5–6: Bybee's and Crew BBQ and Westside Smoke tied on 170.2628 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 4–5: 1Bite Stand edged Bybee's and Crew BBQ by 0.0116. Pork Ribs places 5–6: Slow your Smoke BBQ edged Rudes BBQ by 0.0228.
Must B Smokin' Somethin' BBQ Team turned in 177.7372 in pork ribs — past the 177.7144 that had stood across 9 earlier editions.
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: 309 BBQ (won 2023).
Records held by every edition of this contest put together, not just this one afternoon.
| Date | Where | Venue | Teams | High score | Grand Champion | Reserve Champion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 23, 2013 | Lincoln, IL | Lincoln, IL | 46 | 689.6916 | A BOY & HIS BBQ | Twyford's BBQ & Catering |
| Aug 22, 2014 | Lincoln, IL | Lincoln, IL 62656 | 50 | 699.4400 | MONSTER-QUE | IT'S 5 O'CLOCK SOMEWHERE |
| Jun 5, 2015 | Lincoln, IL | Lincoln, IL 62656 | 40 | 689.0740 | ST. LOUIS BLACK IRON BBQ | THE CHILLY WATER SMOKERS |
| Jun 3, 2016 | Lincoln, IL | Lincoln , IL 62656 | 52 | 685.6800 | OUTSIDERS BBQ | TRUCKY'S TRUE BLU BBQ'UE |
| Jun 2, 2017 | Lincoln, IL | Kilkapool/Plilaski | 32 | 695.8968 | IT'S 5 O'CLOCK SOMEWHERE | PORK PARADISE |
| Jun 1, 2018 | Lincoln, IL | Kilkapool/Plilaski | 40 | 687.3600 | SMOKIN ACES@THEBBQSUPERSTORE.COM | iBQ'n |
| May 31, 2019 | Lincoln, IL | Lincoln, IL 62656 | 36 | 682.8576 | The BBQ Bus | iBQ'n |
| Jun 4, 2021 | Lincoln, IL | — | — | — | — | — |
| Aug 25, 2023 | Lincoln, IL | 601 Pulaski Street | 26 | 346.8344 | 309 BBQ | — |
| Aug 23, 2024 ← this one | Lincoln, IL | 601 Pulaski Street | 28 | 350.8688 | Up From The Pits BBQ | — |
| Aug 22, 2025 | Lincoln, IL | 601 Pulaski Street | 31 | 357.7144 | Electro-Que-ted | — |
| Aug 28, 2026 | Lincoln, IL | 601 Pulaski Street | 16 | 349.6916 | Smokin E's BBQ | — |
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 176.5600 | 170.2628 | 166.2512 |
| Pork Ribs | 177.7372 | 174.2856 | 168.5828 |
28 entries · top 350.8688 · median 325.6172
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | UP FROM THE PITS BBQ | |
| 2 | Must B Smokin' Somethin' BBQ Team | |
| 3 | 1Bite Stand | |
| 4 | Sugba Smokehouse | |
| 5 | Bybee's and Crew BBQ | |
| 6 | Rudes BBQ | |
| 7 | Big TD'S BBQ | |
| 8 | All Smoked Up BBQ | |
| 9 | MAK's BBQ | |
| 10 | Hillbilly Deluxe | |
| 11 | 309 BBQ | |
| 12 | Slow your Smoke BBQ | |
| 13 | Truck'n Sauced | |
| 14 | Firehouse 51 | |
| 15 | Smitty's Smokehouse BBQ | |
| 16 | Sermerstout BBQ | |
| 17 | Ivy League | |
| 18 | Sugar Creek BBQ | |
| 19 | Body by Que | |
| 20 | Geeks2Meats | |
| 21 | Westside Smoke | |
| 22 | Dead End BBQ | |
| 23 | All Foxed Up BBQ | |
| 24 | The Dirty German & Son | |
| 25 | SmoQued On Main St | |
| 26 | Smoke Eye | |
| 27 | Still Smokin | |
| 28 | Oasis Bros BBQ |
28 entries · top 176.5600 · median 163.1086
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sugba Smokehouse | |
| 2 | UP FROM THE PITS BBQ | |
| 3 | Firehouse 51 | |
| 4 | 1Bite Stand | |
| 5 | Bybee's and Crew BBQ | |
| 6 | Westside Smoke | |
| 7 | Must B Smokin' Somethin' BBQ Team | |
| 8 | All Smoked Up BBQ | |
| 9 | Hillbilly Deluxe | |
| 10 | 309 BBQ | |
| 11 | MAK's BBQ | |
| 12 | Rudes BBQ | |
| 13 | SmoQued On Main St | |
| 14 | Ivy League | |
| 15 | Sermerstout BBQ | |
| 16 | Big TD'S BBQ | |
| 17 | Geeks2Meats | |
| 18 | Truck'n Sauced | |
| 19 | The Dirty German & Son | |
| 20 | Smitty's Smokehouse BBQ | |
| 21 | Slow your Smoke BBQ | |
| 22 | Sugar Creek BBQ | |
| 23 | Smoke Eye | |
| 24 | Dead End BBQ | |
| 25 | Body by Que | |
| 26 | Still Smokin | |
| 27 | All Foxed Up BBQ | |
| 28 | Oasis Bros BBQ |
28 entries · top 177.7372 · median 166.8286
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Must B Smokin' Somethin' BBQ Team | |
| 2 | 1Bite Stand | |
| 3 | Big TD'S BBQ | |
| 4 | UP FROM THE PITS BBQ | |
| 5 | Slow your Smoke BBQ | |
| 6 | Rudes BBQ | |
| 7 | MAK's BBQ | |
| 8 | Bybee's and Crew BBQ | |
| 9 | Sugba Smokehouse | |
| 10 | Body by Que | |
| 11 | Hillbilly Deluxe | |
| 12 | All Smoked Up BBQ | |
| 13 | Truck'n Sauced | |
| 14 | Smitty's Smokehouse BBQ | |
| 15 | Sugar Creek BBQ | |
| 16 | All Foxed Up BBQ | |
| 17 | 309 BBQ | |
| 18 | Dead End BBQ | |
| 19 | Sermerstout BBQ | |
| 20 | Still Smokin | |
| 21 | Geeks2Meats | |
| 22 | Ivy League | |
| 23 | Smoke Eye | |
| 24 | The Dirty German & Son | |
| 25 | SmoQued On Main St | |
| 26 | Firehouse 51 | |
| 27 | Westside Smoke | |
| 28 | Oasis Bros BBQ |
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.
5 entries · top 177.1428 · median 166.8460
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 309 BBQ | |
| 2 | Must B Smokin' Somethin' BBQ Team | |
| 3 | Dead End BBQ | |
| 4 | MAK's BBQ | |
| 5 | Bybee's and Crew BBQ |