Sep 13–14, 2024 · Guntersville, AL · 📍 24 State Campground Rd
Reps: Carol Bigler, Randy G Bigler · Prize money: $5,000
Big James Kitchen won Grand Champion at the Smoke on the Water Guntersville (BACKYARD ONLY) on September 13, 2024 in Guntersville, AL at 24 State Campground Rd, scoring 354.2628 in a field of 33 teams. Smokey Bees BBQ - MS took Reserve Grand Champion with 353.1200. Category winners: Chicken — Bentley Que (180.0000); Pork Ribs — Big James Kitchen (178.8572). This is the 2nd of 3 editions of this contest on record; the 2016 edition came before it; 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.
The ratings favoured the top seed the other 82 times in 100
Big James Kitchen came in rated below the field's top team, NORALA BBQ TEAM, and took the Grand Championship anyway — roughly a 18-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings.
2 of 3 tracked editions
Big James Kitchen has won this contest 2 times across its 3 tracked editions.
Chicken places 1–2: Bentley Que and NORALA BBQ TEAM tied on 180.0000 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 4–5: Deviant Smoke and Modest Meats tied on 175.4172 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 2–3: PUDDLEDUCK BBQ and Smokey Bees BBQ - MS tied on 176.5600 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
This contest was away for 8 years — the previous tracked edition ran on 2016-09-30.
2 perfect 180s were scored at this contest — every judge at the table handing back a nine.
| Date | Where | Venue | Teams | High score | Grand Champion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 30, 2016 | Guntersville, AL | 24 State Campground RD | — | — | — |
| Sep 13, 2024 ← this one | Guntersville, AL | 24 State Campground Rd | 33 | 354.2628 | Big James Kitchen |
| Sep 12, 2025 | Guntersville, AL | 24 State Campground Rd | 28 | 357.7144 | Big James Kitchen |
| Sep 11, 2026 | Guntersville, AL | — | — | — | — |
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 180 | 175.4172 | 171.9772 |
| Pork Ribs | 178.8572 | 173.7028 | 172.5600 |
33 entries · top 354.2628 · median 335.3832
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Big James Kitchen | |
| 2 | Smokey Bees BBQ - MS | |
| 3 | Bentley Que | |
| 4 | NORALA BBQ TEAM | |
| 5 | Modest Meats | |
| 6 | Small Batch BBQ - TN | |
| 7 | PUDDLEDUCK BBQ | |
| 8 | Electro-Que-ted | |
| 9 | Slingin Pig Meat | |
| 10 | Rollin Smoke BBQ | |
| 11 | HOLY SMOKIN!!! | |
| 12 | MAD ROCKET BARBECUE | |
| 13 | Deviant Smoke | |
| 14 | PUCKDADDY'S KILLER Q | |
| 15 | Gustoso BBQ | |
| 16 | 2 Swine Crew | |
| 17 | Red, White & Que | |
| 18 | The Real Squeal BBQ | |
| 19 | Curly Bird BBQ | |
| 20 | Idle Times | |
| 21 | 931 BBQ | |
| 22 | Ghost Hill BBQ | |
| 23 | LEE LA Q | |
| 24 | Warden's Jailhouse BBQ | |
| 25 | Dixie Pigs & Chick's BBQ Team | |
| 26 | BUTSY-Q | |
