WhistleStop BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY)
2024-10-18 – 2024-10-19 · Huntsville, AL · 📍 Mid-City District
Reps: CAROL BIGLER, RANDY G BIGLER · Prize money: $4,300.00
Grand Champion: Deviant Smoke (358.2972) · 50 teams
Reserve Champion: 🥈 HICKORY HANGOVER
Entries
50
2 judged meats
Top score
358.2972
Winning margin
5.1772
GC over RC
Field average
328.87
median 331.67
Tightest race
Chicken
5.1428 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
341.7144
10th place overall
Field spread
65.2228
winner to last place
Prize money
$4,300.00
on the line
Double threats
3
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 18%
beats 82% of 708 Backyard Series wins in the data
Traveled in
4%
of the 50 teams with a home region came from outside AL
Form held
Moderate
ρ = -0.45 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1516
avg power rating going in · stronger than 20% of contests
Storylines
📸 Photo finishes
Chicken places 7–8: Say My Name BBQ and Red, White & Que tied on 174.2628 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 5–6: MAD ROCKET BARBECUE and Redstone Federal Credit Union tied on 173.1084 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 5–6: Just For Fun BBQ edged Gettin' Sauced by 0.0116.
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)
Where the field came from (home regions on file)
This contest over the years full contest page →
| Date | Where | Venue | Teams | High score | Grand Champion | Reserve Champion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-10-18 ← this one | Huntsville, AL | Mid-City District | 50 | 358.2972 | Deviant Smoke | — |
| 2025-10-17 | Huntsville, AL | 1030 Mid City Drive | 39 | 354.2744 | Hickory Hangover | — |
| 2026-10-16 | Huntsville, AL | — | — | — | — | — |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 179.4400 | 174.2972 | 172.0000 |
| Pork Ribs | 180.0000 | 173.1084 | 170.8344 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Backyard Series
Overall
50 entries · top 358.2972 · median 331.6742
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Deviant Smoke | |
| 2 | HICKORY HANGOVER | |
| 3 | Invarique | |
| 4 | Say My Name BBQ | |
| 5 | MAD ROCKET BARBECUE | |
| 6 | Red, White & Que | |
| 7 | Just For Fun BBQ | |
| 8 | Idle Times | |
| 9 | Last Place Chicken | |
| 10 | Schoelly Smokes | |
| 11 | Gustoso BBQ | |
| 12 | Happy Grillmore | |
| 13 | PUDDLEDUCK BBQ | |
| 14 | PIG'N & CHIK'N | |
| 15 | i3 | |
| 16 | Slice To Meat You | |
| 17 | Coldwater Creek BBQ | |
| 18 | Sportspage Smokers | |
| 19 | Firebird | |
| 20 | Blood, Sweat, & Titos | |
| 21 | Los Diablos | |
| 22 | Smoke 'Em All | |
| 23 | GSP Barbecue | |
| 24 | Beefis and Butt-Head | |
| 25 | Redstone Federal Credit Union | |
| 26 | Gettin' Sauced | |
| 27 | Uncle Redstone | |
| 28 | Limp Brizkit | |
| 29 | Torch Technologies | |
| 30 | Rugby Old Boys | |
| 31 | Reggie Time BBQ | |
| 32 | Hog & Kissess | |
| 33 | You Don't Win Friends With Salad | |
| 34 | Last Place Last Year | |
| 35 | Wiregrass Construction Co Inc | |
| 36 | BBQ Madman | |
| 37 | Cluckin’ Crazy BBQ | |
| 38 | Boss Hawgs | |
| 39 | Boar on the Floor | |
| 40 | Rocket Smoke | |
