A new contest record
698.8228
highest overall ever cooked here
698.8228 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 698.2172 Heavy Smoke BBQ set in 2021.
- old record 698.2172
- set 2021 by Heavy Smoke BBQ
Christmas on the River State Bar B Q Championship 2024
Dec 6–7, 2024 · Demopolis, AL · 📍 Childers and Main · State championship
Reps: Carol Bigler, Randy G Bigler
Organizer Portal won Grand Champion at the Christmas on the River State Bar B Q Championship on December 6, 2024 in Demopolis, AL at Childers and Main, scoring 698.8228 in a field of 11 teams. COCAMOKE SMOKE BBQ took Reserve Grand Champion with 697.0628. Category winners: Chicken — CONTAGIOUS Q (176.5828); Pork Ribs — MEMPHIS ORIGINAL BBQ (177.7028); Pork — Organizer Portal (176.5600); Brisket — COCAMOKE SMOKE BBQ (178.8572). The Backyard Series standings were won by NORALA BBQ TEAM with 358.8572. This is the 4th of 6 editions of this contest on record; the 2023 edition was won by Heavy Smoke BBQ; the next was held in 2025.
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.
303.39
median 686.73
698.82 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Master Series — Chicken 176.58
- Master Series — Pork Ribs 177.70
- Master Series — Pork 176.56
- Master Series — Brisket 178.86
- Backyard Series — Chicken 180 🔥
- Backyard Series — Pork Ribs 180 🔥
146.25
180
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2021 to 2025 — this edition picked out.
Entries
21
6 judged meats
Top score
698.8228
Winning margin
1.7600
GC over RC
Field average
646.04
303.39698.82
median 686.73 · last place to winner
Tightest race
Chicken
2.2972 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
634.1140
303.39698.82
10th place overall
Field spread
395.4284
winner to last place
Double threats
8
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 38%
beats 62% of 4715 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
31%
11 of 35 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.76 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,598
avg power rating going in · stronger than 76% of contests
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.
A dynasty in the making
2×
wins at this contest
2 of 5 tracked editions
Heavy Smoke BBQ has won this contest 2 times across its 5 tracked editions.
- 2021
- 2023
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 10 calls decided inside half a point
Master Series — Pork places 4–5: Poppa Pig and DANG GOOD BBQ tied on 171.9656 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Master Series — Pork places 6–7: COCAMOKE SMOKE BBQ and CONTAGIOUS Q tied on 170.8228 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Master Series — Pork places 7–8: CONTAGIOUS Q and MEMPHIS ORIGINAL BBQ tied on 170.8228 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Master Series — Pork 4–5 · tie
- Master Series — Pork 6–7 · tie
- Master Series — Pork 7–8 · tie
- Master Series — Brisket 6–7 · tie
How the title was won
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
Organizer Portal took the title on 4 calls from 4 meats, with 1 outright win — their weakest board was chicken at 7th.
- Chicken 7th
- Pork Ribs 4th
- Pork 1st
- Brisket 3rd
A perfect score on the table
2
perfect 180s
2 perfect 180s were scored at this contest — every judge at the table handing back a nine.
- NORALA BBQ TEAM · Chicken
- Modest Meats · Pork Ribs
In the record book (1 in the KCBS record book)
What happened at this contest that stands in the all-time KCBS record book. A gold line is a record nobody has beaten.
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)
This contest over the years full contest page →
| Date | Where | Venue | Teams | High score | Grand Champion | Reserve Champion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 2, 2021 | Demopolis, AL | Demopolis, AL 36732 | 19 | 698.2172 | Heavy Smoke BBQ | Poppa Pig |
| Dec 1, 2022 | Demopolis, AL | Childers and Main | 13 | 697.0628 | Rooters-N-Tooters | CONTAGIOUS Q |
| Dec 1, 2023 | Demopolis, AL | Childers and Main | 17 | 698.1940 | Heavy Smoke BBQ | CONTAGIOUS Q |
| Dec 6, 2024 ← this one | Demopolis, AL | Childers and Main | 11 | 698.8228 | Smoke Me Silly | COCAMOKE SMOKE BBQ |
| Dec 5, 2025 | Demopolis, AL | Childers and Main | 21 | 709.6800 | Bad Rooster | ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN |
| Dec 4, 2026 | Demopolis, AL | — | — | — | — | — |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Master Series — Chicken | 176.5828 | 170.8228 | 155.4172 |
| Master Series — Pork Ribs | 177.7028 | 173.1200 | 150.8000 |
| Master Series — Pork | 176.5600 | 171.9656 | 160 |
| Master Series — Brisket | 178.8572 | 173.1200 | 163.9884 |
| Backyard Series — Chicken | 180 | 177.7028 | 170.2628 |
| Backyard Series — Pork Ribs | 180 | 173.1200 | 169.1200 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
11 entries · top 698.8228 · median 686.7312
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Organizer Portal | |
| 2 | COCAMOKE SMOKE BBQ | |
| 3 | Poppa Pig | |
| 4 | CONTAGIOUS Q | |
| 5 | MEMPHIS ORIGINAL BBQ | |
| 6 | DANG GOOD BBQ | |
| 7 | GOOD GOOGLY GOO BBQ | |
| 8 | RANCH HOUSE KITCHEN | |
| 9 | Big Stanky's BBQ | |
| 10 | Power House BBQ | |
| 11 | M & M Barbeque |
Chicken
11 entries · top 176.5828 · median 170.2512
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | CONTAGIOUS Q | |
| 2 | DANG GOOD BBQ | |
| 3 | COCAMOKE SMOKE BBQ | |
| 4 | RANCH HOUSE KITCHEN | |
| 5 | Poppa Pig | |
| 6 | MEMPHIS ORIGINAL BBQ | |
| 7 | Organizer Portal | |
| 8 | Big Stanky's BBQ | |
| 9 | GOOD GOOGLY GOO BBQ | |
| 10 | M & M Barbeque | |
| 11 | Power House BBQ |
Pork Ribs
11 entries · top 177.7028 · median 171.9656
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | MEMPHIS ORIGINAL BBQ | |
| 2 | Poppa Pig | |
| 3 | GOOD GOOGLY GOO BBQ | |
| 4 | Organizer Portal | |
| 5 | COCAMOKE SMOKE BBQ | |
| 6 | CONTAGIOUS Q | |
| 7 | DANG GOOD BBQ | |
| 8 | RANCH HOUSE KITCHEN | |
| 9 | Big Stanky's BBQ | |
| 10 | Power House BBQ | |
| 11 | M & M Barbeque |
Pork
10 entries · top 176.5600 · median 171.3942
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Organizer Portal | |
| 2 | GOOD GOOGLY GOO BBQ | |
| 3 | Power House BBQ | |
| 4 | Poppa Pig | |
| 5 | DANG GOOD BBQ | |
| 6 | COCAMOKE SMOKE BBQ | |
| 7 | CONTAGIOUS Q | |
| 8 | MEMPHIS ORIGINAL BBQ | |
| 9 | RANCH HOUSE KITCHEN | |
| 10 | Big Stanky's BBQ |
Brisket
10 entries · top 178.8572 · median 171.9656
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | COCAMOKE SMOKE BBQ | |
| 2 | Poppa Pig | |
| 3 | Organizer Portal | |
| 4 | CONTAGIOUS Q | |
| 5 | GOOD GOOGLY GOO BBQ | |
| 6 | MEMPHIS ORIGINAL BBQ | |
| 7 | DANG GOOD BBQ | |
| 8 | RANCH HOUSE KITCHEN | |
| 9 | Power House BBQ | |
| 10 | Big Stanky's BBQ |
Backyard Series
Overall
21 entries · top 358.8572 · median 339.3828
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | NORALA BBQ TEAM | |
| 2 | LEE LA Q | |
| 3 | Rollin Smoke BBQ | |
| 4 | Smokey Bees BBQ - MS | |
| 5 | Modest Meats | |
| 6 | RIBLIFE | |
| 7 | Electro-Que-ted | |
| 8 | The Real Squeal BBQ | |
| 9 | BatWing BBQ | |
| 10 | 2 Swine Crew | |
| 11 | Colonel Rusty | |
| 12 | Idle Times | |
| 13 | Captain Morgan | |
| 14 | MP’s Pork-A-Holics | |
| 15 | Alabama Power | |
| 16 | Semex | |
| 17 | Porch Smokers | |
| 18 | PB & J | |
| 19 | Greene County Grillmasters | |
| 20 | Mass Koss | |
| 21 | Kickin' Butt |
Chicken
21 entries · top 180 · median 168.5372 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | NORALA BBQ TEAM | |
| 2 | The Real Squeal BBQ | |
| 3 | BatWing BBQ | |
| 4 | LEE LA Q | |
| 5 | Rollin Smoke BBQ | |
| 6 | Electro-Que-ted | |
| 7 | Smokey Bees BBQ - MS | |
| 8 | RIBLIFE | |
| 9 | Captain Morgan | |
| 10 | Colonel Rusty | |
| 11 | 2 Swine Crew | |
| 12 | Modest Meats | |
| 13 | Semex | |
| 14 | MP’s Pork-A-Holics | |
| 15 | Idle Times | |
| 16 | Greene County Grillmasters | |
| 17 | Alabama Power | |
| 18 | Porch Smokers | |
| 19 | Mass Koss | |
| 20 | Kickin' Butt | |
| 21 | PB & J |
Pork Ribs
21 entries · top 180 · median 166.8340 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Modest Meats | |
| 2 | NORALA BBQ TEAM | |
| 3 | Smokey Bees BBQ - MS | |
| 4 | LEE LA Q | |
| 5 | 2 Swine Crew | |
| 6 | Rollin Smoke BBQ | |
| 7 | RIBLIFE | |
| 8 | Idle Times | |
| 9 | Electro-Que-ted | |
| 10 | Colonel Rusty | |
| 11 | Alabama Power | |
| 12 | The Real Squeal BBQ | |
| 13 | Porch Smokers | |
| 14 | PB & J | |
| 15 | MP’s Pork-A-Holics | |
| 16 | BatWing BBQ | |
| 17 | Mass Koss | |
| 18 | Semex | |
| 19 | Captain Morgan | |
| 20 | Greene County Grillmasters | |
| 21 | Kickin' Butt |