| 27 | Chief Grilldaddy & the Hosedraggers | |
| 28 | On Scene BBQ | |
| 29 | FOCAS SMOKAS | |
| 30 | Dad Bod and Boujee | |
| 31 | Smoke Right BBQ | |
| 32 | Tus-Que-Loosa | |
| 33 | Marsh Family BBQ |
33 entries · top 180 · median 168.5256 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bentley Que | |
| 2 | NORALA BBQ TEAM | |
| 3 | Smokey Bees BBQ - MS | |
| 4 | Deviant Smoke | |
| 5 | Modest Meats | |
| 6 | Big James Kitchen | |
| 7 | PUCKDADDY'S KILLER Q | |
| 8 | Small Batch BBQ - TN | |
| 9 | Electro-Que-ted | |
| 10 | 2 Swine Crew | |
| 11 | Dixie Pigs & Chick's BBQ Team | |
| 12 | The Real Squeal BBQ | |
| 13 | Gustoso BBQ | |
| 14 | HOLY SMOKIN!!! | |
| 15 | Rollin Smoke BBQ | |
| 16 | MAD ROCKET BARBECUE | |
| 17 | Slingin Pig Meat | |
| 18 | Smoke Right BBQ | |
| 19 | PUDDLEDUCK BBQ | |
| 20 | 931 BBQ | |
| 21 | LEE LA Q | |
| 22 | Curly Bird BBQ | |
| 23 | Red, White & Que | |
| 24 | Idle Times | |
| 25 | Warden's Jailhouse BBQ | |
| 26 | Ghost Hill BBQ | |
| 27 | BUTSY-Q | |
| 28 | FOCAS SMOKAS | |
| 29 | On Scene BBQ | |
| 30 | Dad Bod and Boujee | |
| 31 | Tus-Que-Loosa | |
| 32 | Chief Grilldaddy & the Hosedraggers | |
| 33 | Marsh Family BBQ |
33 entries · top 178.8572 · median 167.3944
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Big James Kitchen | |
| 2 | PUDDLEDUCK BBQ | |
| 3 | Smokey Bees BBQ - MS | |
| 4 | Slingin Pig Meat | |
| 5 | MAD ROCKET BARBECUE | |
| 6 | Rollin Smoke BBQ | |
| 7 | Small Batch BBQ - TN | |
| 8 | Bentley Que | |
| 9 | HOLY SMOKIN!!! | |
| 10 | Modest Meats | |
| 11 | Chief Grilldaddy & the Hosedraggers | |
| 12 | Electro-Que-ted | |
| 13 | Red, White & Que | |
| 14 | Gustoso BBQ | |
| 15 | NORALA BBQ TEAM | |
| 16 | Ghost Hill BBQ | |
| 17 | Idle Times | |
| 18 | Curly Bird BBQ | |
| 19 | 2 Swine Crew | |
| 20 | Deviant Smoke | |
| 21 | PUCKDADDY'S KILLER Q | |
| 22 | Warden's Jailhouse BBQ | |
| 23 | BUTSY-Q | |
| 24 | 931 BBQ | |
| 25 | Dad Bod and Boujee | |
| 26 | LEE LA Q | |
| 27 | The Real Squeal BBQ | |
| 28 | On Scene BBQ | |
| 29 | FOCAS SMOKAS | |
| 30 | Dixie Pigs & Chick's BBQ Team | |
| 31 | Marsh Family BBQ | |
| 32 | Tus-Que-Loosa | |
| 33 | Smoke Right 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.
22 entries · top 180 · median 170.8228 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Big James Kitchen | |
| 2 | The Real Squeal BBQ | |
| 3 | Ghost Hill BBQ | |
| 4 | LEE LA Q | |
| 5 | Tus-Que-Loosa | |
| 6 | FOCAS SMOKAS | |
| 7 | Modest Meats | |
| 8 | On Scene BBQ | |
| 9 | Warden's Jailhouse BBQ | |
| 10 | Deviant Smoke | |
| 11 | Red, White & Que | |
| 12 | Dad Bod and Boujee | |
| 13 | Curly Bird BBQ | |
| 14 | PUDDLEDUCK BBQ | |
| 15 | Marsh Family BBQ | |
| 16 | Chief Grilldaddy & the Hosedraggers | |
| 17 | BUTSY-Q | |
| 18 | Idle Times | |
| 19 | Smoke Right BBQ | |
| 20 | MAD ROCKET BARBECUE | |
| 21 | Bentley Que | |
| 22 | Electro-Que-ted |