They will not let it go
3 in a row
editions of this contest
Smokey Bees BBQ - MS won here last time out too — 3 straight editions of this contest.
- 2023
- 2024
- 2025
Foley BBQ & Blues Cook-Off (BACKYARD ONLY) 2025
Mar 7–8, 2025 · Foley, AL · 📍 125 E Laurel Ave
Reps: Carol Bigler, Randy G Bigler · Prize money: $3,450
Smokey Bees BBQ - MS won Grand Champion at the Foley BBQ & Blues Cook-Off (BACKYARD ONLY) on March 7, 2025 in Foley, AL at 125 E Laurel Ave, scoring 358.8572 in a field of 30 teams. Say My Name BBQ took Reserve Grand Champion with 351.9656. Category winners: Chicken — Smokey Bees BBQ - MS (178.8572); Pork Ribs — Smokey Bees BBQ - MS (180.0000). This is the 6th of 7 editions of this contest on record; the 2024 edition was won by Smokey Bees BBQ; the next was held in 2026.
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.
136.02
median 331.40
358.86 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Backyard Series — Chicken 178.86
- Backyard Series — Pork Ribs 180 🔥
- Ancillary — Pork 179.44
20
180
Entries
30
3 judged meats · 3 ancillary
Top score
358.8572
Winning margin
6.8916
GC over RC
Field average
315.33
136.02358.86
median 331.40 · last place to winner
Tightest race
Chicken
3.4400 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
339.4516
136.02358.86
10th place overall
Field spread
222.8344
winner to last place
Prize money
$3,450
on the line
Double threats
3
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 2%
beats 98% of 612 Backyard Series wins in the data
Came back for more
43%
12 of 28 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Moderate
ρ = -0.46 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,552
avg power rating going in · stronger than 40% of contests
Storylines (8 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
3×
wins at this contest
3 of 7 tracked editions
Smokey Bees BBQ - MS has won this contest 3 times across its 7 tracked editions.
- 2023
- 2024
- 2025
A rookie on the podium
3rd
at their first tracked contest
Cook Shak BBQ MS finished 3rd overall in the first contest the data has them cooking at all.
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 7 calls decided inside half a point
Backyard Series — Pork Ribs places 6–7: Paris Ace, 2 TIMES B'S & J'S BBQ and Cook Shak BBQ MS tied on 172.5600 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Backyard Series — Pork Ribs places 9–10: RAMMER JAMMER BBQ and Porky Blinders tied on 171.4172 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Ancillary — Pork places 2–3: Porky Blinders and NORALA BBQ TEAM tied on 176.0000 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Backyard Series — Pork Ribs 6–7 · tie
- Backyard Series — Pork Ribs 9–10 · tie
- Ancillary — Pork 2–3 · tie
- Ancillary — Pork 9–10 · tie
A double category winner
2
category wins in a day
Smokey Bees BBQ - MS won Chicken, Pork Ribs — a double, and took the Grand Championship on top of it.
- Chicken 1st
- Pork Ribs 1st
A contest record in pork
179.4400
best pork ever cooked here
Cook Shak BBQ MS turned in 179.4400 in pork — past the 177.1428 that had stood across 5 earlier editions.
- old best 177.1428
- across 5 past editions
Back to defend
3
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: PuckDaddy;s Killer Q (won 2021), Lee La Q (won 2022), Smokey Bees BBQ - MS (won 2023, 2024).
- PuckDaddy;s Killer Q · 2021
- Lee La Q · 2022
- Smokey Bees BBQ - MS · 2023, 2024
A perfect score on the table
1
perfect 180s
1 perfect 180 was scored at this contest — every judge at the table handing back a nine.
- Smokey Bees BBQ - MS · 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 13, 2020 | Foley, AL | 125 E Laurel Ave | 23 | 513.0628 | Sneaky Creeek |
| Mar 12, 2021 | Foley, AL | 125 E Laurel Ave | 28 | 518.8000 | PuckDaddy;s Killer Q |
| Mar 12, 2022 | Foley, AL | 125 E Laurel Ave | 26 | 520.5028 | Lee La Q |
| Mar 10, 2023 | Foley, AL | 125 E Laurel Ave | 31 | 521.6800 | Smokey Bees BBQ - MS |
| Mar 9, 2024 | Foley, AL | 125 E Laurel Ave | 28 | 349.1200 | Smokey Bees BBQ |
| Mar 7, 2025 ← this one | Foley, AL | 125 E Laurel Ave | 30 | 358.8572 | Smokey Bees BBQ - MS |
| Mar 13, 2026 | Foley, AL | 200 N. Alston Street | 30 | 357.7028 | Southern Swine |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Backyard Series — Chicken | 178.8572 | 175.4172 | 170.2628 |
| Backyard Series — Pork Ribs | 180 | 173.2000 | 171.4172 |
| Ancillary — Pork | 179.4400 | 172.5600 | 167.4400 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Backyard Series
Overall
30 entries · top 358.8572 · median 331.4000
Chicken
29 entries · top 178.8572 · median 165.1084
Pork Ribs
29 entries · top 180 · median 167.9656 · 🔥 perfect 180
Ancillary
Pork
30 entries · top 179.4400 · median 165.7028
Ancillary categories
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.
Ancillary — Anything But
17 entries · top 180 · median 166.2400 · 🔥 perfect 180
Ancillary — Dessert
18 entries · top 180 · median 170.8458 · 🔥 perfect 180
Ancillary — Sauce
22 entries · top 175.4056 · median 167.9828