Won without a category win
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
LC BBQ won the Grand Championship without winning a single meat — 4 calls from 4 boards, best of them 3rd. Consistency beat fireworks.
- Chicken 6th
- Pork Ribs 5th
- Pork 8th
- Brisket 3rd
Smokin on the Rez
Apr 4–5, 2025 · Ridgeland, MS · 📍 Old Trace Park · State championship
Reps: Lygia (Lex) Vanegas, Robert Vanderipe · Prize money: $4,800
LC BBQ won Grand Champion at the Smokin on the Rez on April 4, 2025 in Ridgeland, MS at Old Trace Park, scoring 700.4796 in a field of 17 teams. ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN took Reserve Grand Champion with 697.0628. Category winners: Chicken — DANG GOOD BBQ (179.4400); Pork Ribs — MEMPHIS ORIGINAL BBQ (177.7144); Pork — FIRE DANCER BBQ (178.8572); Brisket — FIRE DANCER BBQ (178.8800).
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.
661.62
median 687.34
700.48 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 179.44
- Pork Ribs 177.71
- Pork 178.86
- Brisket 178.88
155.38
179.44
Entries
17
4 judged meats
Top score
700.4796
Winning margin
3.4168
GC over RC
Field average
685.52
661.62700.48
median 687.34 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Pork
1.1544 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
685.6000
661.62700.48
10th place overall
Field spread
38.8564
winner to last place
Prize money
$4,800
on the line
Double threats
7
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 32%
beats 68% of 4711 Master Series wins in the data
Form held
Moderate
ρ = -0.57 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,654
avg power rating going in · stronger than 96% of contests
Storylines (4 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 stacked field
1654
average power rating going in
Stronger than 96% of every rated contest
The field averaged a 1654 power rating going in — stronger than 96% of every contest tracked.
- top seed ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN (1877)
- 17 rated teams
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 12 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 2–3: BLIND HOG BBQ and Smoke Busters tied on 178.8572 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 3–4: Smoke Busters and Kith n' Kin tied on 178.8572 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 7–8: Mo Betta BBQ and RAZORRACKS tied on 175.4172 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Chicken 2–3 · tie
- Chicken 3–4 · tie
- Chicken 7–8 · tie
- Pork 2–3 · tie
A double category winner
2
category wins in a day
FIRE DANCER BBQ won Pork, Brisket — a double.
- Pork 1st
- Brisket 1st
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)
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 179.4400 | 177.7144 | 173.1428 |
| Pork Ribs | 177.7144 | 173.1084 | 167.9656 |
| Pork | 178.8572 | 177.7028 | 171.9656 |
| Brisket | 178.8800 | 173.1084 | 168.5256 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
17 entries · top 700.4796 · median 687.3372
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | LC BBQ | |
| 2 | ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN | |
| 3 | DANG GOOD BBQ | |
| 4 | Kith n' Kin | |
| 5 | FIRE DANCER BBQ | |
| 6 | MEMPHIS ORIGINAL BBQ | |
| 7 | UNCLE FEOL'S TENNESSEE STYLE BBQ | |
| 8 | RAZORRACKS | |
| 9 | Mo Betta BBQ | |
| 10 | Kermit's Ex | |
| 11 | BLIND HOG BBQ | |
| 12 | Glamping Grillers | |
| 13 | Smoke Busters | |
| 14 | Mississippi Meat Mafia | |
| 15 | PIGLITICALLY INCORRECT BBQ | |
| 16 | BBK Backyard BBQ | |
| 17 | 2nd Hand Smoke |
Chicken
17 entries · top 179.4400 · median 173.7028
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | DANG GOOD BBQ | |
| 2 | BLIND HOG BBQ | |
| 3 | Smoke Busters | |
| 4 | Kith n' Kin | |
| 5 | Glamping Grillers | |
| 6 | LC BBQ | |
| 7 | Mo Betta BBQ | |
| 8 | RAZORRACKS | |
| 9 | PIGLITICALLY INCORRECT BBQ | |
| 10 | BBK Backyard BBQ | |
| 11 | ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN | |
| 12 | MEMPHIS ORIGINAL BBQ | |
| 13 | UNCLE FEOL'S TENNESSEE STYLE BBQ | |
| 14 | FIRE DANCER BBQ | |
| 15 | Kermit's Ex | |
| 16 | Mississippi Meat Mafia | |
| 17 | 2nd Hand Smoke |
Pork Ribs
17 entries · top 177.7144 · median 168.5372
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | MEMPHIS ORIGINAL BBQ | |
| 2 | ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN | |
| 3 | Kermit's Ex | |
| 4 | Mo Betta BBQ | |
| 5 | LC BBQ | |
| 6 | DANG GOOD BBQ | |
| 7 | RAZORRACKS | |
| 8 | BLIND HOG BBQ | |
| 9 | Kith n' Kin | |
| 10 | Glamping Grillers | |
| 11 | 2nd Hand Smoke | |
| 12 | PIGLITICALLY INCORRECT BBQ | |
| 13 | Mississippi Meat Mafia | |
| 14 | FIRE DANCER BBQ | |
| 15 | UNCLE FEOL'S TENNESSEE STYLE BBQ | |
| 16 | BBK Backyard BBQ | |
| 17 | Smoke Busters |
Pork
17 entries · top 178.8572 · median 171.9656
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | FIRE DANCER BBQ | |
| 2 | ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN | |
| 3 | UNCLE FEOL'S TENNESSEE STYLE BBQ | |
| 4 | Kith n' Kin | |
| 5 | Mississippi Meat Mafia | |
| 6 | Smoke Busters | |
| 7 | Kermit's Ex | |
| 8 | LC BBQ | |
| 9 | DANG GOOD BBQ | |
| 10 | Mo Betta BBQ | |
| 11 | RAZORRACKS | |
| 12 | BBK Backyard BBQ | |
| 13 | BLIND HOG BBQ | |
| 14 | MEMPHIS ORIGINAL BBQ | |
| 15 | Glamping Grillers | |
| 16 | PIGLITICALLY INCORRECT BBQ | |
| 17 | 2nd Hand Smoke |
Brisket
17 entries · top 178.8800 · median 169.6800
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | FIRE DANCER BBQ | |
| 2 | UNCLE FEOL'S TENNESSEE STYLE BBQ | |
| 3 | LC BBQ | |
| 4 | DANG GOOD BBQ | |
| 5 | MEMPHIS ORIGINAL BBQ | |
| 6 | RAZORRACKS | |
| 7 | PIGLITICALLY INCORRECT BBQ | |
| 8 | Glamping Grillers | |
| 9 | Kith n' Kin | |
| 10 | ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN | |
| 11 | Smoke Busters | |
| 12 | Mo Betta BBQ | |
| 13 | BLIND HOG BBQ | |
| 14 | BBK Backyard BBQ | |
| 15 | 2nd Hand Smoke | |
| 16 | Mississippi Meat Mafia | |
| 17 | Kermit's Ex |