| 41 | All Things Covered in Smoke | |
| 42 | Dos Gatos | |
| 43 | El Jefe Q | |
| 44 | Sweaty Pig | |
| 45 | Silverback'd Grillaz | |
| 46 | Boob-B-Q | |
| 47 | Window World of Huntsville | |
| 48 | Smoke Monkees | |
| 49 | The Smoke Show | |
| 50 | Bad Dog's BBQ |
Chicken
50 entries · top 179.4400 · median 165.4114
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Deviant Smoke | |
| 2 | Idle Times | |
| 3 | HICKORY HANGOVER | |
| 4 | MAD ROCKET BARBECUE | |
| 5 | Just For Fun BBQ | |
| 6 | Gettin' Sauced | |
| 7 | Say My Name BBQ | |
| 8 | Red, White & Que | |
| 9 | i3 | |
| 10 | GSP Barbecue | |
| 11 | Smoke 'Em All | |
| 12 | Gustoso BBQ | |
| 13 | Slice To Meat You | |
| 14 | Last Place Chicken | |
| 15 | Schoelly Smokes | |
| 16 | Coldwater Creek BBQ | |
| 17 | Happy Grillmore | |
| 18 | Torch Technologies | |
| 19 | Invarique | |
| 20 | Limp Brizkit | |
| 21 | PUDDLEDUCK BBQ | |
| 22 | Blood, Sweat, & Titos | |
| 23 | Beefis and Butt-Head | |
| 24 | PIG'N & CHIK'N | |
| 25 | Firebird | |
| 26 | You Don't Win Friends With Salad | |
| 27 | Uncle Redstone | |
| 28 | Wiregrass Construction Co Inc | |
| 29 | Sweaty Pig | |
| 30 | Sportspage Smokers | |
| 31 | Los Diablos | |
| 32 | Boar on the Floor | |
| 33 | Silverback'd Grillaz | |
| 34 | BBQ Madman | |
| 35 | Boss Hawgs | |
| 36 | Hog & Kissess | |
| 37 | Rugby Old Boys | |
| 38 | Redstone Federal Credit Union | |
| 39 | El Jefe Q | |
| 40 | Reggie Time BBQ | |
| 41 | Last Place Last Year | |
| 42 | Cluckin’ Crazy BBQ | |
| 43 | Bad Dog's BBQ | |
| 44 | All Things Covered in Smoke | |
| 45 | Smoke Monkees | |
| 46 | Dos Gatos | |
| 47 | Rocket Smoke | |
| 48 | Window World of Huntsville | |
| 49 | The Smoke Show | |
| 50 | Boob-B-Q |
Pork Ribs
50 entries · top 180.0000 · median 165.6914 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Invarique | |
| 2 | Deviant Smoke | |
| 3 | HICKORY HANGOVER | |
| 4 | Say My Name BBQ | |
| 5 | MAD ROCKET BARBECUE | |
| 6 | Redstone Federal Credit Union | |
| 7 | PIG'N & CHIK'N | |
| 8 | Schoelly Smokes | |
| 9 | Last Place Chicken | |
| 10 | Happy Grillmore | |
| 11 | Sportspage Smokers | |
| 12 | Red, White & Que | |
| 13 | PUDDLEDUCK BBQ | |
| 14 | Los Diablos | |
| 15 | Gustoso BBQ | |
| 16 | Just For Fun BBQ | |
| 17 | Firebird | |
| 18 | Reggie Time BBQ | |
| 19 | Rugby Old Boys | |
| 20 | Last Place Last Year | |
| 21 | Slice To Meat You | |
| 22 | Coldwater Creek BBQ | |
| 23 | Hog & Kissess | |
| 24 | Idle Times | |
| 25 | Blood, Sweat, & Titos | |
| 26 | i3 | |
| 27 | Uncle Redstone | |
| 28 | Beefis and Butt-Head | |
| 29 | Cluckin’ Crazy BBQ | |
| 30 | Rocket Smoke | |
| 31 | Limp Brizkit | |
| 32 | Smoke 'Em All | |
| 33 | GSP Barbecue | |
| 34 | Dos Gatos | |
| 35 | BBQ Madman | |
| 36 | You Don't Win Friends With Salad | |
| 37 | All Things Covered in Smoke | |
| 38 | Torch Technologies | |
| 39 | Boss Hawgs | |
| 40 | Boob-B-Q | |
| 41 | Gettin' Sauced | |
| 42 | Wiregrass Construction Co Inc | |
| 43 | El Jefe Q | |
| 44 | Boar on the Floor | |
| 45 | Sweaty Pig | |
| 46 | Window World of Huntsville | |
| 47 | The Smoke Show | |
| 48 | Silverback'd Grillaz | |
| 49 | Smoke Monkees | |
| 50 | Bad Dog's BBQ |