Sep 26–27, 2025 · Clanton, AL · 📍 702 Airport Road
Reps: Carol Bigler, Randy G Bigler · Prize money: $5,200
Deviant Smoke won Grand Champion at the Central AL BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) on September 26, 2025 in Clanton, AL at 702 Airport Road, scoring 352.5484 in a field of 15 teams. Say My Name BBQ took Reserve Grand Champion with 349.6800. Category winners: Chicken — SMOKE RING AND BARK (178.8572); Pork Ribs — Deviant Smoke (177.7028). This is the 2nd of 2 editions of this contest on record; the 2024 edition was won by Holy Smokin!!!.
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 70 times in 100
Deviant Smoke came in rated below the field's top team, NORALA BBQ TEAM, and took the Grand Championship anyway — roughly a 30-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings.
First to fifth in the overall standings covered just 4.0112 points.
Chicken places 4–5: NORALA BBQ TEAM and HOLY SMOKIN!!! tied on 175.4056 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 7–8: Cook Shak BBQ MS and Rollin Smoke BBQ tied on 174.2628 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 6–7: Pork Life edged Say My Name BBQ by 0.0116.
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: Holy Smokin!!! (won 2024).
| Date | Where | Venue | Teams | High score | Grand Champion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 27, 2024 | Clanton, AL | Clanton, AL 35045 | 18 | 355.4056 | Holy Smokin!!! |
| Sep 26, 2025 ← this one | Clanton, AL | 702 Airport Road | 15 | 352.5484 | Deviant Smoke |
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 178.8572 | 175.4056 | 168.5484 |
| Pork Ribs | 177.7028 | 173.1316 | 167.3828 |
15 entries · top 352.5484 · median 342.2400
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Deviant Smoke | |
| 2 | Say My Name BBQ | |
| 3 | SMOKE RING AND BARK | |
| 4 | Rollin Smoke BBQ | |
| 5 | HOLY SMOKIN!!! | |
| 6 | Electro-Que-ted | |
| 7 | NORALA BBQ TEAM | |
| 8 | Wee Daddy's BBQ | |
| 9 | Modest Meats | |
| 10 | Cook Shak BBQ MS | |
| 11 | Pork Life | |
| 12 | Smoke Wagon BBQ | |
| 13 | Live Line | |
| 14 | The Pit Crew | |
| 15 | Two Brother's Ribs |
14 entries · top 178.8572 · median 174.2628
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | SMOKE RING AND BARK | |
| 2 | Say My Name BBQ | |
| 3 | Wee Daddy's BBQ | |
| 4 | NORALA BBQ TEAM | |
| 5 | HOLY SMOKIN!!! | |
| 6 | Deviant Smoke | |
| 7 | Cook Shak BBQ MS | |
| 8 | Rollin Smoke BBQ | |
| 9 | Electro-Que-ted | |
| 10 | Pork Life | |
| 11 | Modest Meats | |
| 12 | Smoke Wagon BBQ | |
| 13 | Live Line | |
| 14 | The Pit Crew |
15 entries · top 177.7028 · median 171.4288
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Deviant Smoke | |
| 2 | Electro-Que-ted | |
| 3 | Rollin Smoke BBQ | |
| 4 | Modest Meats | |
| 5 | HOLY SMOKIN!!! | |
| 6 | Pork Life | |
| 7 | Say My Name BBQ | |
| 8 | NORALA BBQ TEAM | |
| 9 | SMOKE RING AND BARK | |
| 10 | Cook Shak BBQ MS | |
| 11 | Wee Daddy's BBQ | |
| 12 | Smoke Wagon BBQ | |
| 13 | Live Line | |
| 14 | The Pit Crew | |
| 15 | Two Brother's Ribs |